Austin - GRAMMY U: Up Close & Personal With Slim Thug

On Saturday, October 22, 2011, Texas GRAMMY U students and members from the University of Texas at Austin’s Longhorn Hip-Hop got up close and personal with Houston rapper, Slim Thug.  The students convened in the courtyard outside of the new Emo’s East venue for the rapper to settle in after convening with his manager and DJ.  As Slim Thug appeared in plain sight, students gathered around him, ready to soak in Slim Thug's first-hand knowledge of the rap game.

GRAMMY U Student Representative, Uwana Akpan, initiated the discussion by asking Slim Thug to describe his beginnings in the hip-hop industry.   The GRAMMY U students then asked Slim Thug about topics stemming from the current state of the Texas urban music market, the benefits of being an independent artist, to his relationship with Texas Chapter president Paul Wall to name of few.  Slim Thug also performed a SoundCheck with up-and-coming alternative rock group, Verse City.

After the SoundCheck,  two members of the Houston-based entertainment booking and management trio, A Few Good Men, schooled the students about booking and promoting concerts, maintaining successful relationships with music industry professionals,  and perservering in a competitive industry.  The members from A Few Good Men offered both GRAMMY U and Longhorn Hip-Hop students the opportunity to attend Slim Thug's concert for free after the question and answer session.