He was the Boss of the South before the Neptunes signed him to their label Star Trak. Now he could very well be the next King of the Radio. As of now, his solo debut is scheduled to drop in February, but since he heard from 50 Cent that he’s dropping that month, Slim might push his release back a lil’. He’s in no rush.

Sitting in Interscope’s New York City offices, Slim Thug lays out the blueprint for his success, and explains why he’s so confident he’s got that fire.

How did you get started rapping?
In high school I took rapping as something fun to do. They had these little parties they used to throw in Houston every Friday. All the local high schools used to go. It was called The All Star. That was the spot, the club.

When did you actually start taking it seriously?
I went in The All Star and did a few freestyles and the DJ was a hot DJ in Houston named Michael Watts. He worked for the radio station 97 The Box. He asked me to come get on one of his mixtapes. And when I got on the mixtape, it just took off. It’s the slowed down music, the Screw music. It’s hard for a lot of other people to understand it but down in Texas it’s big. I got on with [Michael Watts] and the buzz just went from there.

You were successful selling records independently before you even got signed to Interscope.
Yeah, in Texas, it’s real big for independent labels. We had the distribution company Southwest Wholesale and they backed a lot of independent labels. I put my thing down and became successful at it. It’s a lot of footwork. You got to make all the moves yourself. You’re in control of your destiny as far as promoting. You got to do a lot of that with your own money. But if you get a good little vibe going, you can make a lot of money. You can sell 100,000 records and see all $8 of your wholesale money. That was a big part of it for me. That’s why I loved it.

You seem to have a lot of drive. Where does that come from?
From me not wanting to be working in McDonald’s. Me looking how I look, all tattooed up with a grill, it’s going be hard to ask for an office job. I just wanted a job where I could be myself. Now that I found that way I feel like I need to take advantage of that opportunity to the fullest and get what I can get out of the game. At the same time, look out for my little boy and make sure he’s straight later on down the line. That’s what it’s about, doing what I love to do and getting paid for it.

Do you do a lot of shows?
A lot of shows. That’s how I been living. Off of shows. That was my main way of eating when I was doing mixtapes. I was doing shows on other people’s beats. I did a lot of shows around Texas, Louisiana, San Diego, Pensacola. I guess what made it travel and what took it to other places were the military bases, army bases. That’s what I noticed, a lot of places where there are units, we sell a lot of records around there.

Being from Houston, did Rap-A-Lot and J. Prince influence you?
J Prince is definitely a mentor because he’s the one who really opened the doors for us in Houston. He was the first dude to do it really in the South. Of course, I look up to him, the Geto Boys, Scarface. They’re some major people in my life. I love Devin the Dude. He’s on some shit no one else is on. He’s crazy. I love his music.

What do you talk about in your songs?
I think it’s some shit that happens everywhere around the world. I think people in NY can feel what I’m saying. I just keep it plain, simple and real. I’m a laid-back rapper. I talk about the hustle, the streets, stories of my life. I got some club shit. I try to hit it in every area.

The South is hot right now. Do you feel like this is a good time to come out?
Yeah, the South is popping right now. But we’re on something different. I’m definitely happy that across the country is opening their eyes to the South and starting to respect our artists. So yes, it’s a good time. But I’m going to show another part of the South. We still like that New Coast. It’s time for people to see a lot more of Houston. It’s bigger than Lil’ Flip, what he talking about. Because he’s one side of it. I want to give people my perspective of the city.

Speaking of Lil’ Flip, do you feel like there’s any competition coming from other Southern rappers?
For me, it never really been like that. I’m not taking it that serious. People call me the Boss down South. So that’s why I call myself that. That’s what I ran with. T.I. my nigga. We close. Last night ‘til 4 in the morning in the strip club type shit. We kick it heavy. I see Flip every once in a while. He moves around a lot. I respect all these dudes in the game and what they’re doing.

Do you think the T.I. v.s. Flip beef will get serious?
I don’t really know what they got going on. I don’t think they ought to take it that far. I don’t think it’s that serious. I think they should do they thing. I doubt if it get to the streets. I hope it don’t get there.

How did you get signed to Star Trak?
It was me and Pharrell. He was on tour and when he came to Houston, I met up with him. We kicked it. I seen him in Puerto Rico, we kicked it. I did a record with Fam-Lay and he liked it. When I signed with Geffen/Interscope, I didn’t know Star Trak was over there. Jimmy Iovine found out that me and Pharrell knew each other and he linked us together. He likes putting someone with a buzz with a super producer. When something is a little hot, he wants to make it real hot. We made a couple records together and it was all good so we just kept going. I’m happy over there. Pharrell and Chad are fucking geniuses at what they do. I’m happy working with them.

How many tracks did they produce on your album?
They did nine tracks. I got two from Jazze Pha. One from Scarface. Mr. Lee did the rest. He did most of my independent work. I got Scarface featured, T.I., Bun B and Snoop. And Pharrell and Jazze Pha doing hooks on some shit.

You’ve got your own click, Boss Hogg Outlawz.
Yeah, I got one artist who is lined up right after me, Killer Calione. He’s also signed with Geffen/Interscope. I’ve also got the Boyz In Blue, a group with me, Calione, Sir Daly, PJ, Lil Mill. I’m going to put them on after. I’m going to try to keep it moving. At the same time, I can still do a lot of independent stuff. I can put Boyz In Blue out and also put out my chopped and screwed version of the album.

What else have you got going on business-wise?
I got a real estate thing. Two CD and tape stores. I’m trying to do this strip club. I got a car lot I’m fucking with. I’m an all-around hustler. It ain’t just about music. This is my main hustle because it’s bringing the most money, so I’m going to give it the most attention. But I’m going to stay doing other shit. Wherever I see money can be made, I’m going to take advantage of it. That’s just me.

- Jessica Koslow, lovehiphop@aol.com (Photo: Julia Beverly)