Beck briefly attended Tuskegee Institute in the 1930's but dropped out in his Freshman year, the lure of the street was too great.  He grew up admiring the neighborhood pimps and hustlers, he wanted to be one.  Slim was tall, dark and handsome with natural curly hair.

He drew women like an magnet.  They were attracted to his charisma and his good looks.   He would use these traits to attract and lure women into his stable.   Before long, Slim had the finest stable of women in Chicago.  They earned him thousands per week.  Slim strutted around in full-length minks, tailored suits, solid gold cuff links, platinum watches, diamond rings and alligator loafers.

On one downtown excursion, he went into a store, when he came outside, he noticed an older man admiring his custom-made cadillac.  Upon closer inspection, Slim recognized the man, it was his father.  They exchanged heated words, when he told his father that he was the famous Iceberg Slim, his father was shocked, when he regained his composure, he asked Slim for a loan, Slim brushed him off.  He would never see him again.

Slim was incarcerated for pimping and pandering on several occasions which included a stretch in Leavensworth.  He dominated the East Coast pimp game from age 18 to age 42.  He would retire at 42 and move to California.  When he arrived in California, he eagerly sought out the Black Panther party.  He was devastated when they snubbed him.

The Panthers did not appreciate Slim exploiting black women for personal gain.  In 1969, Slim published his critically acclaimed autobiography "Pimp."

This book would become the biggest selling book in the history of Holloway Publishing.  Slim became a successful writer and authored several more best sellers.  Rappers Ice-T and Ice-Cube were so influenced by Slim that they use part of his name as their stage names.   The book "Pimp" was adapted for film production.  Snoop Dogg, Ice-T, and Ice-Cube were all vying for the lead role, the role went to Ice-Cube.  Iceberg Slim, the most famous pimp in the world, died on April 28, 1992.  He was 73 years old.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The art of pimping has changed since the days of Iceberg Slim.  There are currently 55 different types of pimps.  You can even purchase a "How To Pimp" manual and the book "Pimpnosis" tells the reader the difference between a Pimp, Player and a Mack.  You also have Pimp training films and the documentaries "Pimps Up, Hoes Down" and "American Pimp" received blockbluster ratings on cable networks.  You can even RVSP on the internet to attend a Pimp Convention or a Player's Ball.

These conventions award Pimps with trophies for being the Pimp Of The Year or the Player Of The Year.  Ho's have a function (their only day off) where they are awarded trophies for Bitch Of The Year, Ho Of The Year and Tramp Of The Year.  We are also seeing the emergence of female street pimps in the Midwest and on the West Coast.  A high school in Northern California had a Pimp/Ho day, the boys dressed in the pimp attire of hats, maxi coats and alligator loafers and the girls dressed in flimsy attire.

In the early 90's, a pre-teen rap duo used the monikers Daddy Mack and Mack Daddy as their stage names, to pay homage to the neighborhood pimps.  Pimps are admired in urban neighborhoods and inner-cities because of their fine women, large bankrolls, luxury cars and tailored suits.  Many rappers hang-out with pimps, they also dress like them and praise them in their lyrics.  Websites that feature pimp dialogue average 100,000 hits per day.

Pimp and porn conventions are the most successful in Las Vegas.  Some pimps run their stables similar to a drug cartel.  This has come to the attention of law enforcement.  Prosecutors are trying to make pimping a felony, it is currently a misdemeanor in most states.  If pimping becomes a felony, prosecutors will use the Rico statue.  (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act) which is frequently used to combat Mob families.   If pimps are convicted using Rico, they will face 10-20 years in prison along with the confiscation of luxury items.