On this day in 2003, James Tapp Jr., who is better known to the Hip Hop community as Soulja Slim, was shot and killed in front of his mother’s residence the night before Thanksgiving in his hometown of New Orleans. He was 26 years old.
Slim’s killer, the 22-year-old Gerelle Smith, was arrested on New Year’s Eve for the shooting but was released after no witnesses would come forward, even though the murder weapon was found in Smith’s possession. In August 2011, Smith was also shot and killed.
The New Orleans District Attorney’s office still has Slim’s murder listed as a cold case.
Soulja Slim is best known for his Juvenile assisted “Slow Motion”, which was the premiere track that featured both of New Orleans’ Hip-Hop first families; No Limit Records and Cash Money Records.
Salute to Slim (RIP) and the city of New Orleans for giving the world a chance to hear the voice of one of its kings.
The city of New Orleans has come under fire after it denied the creation of a museum dedicated to the late rapper Soulja Slim. Magnolia Slim’s sister, and NOLA rapper, G.I. Peachez took to Instagram to express her disappointment, stating that the city “hated on” her brother’s legacy.
‘No Worries We’ll Take It On The Road’
The news of the city’s refusal to allow a Soulja Slim museum broke on Thursday, November 9, 2023. G.I. Peachez, Soulja Slim’s sister, shared the information on Instagram alongside a memorabilia picture.
In her post, she expressed:
“We wanted the Soulja Slim museum so bad for year 20 but the city hated on you so bad and wouldn’t allow us to get any museum to celebrate your life and music. No worries we’ll take it on the road cause this is a story that must be told!!”
The city of New Orleans has come under fire after it denied the creation of a museum dedicated to the late rapper, Soulja Slim.
Soulja Slim is a prominent figure in the New Orleans hip-hop scene who tragically lost his life on November 26, 2003. This year marks the 20th anniversary of his passing, and his impact is still deeply felt. Soulja Slim was murdered in front of his mother’s home, as it still remains an unsolved case.
G.I. Peachez Talks With SOHH
Despite this, his legacy continues to inspire artists and fans alike. Slim would have been 46 years old this year. SOHH contacted G.I. Peachez for more details on the museum’s rejection. She explained:
“The problem didn’t come until I started reaching out to a lot of the Black museums throughout New Orleans. I reached out to the New Orleans African-American Museum, Ashe which is a cultural museum. Actually, at a lot of the museums I was leaving voicemails, and emails. I had other people leaving voicemails and emails, like it was no callbacks. As soon as I said that name, Soulja Slim, it was no type of feedback. It was just highly unprofessional.”
However, she remains determined to make the museum happen, as she states:
“We’re going to make it happen, it’s supposed to happen, he inspired a lot of artists.”
Previously, his family revealed their plans to create a museum dedicated to preserving and honoring his memory. G.I. Peachez and Lil Soulja Slim, Soulja Slim’s son, expressed their desire to uplift his legacy in an interview with Off The Porch.
Funeral Homes Rejecting Burials
The rejection of Soulja Slim’s memorabilia and the city’s resistance to a museum dedicated to his legacy is not an isolated incident. Another late rapper, Lil Keed, recently faced a similar situation. After Lil Keed’s grave was vandalized, reports emerged that some funeral homes were rejecting burials for those affiliated with gangs, as the rapper passed away from natural causes.
September 9th marks the 46th birthday of the late Soulja Slim, a prominent figure in the New Orleans rap scene. Known for his grittiness and witty street lyrics, Soulja Slim contributed significantly to hip-hop before his untimely death. SOHH celebrates his legacy and remembers “Magnolia Slim.” Soulja Slim’s Influence On the New Orleans Rap Scene […]
September 9th marks the 46th birthday of the late Soulja Slim, a prominent figure in the New Orleans rap scene. Known for his grittiness and witty street lyrics, Soulja Slim contributed significantly to hip-hop before his untimely death. SOHH celebrates his legacy and remembers “Magnolia Slim.” Soulja Slim’s Influence On the New Orleans Rap Scene […]
Thanks to modern technology, C-Murder has been able to keep up with at least some of the hip-hop headlines over the past decade while he’s been in prison. His name has been in the headlines this month as Kim Kardashian does her part to help free the 52-year-old, however, not everyone (especially not his alleged victim’s family) wants to see Murder – born Corey Miller – back on the streets. Regardless of what’s happening with his legal affairs, the New Orleans native is still using his platform to speak out about issues that are important to him, particularly the relationship between the new and old generations of hip-hop.
On Sunday (August 20), Murder’s Instagram page lit up with a new post sending out a message to others from his generation. “I want to ask the older cats to stop hating on our new generation that rap. These dudes really eating and it’s all legal,” he captioned a photo of NBA YoungBoy. Apparently, the 23-year-old has been “keeping it realer with [Murder] than any ni**a [he] knows.”
“However it go, I’m rolling with him in war or peace. He’s my Soulja Slim of the new generation. 4EVERTRU,” the “Where I’m From” artist further complimented YoungBoy. This certainly isn’t the first time we’ve seen Murder showing support for his fellow Southern superstar. While the Richest Opp hitmaker was awaiting his gun trial in 2022, his incarcerated mentor shared a song and letter dedicated to NBA for all of his fans to see.
As it turns out, C-Murder isn’t the only old head in the industry going hard for NBA YoungBoy right now. Just last week, his fellow Louisana-born artist Birdman begged the young lyricist to save hip-hop. Read everything the Cash Money co-founder had to say about YB at the link below and check back later for more music/pop culture news updates.
New Orleans is a pivotal city in hip-hop’s landscape. A place where the entrepreneurial ventures of Birdman and Master P set the blueprint for independent rap across the world and elevated the names of artists like Lil Wayne and Snoop Dogg to GOAT status. Birdman, specifically, has made a concerted effort to elevate the South throughout the years, whether forming groups like Rich Gang or going to bat for artists like NBA Youngboy. The latest rapper that Birdman took under his wing is Rob49 – the 24-year-old rapper that’s ushering in a new era for NOLA.
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – OCTOBER 29: Rob49 performs during Lil Weezyana 2022 at Champions Square on October 29, 2022 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Erika Goldring/Getty Images)
On Friday, June 8th, he unveiled his latest body of work4GOD II, a culmination of his ascent to stardom in the past year. It arrived ahead of his second annual Vulture Island Weekend in his hometown which included a celebrity basketball game and a concert where he was able to connect with fans for the first time in a long time. Ultimately, it was an event that furthers the notion that he currently holds the throne for the city. It’s no surprise that Birdman officially passed him the torch on the intro to 2022’s Welcome ToVulture Island – an act that seemed like a far-fetched reality to him a few years ago.
“When he first did it, it really didn’t mean nothing to me,” he told HotNewHipHop of his initial reaction to Birdman formally passing him the torch. That is until a few months ago when he revisited the intro to Welcome To Vulture Island. “I was like, man, this is the new New Orleans, like this is Birdman. I started thinking about where I was when I was in high school and middle school and shit. We would listen to this sh*t and it was just so far-fetched for us. I’m just like, ‘damn, this is really it and he’s giving it to you,’ so it was a big thing for me.”
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 23: Rob49 attends Spotify’s All Rap-Caviar Experience on June 23, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for Spotify)
Birdman’s become a guiding force in Rob49’s career, having been one of the first people who tried to sign the rapper to Cash Money. Although the deal didn’t pan out, the Cash Money co-founder evidently wanted to see Rob49 prosper regardless. He recently featured on the single, “Woedy” from 4GOD II, a song that Rob revealed nearly didn’t make the final cut of his album. “[Birdman] told me to stop separating my feet and put both of my feet in rap. That’s the biggest advice he told me and I did it and it worked for me. That’s the biggest advice he told me and it works,” he explained.
While Birdman came through as a pivotal force in Rob49’s career, he’s among the several New Orleans natives that helped shape the budding star’s artistry. During our conversation, he listed his top 5 NOLA rappers of all time, which includes the obvious choice of Lil Wayne. “Soulja Slim because he just reminds me of myself. Like, his wordplay, his aura – he just reminds me of myself,” he explained. “Lil Wayne because he’s just the best rapper alive.”
Although Soulja Slim became one of No Limit’s most legendary signees, it’s evident that the sounds of Cash Money resonated deeply with Rob49 throughout his come-up. In addition to Slim and Weezy, he listed Juvenile, Birdman’s nephew, Nino Calvin, and B.G. to round out his top 5. “Juvie had that project in him that we have in New Orleans,” he stated.
NEW ORLEANS, LA – JUNE 17: Hip Hop artist Rob49 shows off his Rolling Loud chain at the conclusion of his Vulture Island Celebrity Basketball Game on June 17, 2022 in New Orleans, Louisiana at McDonogh 35 High School. (Photo by Peter Forest/Getty Images for Rob49)
Louisiana, as a whole, has had a grip on the hip-hop landscape, but it’s hard to deny the number of fierce lyricists. New Orleans, specifically, birthed the talents of both Lil Wayne and Jay Electronica – two MCs who’ve earned their position among hip-hop’s elite. However, New Orleans hasn’t necessarily gained a reputation for being sharp wordsmiths. Some have even gone as far to say that rappers from the city don’t even bother rhyming their words.
“I think the biggest misconception is like us with our rhyming pattern,” Rob49 said. “I know people are like, ‘Oh, they don’t rhyme,’ but New Orleans people, we talk our sh*t. Like, that’s what we grew up on, you know what I’m sayin’? We just poppin’ it. We ain’t trying to rhyme.”
