Steve 'Flash' JuonKenneth Jackson Jr. is another in a long line of tragic stories from the world of rap music. Known professionally as G-Slimm, the rapper was only 21 years old when he gunned down outside the Christopher Homes in New Orleans. Before Michael Lawrence Tyler b/k/a Mystikal became a national sensation on No Limit Records, the two were colleagues on local imprint Big Boy Records. On the album “Four Deuces & Trays” you can hear him rapping on “Back On My Block” alongside Slimm (plus Black Menace & Insane).
One thing confuses me though and it’s the song “I’m the Problem,” which is a not very thinly disguised diss song directed at Spice 1. You might say I’m tripping or that it’s all in my head, but he says “the +Trigger Gots No Heart+, if you was smart, you woulda gave in… it’s just another +187+ that a nigga wrote.” I have no idea how the two started beefing or why, and I don’t know that Spice 1 was even aware of the beef on his part, as I can’t recall any song where he took shots back at G-Slimm. “The worst thing you can do is jump off in my business” warns Slimm. Perhaps he took that threat seriously.
“Four Deuces & Trays” is an interesting insight into a New Orleans rap scene that was still emerging to become a national powerhouse but hadn’t quite peaked. G-Slimm was certainly positioned to be part of that rise. He had a forceful delivery and “Dana Danes (that) shine reminding me of my front teeth” on tracks like “Ain’t Nobody Gafflin’ Me.” His accent is the South but his production feels hella West coast, and it’s a pleasant mixture of bravado and funk that’s easy to listen to. It’s a little odd to hear him refer to the Boot Camp Clicc though, a regional crew that’s entirely unrelated to the famous New York one.
I’m not sure how many ways I can say G-Slimm deserved better than his fate, but I also have to be honest and say that “Four Deuces & Trays” is more special now than it was at the time. Rappers with a confident and clear delivery and funky production were a dime a dozen in the 1990’s, and trying to break out from regional to national was a tall order that G-Slimm never quite accomplished. Songs like “Slippin’ N Tha Darkness” featuring Insane sound better just because everything today sounds worse. Even the choice of sample to rap over was rather pedestrian — the same one Poor Righteous Teachers used for “Rock Dis Funky Joint” — but it just sounds nicer than today’s mush mouthed sing-rappers.
In conclusion I’m frustrated by the potential that G-Slimm showed here but didn’t get to take to the next level due to his untimely demise. I’m confident in saying he (like New Orleans) had not yet reached the apex of rap and given more time he would have taken his lyrics and his career to the next level. The strong voice is a plus but there’s a touch of monotony to the thuggery that’s only slightly balanced by songs like “Mama Pray For Me.” No matter how hard she prayed she couldn’t stop the hot ones that were coming her son’s way, so we’ll posthumously give Slimm the flowers he deserved while alive.