Published: Wednesday - March 30, 2005
Words by William E. Ketchum III
Slim Thug (Photo: Geffen)
When BallerStatus.com interviewed Geffen/Star Trak artist Slim Thug in October, he was feeding from the success of his "Three Kings" single, and getting ready for a December release of his official solo debut, Already Platinum. While heavy bootlegging forced him to push back the album release, the Houston native has kept his buzz alive by touring with Snoop Dogg, and contributing a cameo verse Mike Jones' hit single "Still Tippin'." In a follow-up conversation, the Houston native tells BallerStatus about his indie-to-major transition, learning from his elders, and his revamped LP.
BallerStatus.com: We last talked to you in October; how have you been received so far?
Slim Thug: I guess people here are accepting me pretty good, because as much as I'm on the road doing shows, it's paying itself. Everybody used to hear about Slim Thug, and now they finally get to see. That's what we're doing right now: just getting in peoples' faces, letting people know who I am and promoting the record.
BallerStatus.com: You already had a solid independent fan base before. Do you think you've attracted a lot of new listeners so far? If so, how do you go about getting new fans?
Slim Thug: You've got to grab them through the music. Sh-- travels through the street. Now that that bootleg's out, people are passing that along. I'll go do shows too; I was on the road with Snoop for a minute, talking to his crowd and performing for them, that's opening the doors for me.
BallerStatus.com: How about your independent fans? How are they feeling your new work, compared to your previous material?
Slim Thug: They love it. Some people are like, "Hey Slim, you need to do more H-Town-type tracks." They understand though. I try to make a lot more H-Town tracks than I actually do, but the producers out here haven't been stepping up, they aren't bringing the fire a n---- needs. They're feeling the new sh-- too though, they just want me to do more Houston-type sh--, and I'm definitely going to keep that going.
BallerStatus.com: Why do you think that the Houston producers aren't bringing it?
Slim Thug: I have no idea. I try; I've got a beat CD from every dude who's ever had a hit out here. It's been a long time since they've been doing it; I don't know if it's just me or what, but the sh-- hasn't been fitting what I've been looking for. And not to mention, they might have some fire tracks, but look who they're up against: f---in' Neptunes, and sh-- like that. So I can't clown myself and get no bullsh-- beat just because it's a Houston beat, and pick that over a Neptunes track. I've got to get the fire.
BallerStatus.com: So they've been coming to you with stuff you didn't like, or they haven't been coming with much stuff at all?
Slim Thug: There's been stuff they gave me that I really didn't like that much. It was probably cool, but it wasn't anything I'm trying to put on my record. I want my sh-- to be the sh--, so I ain't cutting it from nothing else. If I don't think it's a hit, I ain't rapping on it; I won't even try to rap on it. If it's "all right," I don't want to rap on it; I want to rap on the sh-- that I like and that catches me, because I write better when I love something.
BallerStatus.com: What's it like being on a major label now, with videos on BET and MTV, tours, etc.?
Slim Thug: It's a real blessing to see all of that come to life; it's like seeing your dreams come true. You work hard everyday, and try to make the sh-- possible, but to finally see it working, and see feedback on "106 & Park" and sh-- like that, that's a beautiful feeling. A goal you've been working toward for so long is finally going through and working.
BallerStatus.com: How difficult was it moving from an indie label to a major?
Slim Thug: To me, it wasn't a hell of a hard transition. The only thing is that BET is a motherf---er; BET and MTV, the exposure just takes you everywhere. You go from being a dude who can walk into a restaurant and people not know who you are, to somebody who people ask for autographs from.
BallerStatus.com: I was just about to ask you that. What's your fame level like in places other than Houston? Do you get stopped a lot in public?
Slim Thug: Yeah, I get a lot of that. A lot of people know me in a lot of different places. The videos for "Still Tippin'," "Three Kings," and "Like A Boss," that's got me out there in a lot of different places. It surprised me, but it's a good thing, I love it. I can go to L.A. and people know who I am now.
BallerStatus.com: You have a song called "Move Somethin'" where you comment on how record labels screw over artists. How are your views on that, now that you're on a major label?
Slim Thug: That was the demo I put together to give to record labels that got me signed. That was the song that got me signed, really. It was just what it was back then; I had to just tell them, "This is what the f--- I'm getting out of y'all when y'all come at me, that's why I'm not signed yet." But now, Interscope understands me, they know my whole movement. They give me a lot of love -- more than the average new artist would get -- so I've got no complaints about my company. When I signed my contract, I asked for everything I wanted, and they gave it to me, so I've got no complaints. I can still do independent sh--.
BallerStatus.com: Speaking of Houston, the emergence of you and Lil' Flip is giving spotlight to the state. First of all, how's the hip-hop scene down there?
Slim Thug: The hip-hop scene in Houston is lovely right now. A lot of people are watching us, waiting to see what we've got to bring. If you're a rapper from Houston, you're in a good seat right now, because a lot of majors are trying to get that next Mike Jones, Lil' Flip, or Slim Thug and bring them to the forefront. I'm just happy that people are finally opening their ears to what we're doing down here.
BallerStatus.com: How is Houston hip-hop different from the rest?
Slim Thug: We're on our own sh-- out here. The chopped and screwed sh-- is big out here; we do the syrup sipping sh-- out here, and the whole candy cars. If you go to Miami they're on their own sh--, Atlanta's on their own sh--, and we're on our own sh--. We're more of a slow, laid-back type city instead of being crunk like Atlanta. It's a different look.
BallerStatus.com: You were opening up for Snoop Dogg late January and early February. How did that go?
Slim Thug: It was beautiful. First of all, to even be on the same stage and opening up for Snoop Dogg is a big accomplishment alone. Believe it or not, as gangsta as Snoop Dogg is, the majority of his fans at those shows were white people. They were people who probably haven't heard of Slim Thug, and don't know what I'm doing, where I'm from, and how I'm doing it. So for me to do my thing onstage for them and get that look with Snoop, I was happy, it was a good thing.
BallerStatus.com: You've been getting even more exposure on the Mike Jones single "Still Tippin'." How did that collaboration come about?
Slim Thug: Actually, I had gave that record to Swishahouse like two years ago. I had been thought of the concept a long time ago, when I was first supposed to start my album. But there was bullsh-- with my album, and I didn't want to put it out independently, so I kind of never did. I told the producer at Swishahouse -- at the time of the concept -- told him I wanted to do a song. Really, that song -- the hook and my verse -- is off of a mixtape back from '98, like my third freestyle I ever did with Swishahouse. It was over the beat with Ice Cube, the one where he was like, "Now which one of y'all freaks want to get down." It was over that beat right there; I just kind of updated it and flipped it. "Tippin on 44's" was a line I said in the middle of the freestyle; we just looped it for the hook. I gave it to Michael Watts to put on Swishahouse's CD, and he put it out on "Hell Broke Loose." The sh-- blew up, so they put it on Mike Jones' album. First it was Mike Jones and Chamillionaire, then they put on Mike Jones and Paul Wall. We did a little Uncut video, and the sh-- blew.
BallerStatus.com: Anywhere else we can expect to see you at soon?
Slim Thug: I've got videos, and I stay on the road doing shows right now. That's what I've been doing these past few weeks/months, doing shows and just going to different cities and showing my face. You can see me everywhere manye [laughs].
BallerStatus.com: You've been working with a lot of veterans: Neptunes, Jazze Pha, Snoop. What all have you learned from them?
Slim Thug: Just peeping their business and how they do it. How they handle themselves, how they stay on note and stay on their grind. Even though everybody knows them as being "big producers," you still see them in the studio everyday like they never had a hit before, just keeping it humble through the whole thing. That's the biggest thing I've learned from them, and just how they carry themselves. I just want to be a part of it.
BallerStatus.com: Your album was previously scheduled for a December release date; why was it pushed back?
Slim Thug: First of all, the bootleg came out. We were supposed to drop in October initially, and the bootleg came out last minute. I didn't want to give them the same record that was out already, because we weren't even all the way there to be able to drop it early. Then it came to the fourth quarter, and I didn't want to drop in the fourth quarter with Eminem. I spoke with 50, and he was saying that wouldn't be smart. Game dropped in January, and 50 was supposed to drop in February, and he got pushed back so that pushed my sh-- back too. I'ma give 50 time to do his thing and then I'ma come. But I wasn't in a mad hurry to put the album out; I was just like, "Do it when it's right."
BallerStatus.com: How much material on the album is new, and how much is from the bootleg?
Slim Thug: There are going to be four songs from the bootleg: "I Ain't Heard That," "Three Kings," "Like A Boss," and "Incredible Feeling." The rest of them are going to be all new records. Me and Pharrell did a gang of new records, me and Jazze did a new record, I got one from Sha Money [XL], Cool and Dre gave me some fire. I f--- with a lot of people on this one.
Features Joe Budden: I Do It For Hip-Hop It's 2008, and guess what, Joe Budden is still here. Normally when a rapper endures personal tragedies, and label disputes, ... full story
Beyond Hip-Hop Game Review: Far Cry 2 Gone are Jack Carver, his Hawaiian shirt, and the trigens from the first installment of "Far Cry," but in comes spine ... full story
Digg It
Del.icio.us
