Slim Thug Says He’s Made More Off Mixtapes Than Any Artist Ever

Slim Thug has been rapping since the late 90s. He’s one of the OGs of Houston hip-hop, and he’s kept up his impressive output throughout the 21st century. He has 20 mixtapes, a half a dozen collab albums, and 15 studio albums to his name. It’s safe to assume he’s made a pretty penny off these releases, but Slim Thug went a step further during an interview with The Art of Dialogue. The rapper went as far as to claim that he’s made more money from mixtapes than any artist in history. No hyperbole or quotes taken out of context. Thug is legit laying claim to being the mixtape king.

The rapper was so confident in his claim that he detailed his retail process. Slim Thug told The Art of Dialogue that he figured out how to move tapes when he was a teenager. He credited Michael “5000” Watts, the co-founder of Swishahouse Records, for showing him the ropes. “When I first met Michael ‘5000’ Watts, he showed me that I can do something that I love to do,” the rapper noted. “I’ve learned self-value from day one. No n**ga underground made more money on mixtapes than me independently.” Slim Thug went on to assert that his mixtape hustle has been far more profitable than his peers. He said that New York sellers like DJ Drama would lose money by giving tapes away for free.

“Not them n**gas Drama and them either,” he told the outlet. “They was giving they sh*t away. Our wholesale price was eight [dollars].” The price, coupled with Slim Thug’s longevity, is what has led the rapper to boast about his profits. “No n**ga was getting more money than us who did it that long,” he promised. “No n-gga did it as long as Slim — underground, getting paid off mixtapes… Period.” This is not the first time that Slim Thug has flexed his hustling skills to an outlet. During a 2016 interview with Forbes, the rapper detailed the various adjustments that he’s had to make in order to stay relevant and successful when retail chains like Best Buy cut into his profits.

Slim Thug signed a contract with Interscope Records, but returned to being an indie artist after he fulfilled his album deal. He claimed that he only signed the deal in order to boost his profile, and accrue new fans that he could subsequently sell to on his own. “I just took advantage of the promotion they gave me,” he admitted. “They promoted me worldwide. I wanted to take advantage of that and say, let me go back independent with the worldwide promotion that Interscope gave me already and benefit off of that.” While it’s hard to fact check Slim Thug’s mixtape claim, it’s hard to deny his business acumen.