Slim Thug's solo debut, Already Platinum, was named for the lifestyle the Houston rapper cultivated before even signing a record deal. "I rode around in a Phantom before my album came out," says Slim. "It ain't got nothing to do with sales. I'm already living like I'm platinum."

He's off to a good start, as last week Platinum became the Number Two album in the country. "It's just the loyalty of my fans that I have been having before this shit," Slim says, with a nod to his indie albums with Boyz-N-Blue and DJ Ideal.

Born Stayve Thomas, the artist started polishing his skills in 1998 when he met DJ Michael "5000" Watts, who helped introduce fellow Houston hip-hop breakout Mike Jones. "I started with Swishahouse -- it wasn't even a label back then. DJ Michael Watts used to just do tapes," Slim says of his experience in the Southern underground. "We met at a party, he heard me freestyle. He was like, 'Hey, man, how about you come over to my house and we do some shit?'" By 1999, Slim had created the freestyle "Still Tippin'" -- "tippin'" being local slang for cruising -- that went on to become a hit for Jones, featuring Slim.

After years of mixtape success and nearly two years with Swishahouse, Slim was inspired to form his own label and crew, the Boss Hogg Outlaws. He signed to Geffen Interscope and teamed up with the Neptunes. "Jimmy Iovine gave Pharrell a list of people who he might work with, and he picks Snoop and me," Slim explains. "So we go in the studio for a week, and we grind it out."

Slim recognized the need for an established producer to attract the fan base he lacked. "I'm like, 'How the fuck am I gonna get all these people around the world ill when I'm underground?'" Slim recalls. "I felt like Pharrell would help me cross over, 'cause I wasn't really that type of artist."

At this point, with his debut in stores and making his name known, Slim is more than ready for fame to catch up to him. "I used to be able to be in Texas and shoot out to L.A. and Vegas to walk out and chill and do the normal shit," he says. "Now the shit different everywhere I go -- motherfuckers know me. Now I get that love everywhere."