(979 the box Instagram)
From mixtapes, to guest verses with hot acts, to releasing his own hit albums, to being a business owner, Slim Thug knows what it takes to be large (he is 6’6″) and in charge. Now he is using his nose for business by giving back to his Houston community.
The rapper along with his company Boss Life Construction, lawyer Justin Martin’s IJustGotHit.com, and Radio One Houston stations partnered together this summer for the special “Home Giveaway Contest.” Slim Thug told the EUR in a recent phone interview that it is important to help those in need.
“When he (Justin Martin) came up with the idea to fix up a house nice in the community, we jumped at it,” said Slim Thug, whose real name is Stayve Jerome Thomas. “I thought it was great and it made a lot of sense. I thought it would be something real good for us to have on our resume that we did something good for the community.”
The #HarveyDidNotWin campaign would give away one house to someone who lost his or her home during Hurricane Harvey in August 2017. One winner would receive a fully remodeled house by Slim Thug’s construction company.
“Boss Life Construction is one of the few black owned construction companies in Houston,” Slim Thug said. “We want to be a part of good things.”
After receiving over 4,000 entries, 10 finalists were announced on September 26, 2018. All 10 were brought to the house and given a box to hold. Wendy Villalba, a mother of two, who spent 3 months in the hospital fighting for her life after Harvey destroyed her home, had the winning box to the house. In addition, as a surprise to the nine finalists, each of them received $5000 in their box. Slim Thug explained that he and his partners needed to do even more for the community.
“When we visited each person and heard their story, we didn’t want them to feel like they were taking another loss,” Slim Thug said. “So, we wanted everyone to walk away as a winner and help everybody. It was a great event and I’m just happy we were able to be a part of it.”
Known as a mixtape master, Slim Thug knocked ‘em dead with his hit “Already Platinum” album in 2005 and landed guest verses on tracks by top acts like Beyoncé. While continuing to release hit music, Slim Thug and two of his childhood homeboys, Cory Crawford and Troy Green, started a successful clothing company.
For years, they gave back to the community by handing out turkeys for Thanksgiving and toys for Christmas. However, they wanted to do something more long-term and in 2015 Boss Life Construction came to life.
“We met with the city (Houston) and they have LARA (Land Assemblage and Redevelopment Authority) lots available in the city,” said Slim Thug. “A LARA lot is a lot where nobody is taking care of it. There’s grass growing and trees everywhere, all kinds of stuff. Now what the city would do is if you clean the lot, they would sell it to you for a dollar only if you build a low income home on it.”
Slim Thug continued, “We teamed up with another friend J.G. Hollins, he’s been doing construction for a while, and we got with him and built a whole community of nine houses (see video below) in our old neighborhood and that was the beginning of Boss Life Construction.”
Expect more quality homes from Slim Thug & Boss Life Construction. Wendy Villalba, who won the #HarveyDidNotWin house, can move in as early as this month (October 2018). For more information, visit Boss Life Construction.
Meanwhile, Slim Thug continues to crank out hit music. He released two albums just last year. Check out his music here. For more information on his other businesses, visit Boss Life World.
