Salma Slims Is Blessing the World With Her “Ghetto Girl Dream”
Salma Slims is a young queen hailing from Atlanta who recently released her latest project Ghetto Girl Dream. She could easily let her Private Club Records label-mates Madeintyo and 24hrs call the shots but she’s not about getting it that easy.
In one sentence… WHO IS SALMA SLIMS?
I can do better than one sentence. How about one word: SPECTACULAR .
How did you get your start in music? When did you first know this is what you wanted to do?
I started doing music when I was 15 years old. I was that kid who participated in every school talent show. I realized this is what I wanted to do when I attended my first TLC concert when I was younger and also formed my own girl group at the age of 16 and from there on out I’ve been doing music ever since. I use to rap at the lunch table with all my guy homies and they always told me I had bars and when I went solo as an artist Private Club Records told me it was only right to squad up with them and take over the world.
Define A Ghetto Girl’s Dream.
A Ghetto Girl Dream does not necessarily mean you have to live in the hood or live in the ghetto. Ghetto Girl Dream is the persona of going from 0 to 100 no matter what you do in life. I felt like I was in Atlanta working really hard at one point before I moved to LA, but it was a different type of grind because I was leaving my job to go to the studio or perform in front of a crowd that only had 10–15 people.
Now I’m leaving the studio to perform in front of sold out crowds. So I felt like the ghetto girl’s dream wasn’t necessarily just me growing up in the hood or anything like that but me being a normal girl that went from 0 to 100. And also seeing my brother’s (MadeinTyo) fame, his success and things happening so fast, and him giving me a platform. I remember when I was bringing him out on my show when I had like 30 people, so it’s a ghetto girl’s dream going from that to this.
Give us your daily checklist towards achieving world domination:
Pray. Plan. Prioritize. Execute.
I live by this daily.
What inspires your hustle?
My family is from a small country in west Africa called The Gambia, my parents moved to the United States for better opportunities and I take that as a blessing in disguise because growing up I took it for granted until I went back to Gambia one summer and realized people would kill to be in my position and to live in a country where opportunities are endless and everyday is a fresh start. That inspires my hustle. The guys in my collective also inspire my hustle because one person’s accomplishment is my motivation and determination to do better.
What’re some stereotypes of being labeled a “female rapper” or “a woman in hip-hop” that you want to break?
One stereotype that I hate the most is when they say, “female rappers are always sleeping around to get to the top.” This is not true and I speak for myself and a few other women who I know who work very hard and are respected by the men in the industry because they hold their self to a certain level of respect.
When they say, “female rappers can’t rap.” This is the funniest one because I can out rap some of these male rappers in a cypher without hesitation any day. Just put on a Mobb Deep instrumental and it’s over for them.
“There can only be one female rapper out at a time.” This is a stereotype that needs to stop because we are in a male dominated industry where you see so many men dominating at one time. For females and rappers there is always a focus on one female at a time when it comes to hip hop. But things are starting to change and it’s good to see people like Bia, Dreezy, Tink, Dej Loaf, Khamiyah and the list goes on all working towards a common goal and getting recognized by the culture of hip hop. Which proves that there can be more than one.
What should we expect from Salma Slims in 2017?
New music. New visuals. New tours. I’m also going to take on modeling as a second hobby and really get into the fashion world and walk on some runways overseas this year.
If you could have any 3 women in your Girl Cult who would they be?
Lisa Left Eye, Aliyah and Whitney Houston.
One piece of advice to girls trying to make it in any male-dominated industry.
As a woman working in a male-dominated industry sometimes people will look right through you. You can’t take it personally. Just hold your head high and do you. It’s very important to develop a thick skin and sense of humor because men have a hard time accepting us on the job but once they know that you’re just as good as them rings become a lot easier. It’s all about playing the game and not letting the game play you. As long as you stay true to yourself the doors will open.
Salma Slim’s hustle has no national borders. While on a trip to Japan, she got the opportunity to do the soundtrack for an international makeup line, RMK, which is now airing on TV screens across Japan.
Watch below:
Stream Salma Slim’s “Ghetto Girl Dream”