Cypress, Texas ? Slim Thug is a Goliath on the Houston rap scene, and it has nothing to do with his 6-foot-6, 265-pound frame.

The skyscraping rapper, who’s sold enough records independently to earn regional renown, a huge suburban home and a fleet of luxury cars, now has his eye on conquering the rest of the country with his major-label debut, “Already Platinum,” which was released Tuesday.

The album combines his boastful rhymes and smooth baritone with slick production from The Neptunes and a cadre of big-name guest stars, including Lil’ Jon and Ludacris.

Slim, whose real name is Stayve Thomas, said he gained the first part of his rap moniker because he was beanpole skinny as a teenager. He added “thug” to it, he said, because of his braids and gold teeth.

The title of his album might seem arrogant, but Slim insists that it’s simply a testament to his independent success. Major labels have been wooing him since 2001, but selling records through his own Boss Hogg Outlawz label was so lucrative that he had no use for a deal, Slim said.

“The money they was offering us, it wasn’t adding up to what we was making independent,” he said, adding that he has sold more than 300,000 copies of his three album releases and numerous mixtapes – and makes $8 per album sold.

“It’s like we got a big state right here and we got Louisiana, too,” Slim said. “That’s a lot of people. That’s a lot of different retail stores, and you can make a lot of money off of that alone.”

Houston rapper Slim Thug's major label debut, Already

Slim and his six siblings moved from apartment to apartment while being raised by a single mother, Mary Thomas. She struggled to support the family as a cashier at gas stations and grocery stores.

Slim developed his love of music in those years. At age 10 he memorized and often recited a rap about bicycles and toys that his brother wrote for him, and later spent countless hours freestyling on a small karaoke machine.

“He used to try and rap when he was little, and I used to tease him about that all the time,” said his older brother, Raymond “Ray-Face” Thomas.

Slim got his professional start by rapping on Swishahouse Records mixtapes, but outgrew the label after a couple of years and decided to start his own company. When he realized many top producers wouldn’t work with him because he wasn’t with a major label, he signed with Geffen Records last year. He said he tries to refrain from negativity in his raps and that fans often say they like him because “I don’t let my imagination run wild when I rap.”

“I’m about getting money,” he said. “I’m a hustler rapper, like a motivational rapper who talks about getting money and doing things.”

Rap is not his only means of income. The 24-year-old owns two record stores and buys and sells real estate.