James Tapp, Jr. was born in the Magnolia Projects of New Orleans, Louisiana. Tapp released his debut album, The Dark Side, on Hype Enough Records in 1994 under the name Magnolia Slim, a reference to his neighborhood. In 1998, Tapp, now calling himself Soulja Slim, released Give It 2 ‘Em Raw on No Limit Records with his single and video “From What I Was Told.” Following a prison stint for armed robbery, Slim suffered addictions to heroin and cocaine. 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 Records and released Years Later in late 2002. In 2003, he released Years Later…A Few Months After, his last album before his untimely death. The album featured the hit “I’ll Pay For It”. He also helped create the song “Slow Motion”. Though the hot 100 hit was released under Juvenile’s name, the song was originally written by Soulja Slim. On November 26, 2003, Slim was on his way to a show, and returned to his mother’s house to get a VHS copy of “Love Me Or Love Me Not” to show to a friend. He was shot dead — three times in the face and two times in the chest — in front of his mother’s home in New Orleans’ 8th Ward, and was buried in the leather, camo outfit he wore for the cover of his 1998 release “Give It 2 ‘Em Raw”. There was rumored to have been a $10,000 dollar hit placed on him from a rival record label. 22-year-old Garelle Smith was subsequently arrested on December 30, 2003 and soon charged with Slim’s murder. The charges were subsequently dropped in February 2004. Slim’s killer has yet to be found. Albums|The Dark Side · (1994)|Give It 2 ‘Em Raw · (1998)|Streets Made Me · (2001)|Years Later · (2002)|Years Later…A Few Months After · (2003) Trivia|Slim had also been shot in 1995 in an unknown dispute.|He was mentioned as a suspect in an unrelated murder which occurred just two months before his demise.|Rapper Young Skrilla is Soulja Slim’s younger god-brother. |
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