Slim Thug

Stayve Jerome Thomas (born September 8, 1980), 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. 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.

Early life
At 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. Thomas bought two record stores and worked in real estate. Stayve attended Eisenhower High School.

Already Platinum (2005–08)
Slim Thug's debut album with The Neptunes' Star Trak Entertainment and Geffen Records: Already Platinum was released in July 2005 after many delays. It peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 albums chart and sold 130,000 copies in its first week. 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.

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. 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.

In March 2020, Slim Thug released his album Thug Life, and he announced that he had tested positive for COVID-19.

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 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." The article elicited varied reactions from bloggers and online commentators. Cultural critic and Columbia University professor Marc Lamont Hill and singers Aubrey O'Day, D. Woods, and rapper Talib Kweli have all responded publicly to his comments.

Discography
Studio 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
MTV Video Music Awards