Soulja Slim
Soulja Slim in 2002
Soulja Slim in 2002
Background information
Birth nameJames Adarryl Tapp Jr.
Also known as
  • Magnolia Slim
  • Soulja Slim
Born(1977-09-09)September 9, 1977
New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
DiedNovember 26, 2003(2003-11-26) (aged 26)
Gentilly, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Rapper
  • songwriter
Years active1993–2003
Labels

James Adarryl Tapp Jr. (September 9, 1977 – November 26, 2003),[1] better known by his stage name Soulja Slim, was an American rapper and songwriter. He is perhaps best known for featuring on the U.S. number one hit "Slow Motion".[2]

Early life

James Adarryl Tapp Jr. was born in New Orleans on September 9, 1977, to James and Linda Tapp. He was raised in the Magnolia Projects in New Orleans and attended Cohen Senior High School before dropping out of school in the 11th grade. He began selling drugs, as well as forming an addiction to heroin and cocaine. By 1993, he was rapping as "Magnolia Slim" in venues and block parties in the projects.[3] His first recordings, however, would be on Parkway Pumpin', an independent label run by legendary producer KLC and also featuring 39 Posse, Fiend, Mac, Mystikal Mike (later Mystikal), Mr. Serv-On and Da Hound. Soulja Slim's solo debut Soulja Fa Lyfe was released in 1994 by Parkway Pumpin' and Hype Enough Records. The album did well, selling 90,000 units independently. In 1995, he released the four-song EP Darkside on Hype Enough Records.[4]

Career

No Limit Records and Slow Motion (1997–2003)

In the same year, the song "You Got It" appeared on a 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, which featured singles "Street Life" and "From What I Was Told," the latter also produced as a music video. The album debuted at number 13 on the Billboard 200 and sold 82,000 in the first week.[5] At that time, Soulja Slim was convicted of armed robbery and incarcerated.[1] He reappeared three years later with The 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 song "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 number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100. It was Soulja Slim and Juvenile's first number one hit, and as the song was released after Soulja Slim's death he became only the sixth artist to have a posthumous number one song.

Death

Tapp died on November 26, 2003 after an assailant shot him four times, three in the face and once in the chest, on the front lawn of the home of his mother and stepfather, Phillip "Tuba Phil" Frazier of Rebirth Brass Band,[6] in the Gentilly neighborhood.[7][8] Tapp was buried with his Cut Throat Committee chain and the outfit he wore on the cover of Give It 2 'Em Raw.

On 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 Tapp, 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. Smith's murders, including that of Tapp, became cold cases. On August 13, 2011, Smith was found shot to death.[9]

Discography

Studio albums

List of albums, with selected chart positions
Title Album details Peak chart positions
US
[10]		 US
R&B
[11]		 US
Ind.
[12]
Give It 2 'Em Raw 134—
The Streets Made Me
  • Released: July 24, 2001
  • Label: No Limit
  • Format: CD, cassette
 188429
Years Later
  • Released: December 24, 2002
  • Label: Cut Throat Committee
  • Format: CD, cassette
 —72—
Years Later...A Few Months After
  • Released: August 26, 2003
  • Label: Cut Throat Committee, Koch
  • Format: CD, cassette
 —44—

Mixtapes

List of mixtapes, with year released
Title Mixtape details
Cutthroat Mixtape Vol. 1
  • Released: 2004
  • Label: Cut Throat Committee
  • Format: CD
Cutthroat Mixtape Vol. 2
  • Released: 2004
  • Label: Cut Throat Committee
  • Format: CD
Thug Brothers
  • Released: 2008
  • Label: Cut Throat Committee
  • Format: CD

Compilations

  • 1999: Hype Enough Records: Limited Edition
  • 2005: Greatest Hitz

Singles

As lead artist

List of singles, with chart position, showing year released and album name
Title Year Peak chart position on
US R&B		 Album
"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 & 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.
List of singles, with selected chart positions, showing year released and album name
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
US US
R&B		 US
Rap
"Slow Motion"
(Juvenile featuring Soulja Slim)		 2004 121 Juve the Great
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Ankeny, Jason (2008). "Soulja Slim: Biography". allmusic. Retrieved December 23, 2009.
  2. ↑ "Billboard Hot 100 Chart 50th Anniversary". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
  3. ↑ "Rapper Soulja Slim kept it real, to his death". nola.com. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  4. ↑ "Magnolia Slim - Darkside". Discogs. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  5. ↑ "Rapper DMX And City Of Angels Top The Albums Chart". mtv.com. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  6. ↑ Fly Fishing with Darth Vader by Matt Labash, Simon and Schuster, Feb 9, 2010]
  7. ↑ "Rap News Network - Hip-Hop News: Soulja Slim's Future Cut Short By Jealousy". www.rapnews.net. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  8. ↑ VIOLENCE THRIVES ON LACK OF JOBS, WEALTH OF DRUGS Archived 2015-11-17 at the Wayback Machine." The Times-Picayune.
  9. ↑ McCarthy, Brendan (August 15, 2011). "Tale of recurring New Orleans murder suspect ends in death on the street". The Times-Picayune. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  10. ↑ "Soulja Slim - Chart history - Billboard". www.billboard.com. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  11. ↑ "Soulja Slim - Chart history - Billboard". www.billboard.com. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  12. ↑ "Soulja Slim - Chart history - Billboard". www.billboard.com. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
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