HomeMusicReview: Slimm Calhoun Slimm Calhoun “The Skinny” (Aquemini / Elektra)Some rappers slap the scales from your eyes with the knowledge they drop, others deal in metaphors, similes and wordplay, twisting the language to tell a story or just for the hell of it. Some MCs just plain make you feel where theyre coming from. Atlantas Slimm Calhoun, an Outkast affiliate dropping his debut LP on Andre and Big Bois Aquemini label, belongs to this last group. Helped by stunning production from the Earthtone III camp, Slimm is at his best telling tales of life on the grind (Timelock, Worldly Ways, and the title track The Skinny) that hit you right in the heart. The Skinny is not all Dirty South drama, though; Slimm displays his lighter side over the infectious electronic grooves of The Cut Song and Its OK, which features Andre from OutKast. The album starts off strong with the confrontational energy of Red Clay and This Young G, but Slimm cant maintain the intensity for all seventeen tracks. The Skinny runs out of steam at the end, winding down with uninspired joints like All Da Hustlers, Characters, and How Much Can I, which is five minutes of Slimm and Sleepy Brown singing the same twenty words over and over again. Nevertheless, on the strength of Slimm Calhouns presence and Earthone IIIs off-the-chain production, The Skinny is a strong debut.
