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When Slim Thug decided to name his major label debut ‘Already Platinum’, the Houston rapper was making a bold statement. Here, he explains his reasons behind this, and talks about his plans to take Houston to the next level.
With
the sounds of crunk being so seemingly Atlanta and the heavied grooves
of pure hip hop being so New York, what’s a laid back rapper from
Houston expected to do?
Slim Thug, being that rapper in question, has for the past six years indulged in his unique blend of mellowed rhythms and thug sensibilities to create a space for himself in the Houston underground, and with MTV picking up his singles ‘Like A Boss’ and ‘3 Kings’, the sounds of Houston are being shared with the entire hip hop world.
His success in Houston was such that he could call his major label debut album ‘Already Platinum’, having made a name for himself on the mixtape scene by selling so many of his own releases independently. “In Texas, I have been doing a lot of independent work and so the whole lot of the success has already been independent,” Slim Thug told The Situation. “It was a combination of the mixtape scene and the independent label. There were a lot of things going on,” he explained. “Basically, that’s what it was. In the late 90s, in Houston, [the scene] wasn’t really big, but now, put an independent record together and put it out and you’ve got success. We got a lot of radio support and a big market. You’ve got a big market in Texas; it’s a big state. You’ve got Houston, Austin and Dallas. There’s a lot of big cities and selling a hundred thousand copies at $8 a piece, you get a lot of money, you know what I’m sayin’?”
Money is the name of Slim Thug’s game. As a self proclaimed “hustler” his music career is only one part of a greater scheme. “I’m a hustler and I think of rap music as one of my hustles, you know what I’m sayin’. I’m just trying to take advantage of it to the most right now ’cos it can bring the most money to the table. I also do other things to keep myself busy and make sure I have back up plans to whatever I do.”
The 24-year-old is known for owning several record stores and some real estate in Houston with plans for a car dealership and a strip club on the way; he also has a 7000 square foot house and drives a Bentley. It may be easy to believe he doesn’t care much for music except for the money, but naming Jay-Z, Scarface and UGK as inspirations, Thug manages to be living the lifestyle of his predecessors already.
The lifestyle all started in Slim Thug’s early career as a teenager working on mixtapes. “Oh it was good you know, I started back when I was 17 and I was in high school just as a regular student and rapping for fun and having shows and being paid, having seven mixtapes and just making a lot of money - making more than what my teacher was making!” he laughs.
For two years Thug collaborated with Michael ‘5000’ Watts and his Swisha House crew (famous for perfecting the Chopped & Screwed style of hip hop), before creating his own label and crew, the Boss Hogg Outlawz in 2000 - his name was respected and his reputation known. His foray into the major label game came with The Neptunes’ producer Pharrell Williams not only signing him to his Star Trak label, but also assisting in nurturing Thug’s distinct Houston flavour that had set his independent releases so far ahead of the rest. “I definitely think it was a good move. I think The Neptunes definitely brought something to say when it was brought face down and at the same time, they got in my head, saw what I was trying out and made music that people in my area could understand, feel and vibe.”
The southern patriotic nature of Slim Thug in his career is notable, not only having a mission of bringing together the divided Houston by appealing to both North and South sectors in his rap, ‘Already Platinum’ is an album which brings together artists to make the whole Dirty South shine.
With the majority of the production coming from The Neptunes and four out of the eleven album tracks featuring Pharrell Williams, the inclusions by other kings of the South make ‘Already Platinum’ sound like a master class in the genre. “I think we have a lot of talent coming out of the South. I think we are pretty good right now...” One of his collaborations was with T.I., aka Mr Rubber Band Man, on ‘3 Kings’. “Yeah, he was cool. It was like you’d have some real cool drumbeat and have T.I come through over it, playing the live instruments and it pumps, you know. It’s a beautiful thing how it works together.”
Bringing in the luminary Jazze Pha on the teaser single for the album release, ‘Incredible Feelin’, was another good look for Slim Thug. “Yeah, yeah. He’s real hot out here in the South, you know what I’m sayin’. He got a lot of singles and stuff he’s been putting out lately. He’s a real cool dude. I met him a long time ago, and I got to him before the album. He wanted me to rap on his album, and he was cool enough to let me use it for mine. He’s like family…”
Add to that contributions from Lil’ Jon, Snoop Dogg, and Ludacris, and the result is a twist on anything so straightforward in hip hop. Its slowed down country pace is laid back and relaxed, but retains a street boldness and smooth charisma enhanced by the framing of Pharrell and other guests. Thug’s persona and impenetrable Texan drawl is too compelling to ignore.
It seems that the Houston sound is set, but Thug isn’t one to say it started and stopped with him. “Definitely [DJ Screw] has been an influence on the whole Houston sound. He has been a big influence on the whole Houston sound. Of course we had rapped together with DJ Screw but he really brought the whole slyness to the game. He brought a whole new style to the rap scene.”
Slim Thug, the hustler, boasts about his lavish lifestyle and lucrative career in ‘Like A Boss’, but can be the greatest crowd pleaser in ‘Love This Game’, showing the work Slim Thug has done in the land he loves. His plans this summer are simple: to promote his album and see the world. “This summer I’m dropping an album, putting it out, promoting it to the fullest and doing what I have to do to make it successful. Getting it out and just travelling around and get to see the world.”
Wherever he goes, his heart will always be in Houston. “I just wanna have a Houston original sound. I don’t want to sound like Atlanta or West Coast or sound like New York. You know when you hear a New York record, you know it’s from New York. You know when you hear Ciara, you hear crunk music. I just want to hear a Houston rap band so they know where you’re from…”
Slim Thug’s album ‘Already Platinum’ is out now on Star
Trak/Geffen Records. For more information on Slim Thug, visit his official
website http://www.slimthugthaboss.com.
