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Radar: PITTSBURGH SLIM

Description:

Pittsburgh Slim
Pittsburgh

By:Patrick Rodgers
Photography by: Tamar Levine

If you're talking about people really living the good life, then Pittsburgh Slim has got to be on the short list of those doing it right. He scored a five-album deal with Def Jam after spending a Friday sipping wine with Jay-Z. His debut album, Tastemaker, dropped last December and every time he plays a show, ladies in the crowd start swapping saliva like baseball cards. "Two girls will start kissing, then a couple more, and pretty soon they're all trying to out do the others," explains Slim with the casual satisfaction of someone that was able to turn two of his favorite things hip-hop and internet porn into an online phenomenon.

For those that don't know, Slim started to catch a rep off his first single "Girls Kissing Girls," a bi-curious club anthem with an infectious electro/hip-hop/pop beat courtesy of Ski-Beatz and a web voyeur-inspired video starring Slim and Penthouse cover model Krista Ayne. With the number of YouTube views rising like the mercury on a July afternoon in Miami, Slim started getting offers from labels but was smart enough not to get blinded by the fast money. "I wanted to be sure they were investing in Slim, not the single," he says. In this case patience paid off.

After going to a meeting with Ski that was in the same building as the Def Jam offices (the only label that hadn't made him an offer yet), the producer suggested they stop by to see if Hova was in his office. After listening to the single, everybody sat down to vibe for a minute and the rest is history. Pittsburgh Slim, whose name was inspired by pimp extraordinaire Iceberg Slim, is confident that he still has a few tricks up his sleeve and more lyrical skills than most people would assume after hearing just the single, even though some critics are quick to write him off as a kitschy one hit wonder or just another white rapper. While his style may be miles from the CNN of the streets, Slim is keeping it real. "I'm not bragging about being the best just talking about my life, about partying and girls and having fun."

Having already traded the frosty industrial landscape of Pittsburgh for the sunny palm lined streets of L.A., Slim is lamping with his feet in the pool this winter, a cocktail in hand and, more than likely, a couple of girls tongue wrestling nearby the guy knows how to live the good life.