ThaFormula.com - I have heard that you don't feel that it's been that much hard work being on a major right?

Slim Thug - Nah.  I mean it is work, but nothing really that hard.  I come from being in the music business where my whole destiny is in my control.  It ain't like you got anybody having your back.  It's like mainly me just calling all the shit and doing all the footwork.  Going out to promote, pay people to put posters up, talk to radio heads and all these things.  It was all me doing that so being on a major makes it a little easier.  At the same time I still sit at home and overlook a lot of the shit that the labels do and try to make sure that everything is still running all good and well.  I do feel like they took a lot of work out of my hand.    

ThaFormula.com - But is it more work then you expected after hearing so many artists complain about how much work it really is?

Slim Thug - I think it's less work.  I think all the artists that complain ain't saying shit until they did it independent and had to do everything they damn self to really make their own company.  The music business isn't easy.  If you are really into business and really just being successful or whatever then you got to do shows on the weekend, so your weekend is devoted to moving here and there doing shows and then you got interviews or whatever.  It takes up a lot of your time, but to be getting this much money, I can't complain.

ThaFormula.com - Now you started at 17.  How was your life before you even started this?

Slim Thug - I was a kid kinda of so I was just doing the same ol' thing that niggaz do in the hood.  Just you know doing little small hustles here and there.  In high school Hip-Hop was sort of like a hobby to me.  I just would write raps in my free time and just do it to play with.  I never really looked at it like “I’ma be a rapper one day,” and that type of shit.  But I started doing some mixtapes and making some money.  Being able to make 10 dollars off of a mixtape back then was good since I didn't have no job or nothing.  

ThaFormula.com - So it wasn't really the money that got you started rhymin'?

Slim Thug - I ain't gonna lie, I'm a hustler and that's a big part of it, but I'm a big fan of Hip-Hop.  Music is my life.  Even before I was rappin’, every week I was getting a new CD.  So I didn't really do it 100% for the money. 

ThaFormula.com - When did you decide to put out your first CD?

Slim Thug - I never really dropped no real solo CD.  This is gonna be my first real solo record where it's all my beats and shit like that.  I dropped some shit with a couple of cats kind of to get the feel of the independent industry.  Instead of me dropping my solo independent and doing it first, I rather do it with ESG because we were both starting our own company and being CEO’s of our shit.  So I’d rather go with him and make this album with him and make the mistakes I need to make, so I could learn my own shit.  So when it's time for me to drop my own CD, I'll be on point all the way. 

ThaFormula.com - So you never actually dropped a solo album?

Slim Thug - Not a solo record.  Not with just Slim Thug.  I didn't really wanna do that.  When I did do a solo record, I wanted to make sure that my company was 100% and ready to do everything that I wanted it to do as far as my solo.  So I really feel that that is real important.  

ThaFormula.com - How big of a blow was losing Southwest Distribution because I remember that was real big over here for the independent artists?

Slim Thug - It was a big blow, especially to the cats in Houston.  They were like a little major kind of because they would help work your project.  A lot of cats that didn't have money but had a little buzz in the city, Southwest would put money in their pocket to help them make a record or whatever.  Not to mention it was down the street, so you could just go to Southwest and check on your shit.  Rather then have Select-O-Hits all the way out where they at.  You can't really watch over shit and they don't really push your shit like Southwest would.  It affected a lot of people in Houston.  When I say it affected a lot of people, it really changed the game.  I really think a lot of people are hurting off of that shit.  Back in the day in the good '95 or '96 all the way up ‘til like 2000, it was crazy out here.  Niggaz was making money.  The whole screwed-up click was making a bunch of money.  They were running the shit when DJ Screw was alive back in like 1992 to 1998.  They was just killing it, but Screw passed and shit and it ain't like it used to be.  It used to be somebody dropping like every month.  It ain't like that no more though due to Southwest not being alive.

ThaFormula.com - Do you think the South would have blew up crazy regardless if Southwest was still in business or would most of the artists have stayed independent?

Slim Thug - I think it would have.  People will say “I’ma stay independent till the end,” but a lot of niggaz who say that shit say it as an excuse because they ain't got no big deal.  I think if the opportunity came about where they really thought it was a good opportunity, they would take it.  Because their is a lot of niggaz who are out here who took it.  It didn't work for a lot of people out here, but we was on our own shit back then.  I think most people didn't understand the Chopped N' Screwed thing.  I think if those same cats was to drop right now, the outcome would be different.  I think they would probably be bigger right now because the world is getting a better look at the Screw shit.  They are finally figuring it out in a lot of different locations. 

ThaFormula.com - It took a while for people to catch up with the DJ Screw shit...

Slim Thug - It took a while because the dude DJ Screw who really invented the shit was really focused on that.  He was doing it out of love and out of fun and he wasn't really focusing on getting out there in different states to make sure they were up on it.  He really kind of did it for the city and let the shit take off itself and let people carry it to the different levels.  I think we had a lot to do with bringing the shit to different markets because we hit that road a lot with that shit.  Not to mention we brought that shit to CD's.  He was doing tapes.  We took it to CD and spread it out in a lot of different locations.  But he was the dude who really invented the shit.  It wasn't really like he was hurtin' or anything.  He was making a killing out here in the city.  He would go to a car show out here and make like 40 fucking grand.  So you know it wasn't no problem for him cause he was making good money.  

ThaFormula.com - How did it feel to get down with Jimmy Iovine seeing that he fucks with Dre and basically all today's top Hip-Hop artists in the business?

Slim Thug – A lot of people be getting in my shit right now cause they feel I don't really show much excitement.  I ain't the type of nigga that just get all excited too much.  People be like, “damn you really in a good situation right now.”  My lawyer was telling me that when I got that check.  Even my lawyer don't really understand what's going on.  It ain't too many people that do what they say they do as far as gettin' money or all that.  Even my partners are like “damn Slim, you got the deal and we ain't even throw no party or no shit like that.”  I'm like, “it's just another check.”  It ain't really no shit that I was just trippin’ off of.  Now when I go platinum or something like that happens, then it's time to celebrate.  But I feel like there is still a lot of work to be done.  I don't want to throw the party to soon.  I feel good, but I don't feel I should throw the party until there is a platinum plaque on the wall or something.  That's just me though.  I don't like to do it like that.  I mean for Jimmy Iovine to make a personal call to me and say, “what you want for the deal to go down?” or whatever is definitely a good feeling.  I just don't want too celebrate to soon.  

ThaFormula.com - How did you look at your deal when you signed as far as setup and all that??

Slim Thug - I figured that if I signed these muthafuckas could drop one of my records and then tell me I ain't gonna drop until no tellin' when.  But the thing about my deal is, I could still do my independent work.  I'm signed to Geffen as a solo artist.  It's like you got me as a solo artist but I could still do all the independent shit.  So basically, everything I did to get here I can still do.  I haven't dropped a solo record yet so I really didn't give up shit.  Now I'm just giving them that to bring me to a worldwide audience. At the same time I'm a be promoting my independent artists.  I'm a drop them independent and get that money.  

ThaFormula.com - How many tracks did you and the Neptunes end up doing?

Slim Thug - We did like 9 tracks, but it might be a little more then that.  As I'm listening to the record it might be 10 or whatever.  I got 2 from Jazzy Pha and then I got about 5 from Mr. Lee who I did all my independent work with previously and is the one that did "3 Kings."  

ThaFormula.com - How come more Southern artists don't get the Geto Boys on their tracks seeing that they are the godfathers of Southern Rap?

Slim Thug - I don't think it is that they don't want to get the Geto Boys on their album, I just think that they don't want to get on anybody's album.  I try to affiliate myself with that crowd, I like the way Rap-A-Lot do their shit, they real niggaz.  They ain't no characters.  They are not no party type niggaz.  It's like everybody got different styles.  Just like you got ATL with Lil' Jon and them.  They’re on that crunk shit.  When you listen to Scarface, he ain't on no crunk shit, he on some real life shit. So I don't think that they would blend in with that other type of shit.  He could go and get on some Jay-Z shit and sound right because Jay is on some real life shit.  I got ‘Face (Scarface) on my shit because I fuck with ‘Face and that's what type of music I love and that's what type of music I bring to the table.  I'm different, I ain't really on no crunk shit.  When people hear the South these days, they automatically think it's gonna be jump around the club shit.  But I'm not really that type of artist and I'm not gonna bring that to the table.  Of course I’ma have club songs, but I'm not a crunk artist.  When they get the album, they’ll see that.  

ThaFormula.com – A lot of people still have a very hard time accepting the crunk music that comes out of the South ‘til this day...

Slim Thug - Yeah, it's like they have only seen that dimension of the South.  That's ATL and their style.  Just like you got New Orleans on that bounce shit.  Everywhere you go it's different shit.  New York niggaz don't rap like Cali niggaz.  It's just like muthafuckas is just now opening their ears up.  They ain't even heard the whole thing.  We are still brand new to the game kind of.  I think they are fittin' to see a different side of the South with me bringing something new to the game, I ain't on no crunk shit.  I'm on some real shit, as far as real life shit.  What I say, I do.  I feel like I'm different then any other nigga.  I just think when people pick up my album, they are gonna see a different side of it and it's all good.  It's just us being new and we just trying to bring Houston on the scene.  They seen ATL, New Orleans, and everywhere else, it's time for Texas to do our thing.

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