‘I don’t want to be called Slim Thug’

Houston rap icon now wants to be called Big Slim, says he’s in his 40s and is no longer ‘thugging’

In an effort to reflect the grown man he is today, Slim Thug says he’ll now go by a new pseudonym: Big Slim.

“I’m growing into a new person,” the Houston rapper said in a recent interview with the Houston Defender. “I’m 41. I don’t want to be called Slim Thug.”

“It just don’t fit, you know I’m saying? I really ain’t thugging out. So, I wanna be Big Slim now.”

Slim, whose real name is Stayve Thomas, said he gained the first part of his rap moniker because he was beanpole skinny as a teenager. He added “thug” to it because of his braids and gold teeth, he previously told TODAY.

He rose to national acclaim after his feature on Mike Jones’ hit 2004 single “Still Tippin’” and in 2005 when he collaborated with Beyoncé on her hit single “Check On It.” That year, he also released his debut album “Already Platinum,” which drew praise from music critics.

The hip-hop genre is no stranger to name changes. For decades, many big-name emcees have attempted to rebrand themselves, to varying levels of success.

Like Big Slim, many of these rebrands were associated with growth, like Baby going to Birdman or Lil Romeo shifting to Romeo.

Some were a hit and brought great success, like Biggie Smalls’ move to Notorious B.I.G., while others flopped and only managed to create memes (remember Snoop Lion?)

Other rappers have even changed their names more than once. Lil Bow Wow became Bow Wow and then Shad Moss, while Sean “Diddy” Combs used to be called Puff Daddy, P. Diddy and Diddy.

“I got big plans (for the future) … so join the journey to see where that goes,” Slim told the Defender.

Those “big plans” include a new 11-track album “BIGslim.” He also hopes to to continue making waves as a developer and investor through his company Boss Life Construction, which restores abandoned homes.

Slim has previously helped raise the property value in Acres Homes, a predominantly Black neighborhood of Houston, while also providing low-cost housing for families in need.

Goodbye, Slim Thug. Hello, Big Slim.

Staff file photo Rapper Big Slim, formerly known as Slim Thug, is pictured with one of his cars from his collection Jan. 24, 2020, in Pearland. “It just don’t fit,” Slim said of his old moniker.

Slim Thug performs during the birthday celebration for Z-Ro on Jan. 19, 2020, at The House of Blues in downtown Houston. He says he will now go by Big Slim. Jamaal Ellis/Contributor