There may be sufficient evidence that the good die young, but that doesn’t make any easier to digest. When it comes to being a young Hip-Hop artist, there’s usually a certainty of leaving behind a destiny unfulfilled. James Tapp, better known to the outside world as Soulja Slim was a slick-talking MC from the uptown portion of New Orleans. He was but a mere 26 years-old when he was gunned down in the front yard of his mother’s house in her New Orleans neighborhood ten years ago to this day of November 26. The alleged assailant, Garelle Smith was implicated in several murders but never charged due to lack of witness accounts. He too, was eventually murdered in 2011. Obviously the loss of a life is a tragic subject but in Slim’s case, the timing was extremely unfortunate. After taking his wins and losses during a stint with No Limit Records during their underground glory years, he went strictly independent to continue his career. Remarkably he managed to have a productive career in a pre-Internet era where a new mixtape wasn’t expected every four months. There was healthy competition between No Limit and burgeoning Cash Money Records, yet he had a true friendship with their main star, Juvenile. The two recorded a track named “Slow Motion” that amounted to great success that Slim never got to enjoy. Released on Juvenile 2003 album, Juve the Great, the single reached #1 on the Billboard charts, making Slim the sixth artist to posthumously score a top hit. While the record may be his most popular, Soulja Slim had a solid career. On the 10th anniversary of his passing, Hip-Hop Wired honors him with a playlist to reel in old and potential fans. — Photo: UNK
