Slim Thug

When Slim Thug decided to name his major label debut, "Already Platinum," the Houston, Texas-based rapper wasn't suffering from a bout of wishful thinking. On the contrary, he was stating a fact: a bold proclamation that even though he was anonymous to most people outside the state of Texas, he had already sold enough records in his home state to be certified a veritable rap star. Now the rest of the country will be able to hear what's made Slim Thug "Already Platinum."

Slim Thug's major-label debut solo album will be released by Geffen Records through Star Trak, the label founded and fun by mega-star producers The Neptunes. "I felt like I did everything I could as an independent," Slim Thug says about moving onto the national stage. "This is going to take me to different cities and have the people who never felt me before, feel me like they do in Houston."

Slim Thug is a towering MC who made a name for himself standing above a crowded fray of southern rappers. Houston's rich tradition of stark, visual and melodic hip-hop includes Scarface, the Geto Boys and DJ Screw, and even now the city is overflowing with a number of talented MCs. Yet with his big, bass-filled southern twang and a versatile rhyming style, Slim Thug has become the city's most preeminent lyrical export.

Complimenting Slim's rhyming abilities are his skills as a businessman and entrepreneur. Once he got his taste for the rap game, Slim set out and created his own record label, Boss Hog Outlawz, in 2000, which would release music by him and his crew. Slim used his expertise selling mixtapes and hustling to quickly master all the finer points of the music business – finding talent, manufacturing, distribution – in establishing a successful venture. "It was real tricky, 'specially if you've never done nothing like that before," admits Slim. "But if you have something you know people want, you learn real fast. I figured out the hustle from the mixtapes real early. And my whole dream about being in the music business wasn't to be a rapper alone. It was always to be a CEO of my own company. Because really, if you ask me, I'm a background kind of cat. I don't like to be out front all the time."

The album shows off many different styles that Slim Thug feels makes him a universal MC, despite his Texas roots. "I'm what you call versatile," he says. He'll soon have a real plaque certifying his appeal – not that he needs it. In his world, Slim Thug is "Already Platinum."