Slim DeLeon

Genre : Hip Hop
City : Atlanta
Country : U.S.A

Biography

Slim means “young” and Leon means “king”, translating to “The Young King”. A grandchild of a major Malawian political figure, Gwanda Chakuamba the first, Slim DeLeon believes he is also a voice of the people through his music. Having lived in various areas of Malawi and South Africa before moving to the United States, Slim is geared up on using his experiences to paint a positive picture of Africa. Shouting “Slim DeLeon dat African cowboy!”, in his swaggarific rap song Juice, the artist makes sure to proclaim his identity in his music.

Gwanda’s mother was one out of 50 people in the African continent to win a permanent resident green card to live in the United States when he was 12. This was also around the time that he started writing music and developing as an artist.

Slim also explained his entry into the music industry as almost like an accident. He told Nyasa Times that “I would sing songs in the mirror as a kid. So when I came to the United States, that had always been at the back of my mind, but it didn’t seem obtainable for a long time. Up until about a year or two ago, I went to a classified ad website looking for an opportunity. So after searching, I found a local singer that was performing at a lounge with a band and I volunteered to help, while gaining experience.”

He went on to say that “After the experience and inspiration from the artist, I was going around the city of Atlanta in Georgia, USA, promoting myself as the next big thing coming out of the underground. I was having a freestyle battle with this artist from Germany, and T Miles (Master P and Lil Romeo’s right hand man at No Limit Forever Records) discovered me and handed a flier which had an advertisement for the movie Recogniz.”

“I followed up with the information that he gave me and I ended up working as an intern (for free), for a little under a year. In this year, I learned everything there is to learn about the entertainment industry.” Slim said.

Today, he shares his experience of adapting and overcoming the hardships of a hard life, environment, and change through the soul of his music. The road has not been easy, but the reason behind his resilience is much bigger than him. He is a true inspiration to his country, his continent, immigrants (legal and illegal), and anyone who needed or has the opportunity to change their lives.