Slim Thug

An imposing figure with a voice to match, Slim Thug had been dropping in for guest verses — on mixtapes and other artists' albums — for several years before making his full-length debut through the Neptunes' Star Trak label. Based out of the northern part of Houston, the MC fell in with Swishahouse's Michael Watts and established a following in short time, which had a lot to do with his business instincts — mixtapes released on his own Boss Hogg Outlawz label circulated throughout the region. (He also acquired a couple record stores and became involved with real estate.) Already Platinum, distributed by Geffen, sustained several release-date delays before its July 2005 street date, and featured production work from the Neptunes and Jazze Pha. The Boss of All Bosses followed in 2009, with Tha Thug Show arriving one year later.