Old Book off The Shelf : Pimp Iceberg Slim PIMP game to the Rap game

Pimp: The Story of My Life
by: Iceberg Slim

Iceberg Slim, also known as Robert Beck, was born as Robert Lee Maupin in Chicago, Illinois on August 4th, 1918. He spent much of his childhood in Milwaukee and Rockford, Illinois before returning to Chicago as a teenager.

Check out a look in to one of Americas sculptors of the African American community and lifestyle.

Full Article inside after the jump

His father having abandoned them, Slim's mother supported the family by working as a domestic and operating a beauty shop. He credits his mother for having prepared him for the pimp lifestyle by pampering him during his childhood.

Iceberg attended Tuskegee Institute briefly in the mid 1930's, at the same time Ralph Ellison was there, however they did not know one another. At 18, Robert began his initiation into "the life", adopting his nom de guerre, "Iceberg Slim" and remained a pimp until age 42, predominantly in the Chicago area. He was incarcerated several times in conjunction with his crimes, including a stretch in Leavenworth and spent a 10 month prison sentence in solitary confinement at Cook County House of Corrections in 1960. It was this last stretch that finally motivated Iceberg to "square up", and take to writing about his life experiences rather than pursuing a life of crime.



The book has sold over 5 million copies since its release and is the second best-selling book written by a black man, after Alex Haley’s “Roots”

This story is real almost 20th century version of Mark Twains famous “Huckleberry Finn.” His adventure on down the main drag of Chicago reminded me of Huck and his journey down the Mississippi River. The story is reasonable for the birth of America’s urban inner city’s. Iceberg Slim’s vigorous trails to over come oppression. “It speaks of very specific time in America and its street culture. The book is filled with broken souls but shows how in the end, Iceberg found himself and how result he finally healed himself.”

Robert Beck and Iceberg Slim have had major influence on todays pop culture. In recent lyrics spit by some of the Hottest rapper like Fabolous, Lil wayne, Lloyd and many others speak about Goldie the main character of cult classic The Mack. The Mack one of the many black cinema “BlackBuster” influenced by the book. Some people may even remember of a young Jay-z talking about Iceberg slim on albums Reasonable doubt and In My Lifetime Vol. 1 Sparking inspration for the song Who you Wit II off of his Sophmore album In My Lifetime Vol. 1.



Becks character is represented by 50 Cent’s hit P.I.M.P., in the music video they have a round table. The council men who sit at the table are veteran in the game like Pimpin Ken and The Bishop Pimp Magic Don Jaun.





Iceberg slim even influenced the West-coast pimp movement. Inspiring many artist like Too $hort, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre in many of their actions and lyrics by the 70’s California was heavily influenced by Pimp and for the most part is mixed in with their DNA and is a permanent part of the west coast urban culture.



We can even see in Rick Ross 3rd Studio Album “Deeper Then Rap”. Ross substitutes Slims pimp game for his questionable life style of being a important member of a South Florida drug cartel.



In my readings of the book I found one part that stuck out to me. When Iceberg Slim first goes to prison one of the inmates he ran with spoke of something I would like to share

“ He was an old “Drag” man with his bit getting short. He was first to teach me to control my emotions.

He would say “Always remember whether you be sucker or hustler in the world out there, you’ve got that vital edge if you can iron-clad your feeling. I picture the human mind a movie screen. If your’re a dopey sucker, youll just sit and watch all kinds of mind-wrecking, damn fool movies on that screen.“

He said son “Son, there is no reason except a stupid one for anybody to project on that screen anything that will worry him or dull that vital edge. Afterall, we are the absolute bosses of that whole theatre and show in our minds, We even write the script. So always write positive, dynamic scripts and show only the best movies for you on that screen whether you are pimp or priest”


#Raw_Wisdom from The 3rd_Kind