Slim Thug

Boss Hog Outlawz leader Slim Thug represents Houston with a booming voice that enhances his imposing microphone command. The rapper broke through in 2004 with a guest feature on Mike Jones’ platinum hit “Still Tippin’,” and the next year hit number two on the Billboard 200 with Already Platinum, produced by the likes of the Neptunes, Jazze Pha, and Mr. Lee, the last of whom helmed the charting “3 Kings,” a street-regal collaboration with Bun B and T.I. In high demand as a collaborator, Slim Thug appeared on Beyoncé’s chart-topping “Check on It” before he returned to the upper reaches of the pop, R&B/hip-hop, and rap charts with his second album, Boss of All Bosses (2009). His dozens of albums, mixtapes, and other projects since then include four installments in the Hogg Life series (2015-2016), Midlife Crisis (2023), and the Propain collaboration Double Cup (2025). Born Stayve Jerome Thomas, Slim Thug began his rise by dropping in for guest verses — on mixtapes and other artists’ albums — for several years. Based out of the northern part of Houston, his birthplace, the MC fell in with Swishahouse’s Michael Watts and established a following in little time. This strategy had a lot to do with his business instincts. Mixtapes released on his own Boss Hogg Outlawz label circulated throughout the region, and he acquired a couple record stores and became involved with real estate. Already Platinum, the product of a joint deal with the Neptunes’ Star Trak label and Geffen, sustained several delays before its July 2005 street date and still capitalized on the rapper’s success with Mike Jones’ “Still Tippin’,” entering the Billboard 200 at number two. The set was highlighted by “Like a Boss,” a brash Neptunes production, and “3 Kings,” on which Thug was joined by Bun B and T.I. He appeared on Gwen Stefani’s Top 40 single “Luxuious” and Beyoncé’s number one hit “Check on It,” among other genre-spanning tracks, before he followed up in 2009 with Boss of All Bosses. The independently released album debuted in the Top 20 with a push from “I Run,” a number 49 R&B/hip-hop single with an appearance from Yelawolf. Tha Thug Show landed the next year and boasted verses from Devin the Dude, Rick Ross, and Nipsey Hussle. In 2012, Slim Thug launched his Thug Thursday mixtape series (the sequel dropped in 2014, with a third part of the trilogy arriving in 2016). He also released the Welcome to Texas series: 2013′s installment featured Rick Ross, Pimp C, and Ludacris. That same year, Thug issued a joint album with Lil' Keke titled The Big Unit, as well as his fourth proper LP, Boss Life, which involved Big K.R.I.T., Paul Wall, Chamillionaire, Bun B, Yo Gotti, and Kevin Gates. Even busier in 2015, he delivered the first volume of the Hogg Life series, along with Still Surviving and Hustler of the Year. A year later, the fourth Hogg Life volume, American King, debuted in the Top Ten of the Billboard rap chart. Thug had a banner year in 2017, with the February release of his Welcome 2 Houston mixtape followed in August by Havin Thangs 2K17, a collaborative album with Killa Kyleon. The World Is Yours, his third major release of the year, arrived in December and featured guests like Cam Wallace and Paul Wall. In 2019, Thug paired with Boston George for the mixtape Big Bad Boston and the Boss. Thug filled the gap between 2020′s Down in Texas and 2025′s Double Cup — proper albums recorded respectively with Kyleon and Propain — with another tape, a couple EPs, and featured appearances that prevented him from ever seeming absent. ~ Andy Kellman & Neil Z. Yeung