Iceberg Slim

For other people named Robert Beck, seeRobert Beck (disambiguation).

This article is about the American author. For Nigerian musician, seeIceberg Slim (musician).For the British rapper, seeIceberg Slimm.

Robert Beck(bornRobert Lee MaupinorRobert Moppins Jr.;August 4, 1918 – April 30, 1992), better known asIceberg Slim,was an Americanpimpwho later became a writer. Beck's 1967 memoir,Pimp: The Story of My Lifesold very well, mainly among Black audiences. By 1973, it had been reprinted 19 times and had sold nearly 2 million copies. Pimp was eventually translated into German, French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, Swedish, Finnish, and Greek. He also wrote novels such asTrick Baby.

Robert Beck
Born	Robert Lee Maupin August 4, 1918(1918-08-04) Chicago, Illinois,U.S.
Died	April 30, 1992(1992-04-30)(aged 73) Los Angeles, California,U.S.
Occupation(s)	Pimp, author
Spouse(s)	Betty Shue (common law,1960s) Diane Millman (1982 onwards)
Children	4

Early life

Maupin was born inChicago,Illinois.He spent his childhood inMilwaukee,Wisconsin,andRockford, Illinois,until he returned to Chicago. When his mother was abandoned by his father, she established a beauty shop and worked as a domestic hairstylist to support both of them in Milwaukee.In his autobiography, Maupin expressed gratitude to his mother for not also abandoning him. She earned enough money working in her salon to give her son the privileges of a middle-class life such as a college education, which at that time was difficult for the average person.

Slim attendedTuskegee UniversityinTuskegee, Alabama,but having spent time in thestreet culture,he soon beganbootleggingand was expelled as a result.After his expulsion, his mother encouraged him to become a criminal lawyer so that he could make a legitimate living while continuing to work with the street people he was so fond of, but Maupin, seeing the pimps bringing women into his mother's beauty salon, was far more attracted to the lifestyle of money and control over women that pimping provided.

Pimp activity

According to his memoir,Pimp,Slim started pimping at 18 and continued until age 42. The book claims that during his career he had over 400 women, both black and white, working for him. He said he was known for his frosty temperament and for staying calm in emergencies, which, combined with his slim build, earned him the street name Iceberg Slim. When verbal instruction andpsychological manipulationfailed to keep the women compliant, he beat them with wire hangers; in his autobiography he concedes he was a ruthless, vicious man.

Slim had been connected with several other well-known pimps, one of them Albert "Baby" Bell,a man born in 1899 who had been pimping for decades and had aDuesenbergand a bejeweled petocelot.Another pimp, who had gotten Slim hooked oncocaine,went by the name of "Satin"and was a major drug figure in the eastern part of the country.

Throughout his pimping career, Slim, who was known as Cavanaugh Slim, was noted for being able to effectively conceal his emotions, something he said he learned from Baby Bell: "A pimp has gotta know his whores, but not let them know him; he's gotta be god all the way."

Iceberg Slim retired from pimping at the age of 42 because he could no longer handle the physical and mental stress of the job, particularly when it came to managing his prostitutes, who tended to have difficult personalities. In his words: "I did not want to be teased, tormented, and brutalized by young whores."

Prison stints

At age 17, Slim convinced a girlfriend named in his memoir as "June" to work as a prostitute for him. His second customer recognized the girl and informed her father, and the father in turn contacted the police. Slim was sentenced to 12 to 18 months in prison for "carnal knowledge and abuse". June's father used his influence to prevent Slim from being charged with "pandering" because he did not want his daughter to be labelled a prostitute. Slim served his sentence in Wisconsin Green Bay Reformatory.

Slim returned to Milwaukee after being released. Four and a half months after being paroled, a man named "Weeping" paid Slim $500 to have sex with a woman named "Pepper" at her house with the intent to secretly take photographs of the couple in bed and blackmail Pepper. But after Slim did the deed and was paid, he was arrested by police and accused of stealing the money from Pepper's house. Pepper testified against Slim at his trial, and Slim was convicted of burglary and sentenced to two years in prison, which he served in Waupun State Prison. He was released three months early for good behavior. Slim never found out why Weeping and Pepper framed him.

Writing

In 1961, after serving 10 months ofsolitary confinementin aCook Countyjail, Maupin decided he was too old for a life of pimping at the age of 42 and was unable to compete with younger, more ruthless pimps.

In 1961, Maupin moved toLos Angelesand changed his name to Robert Beck, taking the last name of the man his mother was married to at the time.He met Betty Shue, who became hiscommon-law wifeand the mother of his three daughters, while he was working as an insecticide salesman. Betty encouraged Beck to write the story of his life as a novel, and they began sporadically writing some draft chapters. According to her, a white writer, whom Beck would later only refer to as "the Professor", became interested in writing Beck's life story; Beck became convinced that the man was trying to steal their idea for himself, so they cut him out of the deal and finished it without him.Bentley Morris ofHolloway Houserecognized the merit ofPimp,and it was published in 1967.

Thehip-hopwriter Mark Skillz wrote that when Beck began work onPimp,"he made two promises to himself: no glamorizing his former life and no snitching."Hip hop artistFab 5 Freddy,a friend of Beck's, claimed that "Many of Bob's friends were still alive when he wrote that book. So he changed all of their names and descriptions. 'Baby' Bell became 'Sweet' Jones, his best friend 'Satin' became 'Glass Top', and he created composite characters of some of his former 'employees.'"

Reviews ofPimpwere mixed. Beck's vision was considerably bleaker than most other Black writers of the time; his work tended to be based on his personal experiences in the criminal underworld and revealed a world of seemingly bottomless brutality and viciousness. His was the first insider look into the world of Black pimps, to be followed by a half-dozen pimp memoirs by other writers.

In 1973, Hollie West questioned inThe Washington Postwhether societal changes and thewomen's movementwould soon render the outlook expressed inPimpobsolete: "The Iceberg Slim of yesteryear is considered an anachronism to the young dudes now out there on the block trying to hustle. They say he is crude and violent, overlooking his tremendous gift of the gab. Iceberg acknowledges that pimping has changed because 'women have changed.' The advent ofwomen's lib,changing sexual mores, general affluence in this society and widespread use of drugs by pimps to control prostitutes have made an impact. "

Pimpsold very well, mainly among Black audiences. By 1973, it had been reprinted 19 times and had sold nearly 2 million copies.Pimpwas eventually translated into German, French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, Swedish, Finnish, and Greek.

FollowingPimp,Beck wroteseveral more novels, an autobiography, and a story collection. He sold over six million books before his death in 1992,making him one of the best-selling African-American writers.

Recordings

In 1976, Iceberg Slim released the albumReflections,in which he recited passages from his autobiography over a funky musical backing supplied by theRed HollowayQuartet.The album, produced by David Drozen, was initially released on ALA records. It was reissued byInfinite Zeroin 1994, then by Uproar Entertainment in 2008. Reviewing the album forAllMusic,Victor W. Valdivia wrote "For those who aren't easily offended, this album will be spellbinding. Slim's skills as a storyteller cannot be overstated; even at his crudest, he still spins riveting yarns."Valdivia praised the record for "the mixture of street smarts and the intellectual and emotional depth shown here", which, he said, was often lacking in Iceberg Slim's followers.

A popular audiobook adaptation of his autobiographyPimp: The Story of My Life,narrated by Cary Hite, was released by Urban Audiobooks in 2011, and has become very popular due to the realistic portrayal talents of the voice actor. Cary later went on to voice other works of Iceberg Slim, includingLong White Con,Trick Baby,andAirtight Willie and Me.

Film adaptations

Slim's first novel,Trick Baby,was adapted asan eponymous 1972 moviedirected byLarry Yustand producedindependentlyfor $600,000, with a cast of unknowns.Universal Picturesacquired the film for $1,000,000 and released it in 1973 to a considerable amount of Iceberg Slim fanfare; the movie grossed $11,000,000 at the US box office.The New York Timespraised the film for its depiction of race relations and the friendship between two con men, set "in the grimier reaches of Philadelphia".

In 2006, independent film producers Dave Mortelland David Harbacquired the film rights to produce a film adaptation ofMama Black Widow.In 2008Mos Defwas contacted to play the character of Papa TilsonalongsideRihanna(in what would have been her acting debut in a feature film at the time),Kerry WashingtonandMacy Gray.

In 2009, television executive producerRob Weiss,of theHBOshowEntourage,andMitch Davispurchased the film rights to produce a screen adaptation ofPimp.

Personal life

After his release from prison in 1961, Beck met Betty Shue, who became his common-law wife and the mother of his three daughters (Melody, Misty and Camille) and one son (Leon) while he was working as an insecticide salesman. Shue encouraged Beck to write his life story and helped him write drafts.

Beck married Diane Millman Beck in 1982.

Death

According to Beck's widow, Diane Millman Beck, Beck's final years were plagued by financial worries and deteriorating health. Beck suffered fromdiabetesand became increasingly reclusive. He died fromliver failureon April 30, 1992, aged 73.In 2005, Diane Millman Beck and Beck's three daughters from his previous relationship, Melody, Misty and Camille, filed suit against Holloway House for back payment of royalties. They claimed in their suit that Robert Beck died penniless.

Influence

Scottish authorIrvine Welshsaid: "Iceberg Slim did for the pimp whatJean Genetdid for the homosexual and thief andWilliam Burroughsdid for the junkie: he articulated the thoughts and feelings of someone who had been there. "

Academia

Welsh adds that a course atHarvard UniversityfeaturedPimpas a "transgressive novel".

Comedy

• In his specialThe Bird Revelation,comedianDave Chappelleused the life of Iceberg Slim and the world of his bookPimpas a parable for his experience in show business.
• Eddie Murphy's character Velvet Jones, fromSaturday Night Live,has been described as a spoof of Iceberg Slim.

Films

• In 1970, incarcerated Bay Area pimp Robert Poole was influenced by Beck'sPimpwhile writing a screenplay about his life,The Mack and His Pack.The film was released under the titleThe Mack(1973), starringMax JulienandRichard Pryor.
• Ice-Tproduced the documentaryIceberg Slim: Portrait of a Pimp(2012), told through talking-head admirers,includingChris Rock,Snoop Dogg,Ice-T,Henry Rollins,Quincy Jones,and others. The film was directed by Jorge Hinojosa and premiered at theToronto International Film Festivalon September 8, 2012.

Literature

• AuthorDonald Goinesacknowledged the strong influence of Beck'sPimpwhen he created hisurban fictionset in a black milieu. Goines was also published by Bentley Morris of Holloway House.
• Peter A. Muckley publishedIceberg Slim: The Life as Art(2003), a critical study of the fiction of Iceberg Slim.

Music

Slim is an important influence onhip-hopartists. For example:

• Many of the current musical references to pimp culture, for example in the work ofSnoop DoggandToo Short,can be traced back to Iceberg Slim.
• Iceberg Slim's last book,Doom Fox(written in 1978 but not published until 1998), contains an introduction written by Ice-T.
• Spiceberg Slim is a moniker and the eighth studio album (released in 2002) by American rapper Spice 1.
• OnXiu Xiu's albumFabulous Muscles,the title track is subtitled "(Mama Black Widow Version)".
• Australian rock bandDoomfoxxadopted their name from the novelDoom Fox.
• Killer Mikementions having read Robert Beck on a 2024 track Bussin Bricks Intro.

Bibliography

Iceberg Slim's writings include both fiction and nonfiction:

• Pimp: The Story of My Life(1967, Holloway House), memoir
• Trick Baby: The Biography of a Con Man(1967, Holloway House), novel
• Mama Black Widow: A Story of the South's Black Underworld(1969, Holloway House), novel
• The Naked Soul of Iceberg Slim: Robert Beck's Real Story(1971, Holloway House), autobiography
• Long White Con: The Biggest Score of His Life(1977, Holloway House), novel
• Death Wish: A Story of the Mafia(1977, Holloway House), novel
• Airtight Willie & Me(1985, Holloway House), story collection
• Doom Fox(written 1978, published posthumously 1998), novel
• Shetani's Sister(published posthumously 2015), novel
• Night Train to Sugar Hill(Contra Mundum Press, 2019), Slim's final novel

See also

• African-American literature

Further reading

• Nishikawa, Kinohi. "The Player: Iceberg Slim and the Allure of the Street." InSticking it to the Man: Revolution and Counterculture in Pulp and Popular Fiction, 1950-1980.Andrew Nette and Iain McIntyre, editors. Oakland, California: PM Press, 2020.ISBN9781629635248.pages 85–93.

External links

• 1968 TV interview with Iceberg SlimonYouTube
• 1966 Joe Pyne radio interview with Iceberg SlimonYouTube