Slim Thug & Z-Ro

With an imposing figure and booming voice to match, Slim Thug (born Stayve Jerome Thomas) began his rise by dropping in for guest verses -- on mixtapes and other artists' albums -- for several years before making his full-length debut through the Neptunes' Star Trak label. Based out of the northern part of Houston, the MC fell in with Swishahouse's Michael Watts and established a following in no time. This strategy had a lot to do with his business instincts: mixtapes released on his own Boss Hogg Outlawz label circulated throughout the region. (He also acquired a couple recor...