Soulja Slim
 |
Soulja Slim | |
|---|---|
 Soulja Slim in 2002. | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | James Adarryl Tapp, Jr. |
| Also known as | Magnolia Slim, Soulja Slim |
| Born | September 9, 1977 |
| Origin | New Orleans, Louisiana |
| Died | November 26, 2003 (aged 26) Gentilly, New Orleans |
| Genres | Hardcore Hip Hop, Gangsta Rap, Southern hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | Rapper, Songwriter |
| Years active | 1992–2003 |
| Labels | Cut Throat Committy, No Limit, Koch Records |
James Adarryl Tapp, Jr. (September 9, 1977 – November 26, 2003),[1] better known by his stage name Soulja Slim, was an American rapper. He is known for writing the U.S. No. 1 hit "Slow Motion".[2]
Life and music career
James Tapp was raised in the Magnolia Projects. He attended Booker T. Washington High School before dropping out of school in his sophomore year. Tapp released his debut album, Soulja fa Lyfe, on Parkway Pumpin' Records in February of 1994 under the name Magnolia Slim. In 1995, he released the four-song e.p. The Dark Side on Hype Enough Records.
No Limit Records and Slow Motion (1997-2003)
In the same year, the song "You Got It" appeared on No Limit Records double-CD compilation Down South Hustlers: Bouncin' and Swingin' . In 1998, Tapp, now calling himself Soulja Slim, released Give It 2 'Em Raw on No Limit Records with his single and music video "From What I Was Told" and a single called "Street Life". The album debuted at number 13 on the Billboard 200 and sold 82,000 in the first week.[3] At that time Soulja Slim was convicted of armed robbery and incarcerated.[1] He reappeared three years later with Streets Made Me, which was again released on the No Limit label. From there, he started his own label, Cut Throat Committee Records and released Years Later in late 2002. In 2003, he released Years Later...A Few Months After, his last album before his death. The album featured the hit "I'll Pay for It". In 2003 he also collaborated with fellow New Orleans rapper Juvenile to make the song "Slow Motion". The song was released on Juvenile's album Juve the Great and reached the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100. It was Soulja Slim and Juvenile's first No. 1 hit, and as the song was released after Soulja Slim's death he became only the sixth artist to have a posthumous No. 1 song.
Shooting and death (November 2003)
On Thanksgiving Eve, November 26, 2003, an unknown gunman shot him four times; three times in the face, and once in the chest, in the front lawn of the home of his mother and stepfather, Phillip "Tuba Phil" Frazier of Rebirth Brass Band, [4] located in the 4600 Lafaye St. in the Gentilly neighborhood.[5][6] Soulja Slim was buried with his Cut Throat Comitty charm and jewelry and also the leather camo clothes he wore on the cover of Give It 2 'Em Raw. On New Year's Eve, December 31, 2003, police arrested 22-year-old Garelle Smith in connection with Tapp's murder. Police discovered a stolen police pistol in Smith's possession with a scratched-off serial number. A ballistics test matched bullets from that gun to the ones that killed Soulja Slim but no witnesses would testify against him. By 2008 Smith had been arrested for three more murders and in each case, charges were dropped and he was released due to lack of witnesses and the New Orleans 60 day law. Along with the other murders, the District Attorney's Office dropped the Soulja Slim murder charge against him and his death became a cold case. In August 2011, Smith himself was found dead with gunshot wounds to the face and chest.[7]
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [8] |
US R&B [9] |
US Ind. [10] | ||
| Soulja Fa Lyfe (as Magnolia Slim) | — | — | — | |
| Dark Side[11] | — | — | — | |
| Give It 2 'Em Raw |
|
13 | 4 | — |
| The Streets Made Me |
|
188 | 42 | 9 |
| Years Later | — | 72 | — | |
| Years Later...A Few Months After |
|
— | 44 | — |
Mixtapes
| Title | Mixtape details |
|---|---|
| Cutthroat Mixtape Vol. 1 |
|
| Cutthroat Mixtape Vol. 2 |
|
| Thug Brothers (Mixtape) |
|
Compilation
- 1999: Hype Enough Records: Limited Edition
- 2005: Greatest Hitz
Singles
As lead artist
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B |
US Rap | |||
| "From What I Was Told" | 1998 | — | — | — | Give It 2 'Em Raw |
| "Street Life" (featuring Master P, Silkk The Shocker & O'Dell) |
— | 17 | — | ||
| "Get Cha Mind Right" (featuring Krazy (rapper) & X-Conn) |
2001 | — | — | — | The Streets Made Me |
| "I'll Pay For It" | 2003 | — | — | — | Years Later...A Few Months After/Years Later |
| "Feel Me Now" | — | — | — | ||
| "Love Me Or Love Me Not" | — | — | — | ||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart. | |||||
As featured artist
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B |
US Rap | ||||
| "Slow Motion" | 2004 | 1 | 2 | 1 | Juve the Great | |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart. | ||||||
References
- ^ a b Ankeny, Jason (2008). "Soulja Slim: Biography". allmusic. Retrieved December 23, 2009.
- ^ "Billboard Hot 100 Chart 50th Anniversary". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
- ^ http://www.mtv.com/news/250242/rapper-dmx-and-city-of-angels-top-the-albums-chart/
- ^ Fly Fishing with Darth Vader by Matt Labash, Simon and Schuster, Feb 9, 2010]
- ^ Hip-Hop News: Soulja Slim's Future Cut Short By Jealousy
- ^ VIOLENCE THRIVES ON LACK OF JOBS, WEALTH OF DRUGS." The Times-Picayune.
- ^ Man Accused Of Killing Soulja Slim Gunned Down In New Orleans." AllHipHop.
- ^ http://www.billboard.com/artist/279968/soulja-slim/chart?f=305
- ^ http://www.billboard.com/artist/279968/soulja-slim/chart?f=333
- ^ http://www.billboard.com/artist/279968/soulja-slim/chart?f=326
- ^ "Soulja Slim: Dark Side cassette (1994)". Retrieved 2012-07-08.
External links
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
- Articles needing cleanup from December 2009
- Cleanup tagged articles without a reason field from December 2009
- Wikipedia pages needing cleanup from December 2009
- 1977 births
- 2003 deaths
- 2003 murders in the United States
- African-American male rappers
- American robbers
- Deaths by firearm in Louisiana
- Murdered African-American people
- Murdered rappers
- No Limit Records artists
- People murdered in Louisiana
- Rappers from New Orleans, Louisiana
- Unsolved murders in the United States
- Southern hip hop musicians
- Gangsta rappers