Stayve Jerome Thomas (born September 8, 1980), better known by his stage name Slim Thug, is an American

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

. He initially gained mainstream attention for his contribution to the hit single by rapper Mike Jones, "

Still Tippin' "Still Tippin" is a song by American rapper Mike Jones, released on November 12, 2004 as his debut and lead single from his album '' Who Is Mike Jones?'' (2005). Prior to this, it was also used as a single to promote Swisha House's compilation al ...

". In July 2005, he released his debut album ''

Already Platinum ''Already Platinum'' is the debut album by American rapper Slim Thug. The album was released on July 12, 2005 on Pharrell and Chad Hugo's Star Trak label. The original release date was slated for February 2005, but heavy bootlegging and numerous ...

'', which reached number two on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart. That same year, he was featured on the

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

Pink Panther ''The Pink Panther'' is an American media franchise primarily focusing on a series of comedy-mystery films featuring an inept French police detective, Inspector Jacques Clouseau. The franchise began with the release of the classic film ''The Pin ...

'' song "

Check on It "Check on It" is a song recorded by American singer Beyoncé. It was written by her, Swizz Beatz, Sean Garrett, Angela Beyincé and Slim Thug, and produced by Swizz Beatz. Initially recorded solely by Beyoncé, the song was supposed to be feat ...

", which reached number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and won the

MTV Video Music Award for Best R&B Video The MTV Video Music Award for Best R&B was first awarded in 1993 under the name of Best R&B Video, and it was given every year until 2006, as the following year MTV revamped the VMAs and eliminated all the genre categories. The following year, thou ...

Early life

At age 17, he performed freestyle raps at local high school parties. He began his rap career with

Swishahouse Swishahouse is an independent Southern hip hop, southern rap record label and hip hop collective based in Houston, Texas. History Swishahouse was founded in North Houston in 1997 by founder and CEO Michael "5000" Watts and OG Ron C as a response ...

in the late 1990s. After realizing how much money he could make distributing his own

mixtapes A mixtape (alternatively mix-tape, mix tape or mixed tape) is a compilation of music, typically from multiple sources, recorded onto a medium. With origins in the 1980s, the term normally describes a homemade compilation of music onto a cassette ...

, he parted ways with Swishahouse on good terms and formed his own independent label, Boss Hogg Outlawz. Thomas bought two record stores and worked in real estate. Stayve attended Eisenhower High School.

Music career

''Already Platinum'' (2005–08)

Slim Thug's big debut album with

Star Trak Entertainment Star Trak was an American record label, founded by The Neptunes and Rob Walker in 2001. It operated as a division of Interscope Geffen A&M, a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. Its name is a reference to the 1960s TV program ''Star Trek''. ...

Interscope Records Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture with Atlantic Records of Warner Mus ...

, ''

'', was released in July 2005 after many delays. It premiered on #2 on the ''Billboard'' 200 albums chart and sold 130,000 copies in its first week. Singles included " 3 Kings" (featuring T.I. and Bun B), and "I Ain't Heard of That" (featuring

Pharrell Pharrell Lanscilo Williams (; born April 5, 1973) is an American record producer, rapper, singer, and songwriter. Alongside close colleague Chad Hugo, he formed the hip hop and R&B production duo the Neptunes in the early 1990s, with whom h ...

and Bun B). Slim Thug appeared on

with Mike Jones and

Paul Wall Paul Michael Slayton (born March 11, 1981), better known by his stage name Paul Wall, is an American rapper and DJ. He has spent much of his career affiliated with Swishahouse Records, and has released several albums under the label and collabor ...

Beyoncé Knowles Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

's #1 single "

" and

Gwen Stefani Gwen Renée Stefani (; born October 3, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, fashion designer and actress. She is a co-founder, lead vocalist, and the primary songwriter of the band No Doubt, whose singles include "Just a Girl", "Spiderwebs ...

's "

Luxurious "Luxurious" is a song by American singer and songwriter Gwen Stefani from her debut solo studio album, '' Love. Angel. Music. Baby.'' (2004). Written by Stefani and fellow No Doubt bandmate Tony Kanal, the track contains a sample of the Isley ...

". With the Boss Hogg Outlawz, Slim Thug released three albums, ''Boyz N Blue'' (2004), ''Serve & Collect'' (2007) and ''Back by Blockular Demand: Serve & Collect II'' (2008). He left Star Trak & Interscope Records in 2008.

''Boss of All Bosses'' (2009)

Slim Thug's second solo album '' Boss of All Bosses'' was released in 2009. Although not as successful as his debut album, '' Boss of All Bosses'' debuted at #15 on the ''Billboard'' 200 with 32,000 copies sold in the first week released. It included the single " I Run".

''Tha Thug Show'' (2010–present)

Slim Thug's third studio album ''

Tha Thug Show ''Tha Thug Show'' is the third studio album by Houston recording artist Slim Thug. It was released on November 30, 2010, by his Boss Hogg Outlawz label, distributed by E1 Music. The album was supported by two singles; "Gangsta" featuring Z-Ro ...

''. His first single was "''Gangsta''" which featured

Z-Ro Joseph Wayne McVey IV (born January 19, 1977), better known by his stage names Z-Ro and the Mo City Don, is an American rapper from Houston, Texas. He was named one of America's most underrated rappers by ''The New York Times'' in 2007. Early li ...

. His second single featured rapper/singer

B.o.B Bobby Ray Simmons Jr. (born November 15, 1988), known professionally as B.o.B, is an American rapper and record producer. Raised in Decatur, Georgia, Simmons was signed to Jim Jonsin's Rebel Rock Entertainment imprint in 2006. Two years late ...

entitled "''So High''". It was released November 30, 2010. On April 23, 2013 he released a new EP titled ''Welcome to Texas EP'' featuring guest appearances from

Rick Ross William Leonard Roberts II (born January 28, 1976), known professionally as Rick Ross, is an American rapper. Prior to releasing his debut single, "Hustlin'", in 2006, Ross was the subject of a bidding war, receiving offers from Sean Combs, D ...

Pimp C Chad Lamont Butler (December 29, 1973 – December 4, 2007), better known by his stage name Pimp C, was an American rapper and record producer. He was best known for his work with Bun B as one half of the hip-hop duo Underground Kingz (UGK). S ...

and

Ludacris Christopher Brian Bridges (born September 11, 1977), known professionally as Ludacris (, homophonous with 'ludicrous' in American English), is an American rapper, actor, record producer and record executive. Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludac ...

among others. In March 2020, Slim Thug released his album ''Thug Life'', and he announced that he had tested positive for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

Personal life

According to MTV News, Lupe Fiasco's video for " Hip Hop Saved My Life" was based on Slim Thug's life story. "It is based on Slim Thug," Fiasco revealed. On June 7, 2010,

Vibe ''Vibe'' is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down producti ...

released controversial statements Slim Thug had made regarding treatment of black men by black and white women saying "it’s hard to find successful black manso Black women have to bow down and let it be known that they gotta start working hard; they gotta start cooking and being down for they man more. ...White women treat they man like a king." The article elicited varied reactions from bloggers and online commentators. Cultural critic and Columbia University professor

Marc Lamont Hill Marc Lamont Hill (born December 17, 1978) is an American academic, author, activist, and television personality. He is a professor of media studies and urban education at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Hill is the host of '' Up ...

and singers

Aubrey O'Day Aubrey Morgan O'Day (born February 11, 1984) is an American singer and reality television personality, best known for being a member of the girl group Danity Kane. Following discord among Danity Kane and with her mentor at the time, P. Diddy, O' ...

D. Woods Wanita Denise Woodgett (born July 6, 1985), better known as by her nickname D. Woods, is an American singer, dancer, and actress. Woods is the founder and CEO of Woodgrane Entertainment, but best known for her efforts on MTV's "Making The Band 3 ...

, and rapper

Talib Kweli Talib Kweli Greene (; born October 3, 1975) is an American rapper. He earned recognition early on through his collaboration with fellow Brooklyn rapper Mos Def in 1997, when they formed the group Black Star. Kweli's musical career continued with ...

have all responded publicly to his comments.

Discography

*''

'' (2005) *'' Boss of All Bosses'' (2009) *''

'' (2010) *'' Boss Life'' (2013) *'' Hogg Life: The Beginning'' (2015) *''Hogg Life, Vol. 2: Still Surviving'' (2015) *''Hogg Life, Vol. 3: Hustler of the Year'' (2015) *''Hogg Life, Vol. 4: American King'' (2016) *''Welcome 2 Houston'' (2017) *''The World Is Yours'' (2017) *''Suga Daddy Slim: On tha Prowl'' (2019) *''Thug Life'' (2020) *''SDS Vibes'' (2021) *''BIGslim'' (2022)

Awards and nominations

MTV Video Music Award The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honour the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video category) ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Slim Thug African-American male rappers Rappers from Houston Southern hip hop musicians 1980 births Living people African-American businesspeople American music industry executives American real estate businesspeople Gangsta rappers Snap music MNRK Music Group artists Interscope Records artists Businesspeople from Houston 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American people