Compton Rapper Slim 400 is determined to make a whole lotta money in cannabis

Slim 400 might be the only gangster rapper in Compton who has a German birth certificate. It’s not the kind of thing you expect to be part of the backstory for a guy raised under the Cali sun who openly calls out other rappers on social media for not being Blood-enough, referring to the Los Angeles street gang the Bloods.

He’s so intertwined with the streets he grew up on, he named himself after his neighborhood block (400). And he’s quick to say that his reality has always been more about Southern California than anywhere in Europe, where he resided with his father who was stationed in Germany with the U.S. armed forces.

“That’s all I know, Bompton,” he said, referring to Compton. (He alters the name to conform with the Bloods’ preferred rendering of the word.)

These days, Slim 400 is known as a Compton block veteran and OG-strain smoking rapper who is venturing into the marijuana business by lending his persona to BudTrader.com, a startup that bills itself as the “medical marijuana marketplace.” The site functions as a sort of one-stop-shop for the marijuana consumer by helping them locate cannabis lawyers, dispensaries, and delivery services in their area, among other resources.

The partnership between BudTrader and Slim 400 is just another example of the cannabis industry teaming up with the rap world for marketing purposes. “Weed is going to sell bro, period,” Slim 400 tells Herb confidently.

Slim 400 got into the weed game through simple street hustling skills, the ancient art of networking. His deal with BudTrader came about during the rapper’s visits to cannabis conventions, particularly the events put on by High Times. He said he would take cards and numbers, hear business pitches.

With weed developing into a legal business, Slim 400 thought ‘why take the risk on the streets?’ Instead, he recommends just getting your paperwork right and getting involved in a cannabis venture.

“I took a couple shares under my name,” Slim 400 said about his BudTrader deal, which also includes copious amounts of marijuana per month. The rapper is also currently investing in his own strain. “I won’t mention the name right now,” he said, wanting to protect his brand in a competitive market.

For the sake of marketing, Slim 400 isn’t above social media controversy. You might have seen him online calling out rap’s most colorful character of the moment, Takashi69. He’s been furious with the NY rapper and lobbed a few shots in viral videos where he says Takashi is faking the funk.

“At the end of the day if you’re going to be a Blood, do this shit right,” Slim 400 said about the rapper who has had a spate of violent incidents attached to his name. “The way he’s doing it is not acceptable.”

But beefs aside, Slim says he wants to just continue making music. His aim is to reach a point where he does music mostly for the love of the craft, and not as his main source of income.

That’s where his latest business moves have been focused; he’s hoping his bank accounts benefit from his association with legal marijuana. Slim 400 has attached his name to things like 24K gold vape cartridges. His upcoming album also ties into his cannabis investment. It’s going to be called “High Off Trees,” which is part of his agreement with BudTrader. But giving his album more appeal for bud enthusiasts is also just a natural move in a world where the hip-hop and cannabis industries are quickly colliding.