Released February 27, 2007,
on KOCH Records.
There’s a well-established playbook for rappers looking to build an empire, and Slim Thug followed it to the letter. The Texas rapper started out with a respected local label, Michael “5000” Watts and OG Ron C’s Swishahouse, before making a name for himself by flooding the local market with mixtapes in the early 2000s. He then signed with major label Geffen Records to release his first commercial album, the landmark Already Platinum, while laying the groundwork for his own label and crew, the Boss Hogg Outlawz. Then, they followed the same blueprint, putting out a string of mixtapes before finally graduating to a proper album release.
Granted, Already Platinum never actually went platinum, but it was still a success. And sure, the Boss Hogg Outlawz never became the next Wu-Tang Clan, with only a handful of members going on to make much noise. Still, their debut album is a thoroughly enjoyable affair.
Serve & Collect is a textbook genre exercise. The title says it all: a twist on the police motto “serve and protect,” repurposed for the everyday business of drug dealing. Killa Kyleon, Sir Daily, PJ, J-Dawg, C. Ward, Young Black, Rob Smallz and Slim Thug spend much of the album celebrating the finer points of pushing dope. On “This Is For My G’s,” they pay tribute to their noble profession. They play the part of swaggering hustlers cruising through Houston with their pockets stuffed full of cash. And on “Straight Outta Texas,” they proudly rep their home state.
On “Wood Wheel,” “Ride On 4’s,” “Back To Front” and “I’m Fresh,” they cruise around, show off their rides and generally enjoy life behind the wheel. On “I’m A Hogg,” they indulge in a little casual misogyny. And they do it all Houston-style, with silky synths and chopped-and-screwed vocals, occasionally dipping into country rap territory on “I Gotta Get It.” Even when they stray from that formula, there are few surprises. There’s the mellow “Rollin’,” with its sung hook, and Rob Smallz’s R&B excursions on “I Gotta Get It” and “Cheating,” where he and Slim Thug complain about women trying to take advantage of them.
There’s nothing remotely surprising about this Boss Hogg Outlawz debut, and critics hate that sort of thing. They like to claim they value originality. The real problem, though, is that it’s always easier to write about an album that breaks the mold than about a conventional record, even one as satisfying as Serve & Collect.
And yet it is a damn good album. The production is spotless, and several tracks are downright irresistible: the melody of “We Boss Hoggin’,” Slim Thug’s solo turn that opens the album; the shimmering street-hustler anthem “Recognize A Playa”; Killa Kyleon’s ode to wealth, “Badge On My Neck”; or “Heat On My Side,” a love letter to firearms. If nothing else, the sheer size of the Boss Hogg Outlawz crew gives Serve & Collect a variety of voices that makes it all the more enjoyable. And really, that’s all it ever took to make a good album.
