Stayve Jerome Thomas (born September 8, 1980),[1] better known by his stage name Slim Thug, is an American rapper. He gained mainstream attention for his guest performance alongside Paul Wall on Mike Jones' 2004 single "Still Tippin'." The following year, he made a guest appearance alongside Bun B on Beyoncé's 2005 single "Check on It", which peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100 and won an MTV Music Video Award.[2] Capitalizing on this, he signed with Interscope Geffen A&M and the Neptunes' Star Trak Entertainment to release his debut studio album Already Platinum (2005), which peaked at number two on the Billboard 200. Furthermore, he made a guest appearance on Gwen Stefani's 2005 single "Luxurious", which peaked at number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Slim Thug | |
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Slim Thug at the KDHT studio in 2005 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Stayve Jerome Thomas |
Born | Houston, Texas, U.S. | September 8, 1980
Genres | |
Discography | Slim Thug discography |
Years active | 1998–present |
Labels | |
Formerly of | |
Website | bosslifeworld |
Early life
editAt age 17, he performed freestyle raps at local high school parties. He began his rap career with Swishahouse in the late 1990s. After realizing how much money he could make distributing his own mixtapes, he parted ways with Swishahouse on good terms and formed his own independent label, Boss Hogg Outlawz.[3] Thomas bought two record stores and worked in real estate.[1] Stayve attended Eisenhower High School.
Career
editAlready Platinum (2005–08)
editSlim Thug's debut album with The Neptunes' Star Trak Entertainment and Geffen Records: Already Platinum was released in July 2005 after many delays.[1] It peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 albums chart and sold 130,000 copies in its first week.[4] Its singles included "3 Kings" (featuring T.I. and Bun B), and "I Ain't Heard of That" (featuring Pharrell and Bun B). Slim Thug appeared on "Still Tippin'" with Mike Jones and Paul Wall the year prior, as well as Beyoncé Knowles's #1 single "Check on It" and Gwen Stefani's "Luxurious" that same year. 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 & Geffen Records in 2008.[5]
Boss of All Bosses (2009)
editSlim 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)
editSlim Thug's third studio album Tha Thug Show. His first single was "Gangsta" which featured Z-Ro. His second single featured rapper/singer B.o.B 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, Pimp C and Ludacris among others.[6]
In March 2020, Slim Thug released his album Thug Life, and he announced that he had tested positive for COVID-19.[7]
Personal life
editAccording 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.[8]
On June 7, 2010, Vibe released controversial statements Slim Thug had made regarding treatment of black men by black and white women saying "it's hard to find [a successful black man] so 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."[9] The article elicited varied reactions from bloggers and online commentators.[10][11][12] Cultural critic and Columbia University professor Marc Lamont Hill[13] and singers Aubrey O'Day, D. Woods,[14] and rapper Talib Kweli[15] have all responded publicly to his comments.
Discography
editStudio albums
- Already Platinum (2005)
- Boss of All Bosses (2009)
- Tha Thug Show (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)
- BIGslim (2022)
- Midlife Crisis (2023)
Awards and nominations
editYear | Nominated work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2005 | "Still Tippin'" | MTV2 Award | Nominated |
2006 | "Check On It" | Best R&B Video | Won[2] |
References
edit- ^ a b c Kellman, Andy (2005). "Slim Thug: Biography". allmusic. Archived from the original on February 15, 2011. Retrieved January 16, 2010.
- ^ a b "2006 VMA Highlights". MTV. Archived from the original on June 16, 2022. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
- ^ Rashbaum, Alyssa (October 27, 2004). "Slim Thug: No One-Sided Hustler". You Hear It First. MTV News. Archived from the original on January 29, 2013. Retrieved January 17, 2010.
- ^ Harris, Chris (July 20, 2005). "R. Kelly Fights Off Slim Thug And Bow Wow To Hold #1". MTV News. Archived from the original on July 22, 2005. Retrieved January 16, 2010.
- ^ Reid, Shaheem (April 15, 2008). "Slim Thug Is Ready To Be His Own Boss Again: MC Says He'll Be Free Of Record Deal Within The Week". MTV News. Archived from the original on April 3, 2010. Retrieved January 16, 2010.
- ^ "iTunes - Music - Welcome to Texas by Slim Thug". iTunes. April 23, 2013. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
- ^ "Slim Thug Shares 'Thug Life' LP". March 26, 2020. Archived from the original on March 27, 2020.
- ^ Rodriguez, Jayson (April 11, 2008). "Lupe Fiasco's Latest Single, 'Hip-Hop Saved My Life,' Honors Southern Rap Heroes Bun B, Slim Thug". MTV News. Archived from the original on April 3, 2010. Retrieved January 16, 2010.
- ^ Rhett, Starrene (June 7, 2010). "Slim Thug: 'Black Women Need To Stand By Their Man More'". VIBE.com. Archived from the original on June 9, 2010. Retrieved June 10, 2010.
- ^ Langhorne, Cyrus (June 7, 2010). "Slim Thug On Interracial Dating, "White Women Treat They Man Like A King & Black Women Feel They Ain't Gotta"". SOHH.com. Archived from the original on June 11, 2010. Retrieved June 10, 2010.
- ^ "Battle Of The Sexes: Bloggers Debate Slim Thug's Blog About Black Women". VIBE.com. June 8, 2010. Archived from the original on June 10, 2010. Retrieved June 10, 2010.
- ^ "Was Slim Thug Offensive Towards Black Women?". BET.com. June 8, 2010. Archived from the original on June 10, 2010. Retrieved June 10, 2010.
- ^ Hill, Marc Lamont (June 8, 2010). "An open letter to Slim Thug". TheLoop21.com. Archived from the original on June 11, 2010. Retrieved June 10, 2010.
- ^ "A Woman's Side: Aubrey O'Day, D. Woods Respond To Slim Thug". VIBE.com. June 10, 2010. Archived from the original on June 12, 2010. Retrieved June 10, 2010.
- ^ "A Man's Side: Talib Kweli Responds To Slim Thug". VIBE.com. June 10, 2010. Archived from the original on June 13, 2010. Retrieved June 10, 2010.