''Already Platinum'' is the debut

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

by American rapper

Slim Thug Stayve Jerome Thomas (born September 8, 1979), better known by his stage name Slim Thug, is an American rapper. He gained mainstream attention for his guest performance alongside Paul Wall on Mike Jones' 2004 single "Still Tippin'". The followi ...

. It was released through

the Neptunes The Neptunes were an American record production duo composed of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, formed in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in 1992. Williams often provided backing vocals and music video appearances on the duo's productions, while H ...

Star Trak Entertainment Star Trak Entertainment was an American record label, founded by the Neptunes and Rob Walker in 2001. It was launched as an imprint of Arista Records, a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment from its formation until 2003, after which it opera ...

, an imprint of

Geffen Records Geffen Records (formerly The David Geffen Company from 1980 to 1992 and Geffen Records Inc. from 1993 to 2004) is an American record label, founded in late 1980 by David Geffen. Originally a music subsidiary of the company known as Geffen Pi ...

(part of the

Interscope Geffen A&M Interscope Geffen A&M Records (IGA) is an American umbrella label operating as a unit of Interscope Capitol Labels Group, owned by Universal Music Group. It currently consists of record labels Interscope Records (with its subsidiary, A&M Records) ...

corporate unit) on July 12, 2005. Its original release date was scheduled for February 2005, but heavy bootlegging and numerous delays held the album back, forcing a vast majority of its original track listing to be replaced. The original track listing included a version of the track "I Ain't Heard of That" which featured

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American Rapping, rapper, businessman, and record executive. Rooted in East Coast hip-hop, he was named Billboard and Vibe's 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time, the ...

. In an interview with '' XXL'', the rapper explained the album title does not suggest he will go platinum, but that his lifestyle (before he got a record deal) was already similar to that of rappers who had reached the platinum status. In an interview on ''

The Tyra Banks Show ''The Tyra Banks Show'', also known as and shortened to ''Tyra'' or ''The Tyra Show'', is an American talk show hosted by Tyra Banks that aired from 2005 to 2010. While Banks's show covered a variety of topics, there was a sensationalized focus ...

'', mentor

Pharrell Pharrell Lanscilo Williams (; born April 5, 1973), also known mononymously as Pharrell, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, and fashion designer. He first became known as one half of the music production duo ...

revealed that he was a millionaire before the two met, and he especially liked that about him. He continued to say that he was "already platinum," the album name was just in confirmation of this. The album debuted at number two on the US ''Billboard'' 200, with 130,000 copies sold in the first week. Ironically, the album has only sold 500,000 copies in the United States, signifying

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

certification by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA).

Background

In a 2016 interview with Slim Thug, he claims to have met the album's executive producer,

Pharrell Williams Pharrell Lanscilo Williams (; born April 5, 1973), also known mononymously as Pharrell, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, and fashion designer. He first became known as one half of the music production duo ...

, in Houston prior to career a mentorship arranged by

Jimmy Iovine James Iovine ( ; born March 11, 1953) is an American entrepreneur, former Music executive, record executive, and media proprietor. He is the co-founder of Interscope Records and became chairman and CEO of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Interscop ...

, as both acts were signed to the

Interscope Geffen A&M Records Interscope Geffen A&M Records (IGA) is an American umbrella label operating as a unit of Interscope Capitol Labels Group, owned by Universal Music Group. It currently consists of record labels Interscope Records (with its subsidiary, A&M Records) ...

umbrella at the time. Slim Thug also claims to have recorded a bulk of album in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

; Williams played him a then-unreleased remix to

's 2003 single "

Change Clothes "Change Clothes" is the first official single from rapper Jay-Z's studio album '' The Black Album''. It featured additional vocals by Pharrell Williams (uncredited) and was produced by The Neptunes. The song reached No. 10 on the ''Billboard'' Ho ...

"—one of Williams' productions—which was later reworked and became a song on the album, "I Ain't Heard of That". The song was also supposed to keep a verse performed by Jay-Z as a guest feature, however once the song became heavily bootlegged, the guest slot was replaced by fellow Houston rapper

Bun B Bernard James Freeman (born March 19, 1973), known professionally as Bun B, is an American rapper. He is best known as one half of the Southern rap duo UGK (Underground Kingz), a group he formed in 1987 alongside Pimp C. Aside from his work wi ...

. Jay-Z received a formal songwriting credit on the song, although Slim Thug claims that Williams wrote the chorus.

Critical reception

''Already Platinum'' garnered a positive reception from

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...

who praised Slim's vocal delivery and the Southern production.

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

's Andy Kellman praised Slim's delivery for being more charismatic than

Lil' Flip Wesley Eric Weston Jr. (born 3 March 1981), better known by his stage name Lil' Flip, is an American rapper. Raised in Houston, Texas, he began his musical career as a freestyle and battle rapper before signing with the local record label Sucka ...

and Mike Jones, and the production work from both Mr. Lee and

The Neptunes The Neptunes were an American record production duo composed of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, formed in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in 1992. Williams often provided backing vocals and music video appearances on the duo's productions, while H ...

, concluding that "''Already Platinum'' is one of 2005's best rap albums." Evan McGarvey of ''

Stylus Magazine ''Stylus Magazine'' was an American online music and film magazine, launched in 2002 and co-founded by Todd L. Burns. It featured long-form music journalism, four daily music reviews, movie reviews, podcasts, an MP3 blog, and a text blog. Addi ...

'' praised the Neptunes' production for evolving with Slim's Southern drawl and delivery, concluding that "After years of singles that people called "infectious" and "club-ready," they take Slim Thug and his dashing uniqueness and carve diamonds. This lbumisn't a musical highlight reel, it's watching artists shuck off personal curses and step into their own skins." ''

Vibe Vibe, alternatively '' vibes,'' is short for ''vibration''. A "vibe" is an emotional reaction to the aura or energy felt to belong to a person, place or thing. Vibe may also refer to: People * DJ Vibe (born 1968), Portuguese DJ * Lasse Vibe (b ...

'' contributor Rondell Conway wrote that, "Slim's worldly sensibilities make the pensive moments on the album both heartfelt ("Dedicate") and heady ("The Interview"). All the while, he keeps his Teflon status intact–without telling any tall tales." ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

''s

Christian Hoard Christian David Hoard is an American music journalist and music editor for ''Rolling Stone''. A 2000 graduate of the University of Michigan, he began his career as a music journalist writing for the ''Michigan Daily''. He later moved to New York Ci ...

called the record "a popwise bastardization of the Houston rap scene's round-the-way charm", praising Slim's "down-home brassiness" delivering "brawny boasts and mesmerizing refrains", and the Neptunes' "arty minimalism" being better than on previous outings. ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

'' writer Michael Endelman gave note of Slim having a "steady, linebacker-strong flow and baritone" throughout the album but gave credit to the Neptunes for giving him "spacious and stark beats that are equal parts frightening and funky". Steve Jones of ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...

'' said that big names like

T.I. Clifford Joseph Harris Jr. (born September 25, 1980), known professionally as T.I. or Tip, is an American rapper and singer raised in Atlanta, Georgia. Harris is credited as a pioneer of the hip hop subgenre trap music, along with fellow Georgi ...

and

Jazze Pha Phalon Anton Alexander, known professionally as Jazze Pha ( ), is an American record producer, rapper, singer and songwriter. He founded the record label Sho'nuff Records in 1995, through which he signed R&B singer Ciara in 2003. He produced h ...

didn't turn the attention away from the main artist, saying that "Slim

hug A hug is a form of Affection, endearment, found in virtually all Communities, human communities, in which two or more people put their arms around the neck, back, under the armpits or waists of one another and hold each other closely. If more th ...

s confident, laid-back deliveries keep him from being overshadowed." Chris Ryan of ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...

'' commended Slim for lending his voice to the Neptunes' atmospheric production, saying they "contribute some of their most adventurous work yet." Tom Breihan of ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'' was critical of most of the tracks by the Neptunes, saying they "lost the gleaming, clattering swagger they once had, relying instead on bloodless synth lines and itchy, nattering drums" and that Slim's performance on them suffered. But said that the tracks by Mr. Lee ("Diamonds" and "3 Kings") were the highlights, concluding that, "On tracks like this, Slim sounds prehistoric, like he's always existed, like this voice has been echoing over canyons and through caves since before time began."

Track listing

;Sample credits *"The Intro" contains excerpts from "

Want Ads "Want Ads" is a song that was a million-selling No.1 pop and R&B hit recorded by female group, Honey Cone for their second album '' Sweet Replies'' and also appears on their third album '' Soulful Tapestry''. The song, recorded on the Detroit-ba ...

"; written by General Johnson, Barney Perkins, and Greg Perry; and performed by

Honey Cone Honey Cone is an American Rhythm and blues, R&B and soul music, soul girl group. Originally formed by lead singer Edna Wright (sister of Darlene Love) with Carolyn Willis and Shelly Clark in 1968. They are known for their List of Billboard Hot ...

. *"3 Kings" contains excerpts from: **"Secretary", written by Willie Clarke and Clarence Reid, and performed by

Betty Wright Bessie Regina Norris (December 21, 1953 – May 10, 2020), better known by her stage name Betty Wright, was an American soul music, soul and Rhythm and blues, R&B singer, songwriter and background vocalist. Beginning her professional career ...

. **"Throw It Up"; written by Clinton Mansell, Sammie Norris, Cleavon Prince, and Micah Troy; and performed by

Lil Jon Jonathan H. Smith (born January 17, 1971), better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American rapper, DJ, and record producer. Regarded as a progenitor of the club-oriented hip-hop subgenre crunk, his production and voice presence were inst ...

. *"Diamonds" contains excerpts from "Diamonds & Wood", wri *"Diamonds" samples "Top Notch Hoes" by

Pimp C Chad Lamont Butler (December 29, 1973 – December 4, 2007), better known by his stage name Pimp C, was an American rapper and record producer. He was best known for his work with Bun B as one half of the hip-hop duo Underground Kingz (UGK). ...

. *"The Interview" samples "The Newness Is Gone" by

Eddie Kendricks Edward James Kendrick (December 17, 1939 – October 5, 1992), better known as Eddie Kendricks, was an American tenor singer and songwriter. Noted for his distinctive falsetto singing style, Kendricks co-founded the Motown singing group the Temp ...

. *"Miss Mary" samples "A Moment with You" by

George Michael George Michael (born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou; 25 June 1963 – 25 December 2016) was an English singer-songwriter and record producer. Regarded as a pop culture icon, he is one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling rec ...

. *"I Need A..." samples "Out There" by

Willie Hutch William McKinley Hutchison (December 6, 1944 – September 19, 2005), better known as Willie Hutch, was an American singer, songwriter as well as a record producer and recording artist for the Motown record label during the 1970s and 1980s. Biog ...

. *"Dope Man" samples "

Just to Keep You Satisfied Just or JUST may refer to: Arts and entertainment * "Just" (song), 1995, by Radiohead * ''Just!'', Australian author Andy Griffiths' children's story collections * ''Just'', a 1998 album by Dave Lindholm * "Just", a 2005 song on ''Lost and Found ...

" by

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gaye Jr. (; April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984) was an American Rhythm and blues, R&B and soul singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He helped shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player an ...

. *"I'll Show Ya" samples "Stay in Love with Me" by Trinere.

Personnel

Credits for ''Already Platinum'' adapted from

. * Leslie Braithwaite - mixing *Bobby Brown - mixing * Willie Clarke -

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

* George Clinton, Jr. - composer *Andrew Coleman -

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...

*W. O. Collins - composer *G. Cooper - composer *Danielle Demmerella - marketing coordinator *Jan Fairchild - mixing * Allan Felder - composer *Ashley Fox -

marketing Marketing is the act of acquiring, satisfying and retaining customers. It is one of the primary components of Business administration, business management and commerce. Marketing is usually conducted by the seller, typically a retailer or ma ...

*Sarah A. Friedman -

photography Photography is the visual arts, art, application, and practice of creating images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is empl ...

*Mike Frost -

art direction Art director is a title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, live-action and animated film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to super ...

, photography * Brian "Big Bass" Gardner - mastering *Brian Garten - engineer *Mark "Exit" Goodchild - engineer *Hart Gunther - assistant * Clifford Harris - composer *Norman Harris - composer *

Jaycen Joshua Jaycen Joshua is an American audio engineer based in California. He won three Grammy Awards: the first for mixing ''Growing Pains'' for Mary J. Blige in 2007, followed by '' El mal querer'' for Rosalía in 2018, and ''Hyperspace'' for Beck in ...

* General Johnson - composer *Jahaun Johnson - A&R,

executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties). In film ...

* Killa Kyleon - composer *

Anthony Mandler Anthony Mandler is an American film, television, and music video director and photographer. As a music video director, his most notable and frequent collaborator is Rihanna. The two have worked on sixteen music videos together throughout her car ...

cover photo Cover art is a type of artwork presented as an illustration or photograph on the outside of a published product, such as a book (often on a dust jacket), magazine, newspaper ( tabloid), comic book, video game ( box art), music album ( album art ...

, photography *

Manny Marroquin Manny Marroquin (born September 21, 1971) is a Guatemalan-American record mixing engineer. He has been credited on albums for high-profile pop, R&B, hip hop and rock acts. He has worked with artists including Rihanna, Kanye West, Katy Perry ...

- mixing *

- composer *Kyla Miller - engineer *

- executive producer *Barney Perkins - composer *Gregg Perry - composer *Nicole Plantin - A&R * Clarence Reid - composer *April Roomet - stylist *Justin Shtturtz - assistant *Shawn Suggs - A&R *

Phil Tan Phil Tan is a Malaysian-American audio engineer and mixer. He is a three time Grammy Award recipient, having received 14 nominations for the award. Early life and education Tan was born in Malaysia. He attended Full Sail University in Florida in ...

- mixing *S. Thomas - composer * Terrence Thornton - composer *Richard Travali - mixing *Patrick Viala - mixing *Rob Walker - executive producer *James M. Wisner - assistant

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 2005 debut albums Slim Thug albums Geffen Records albums Star Trak Entertainment albums Albums produced by the Neptunes Albums produced by Cool & Dre Albums produced by Jazze Pha