UGK (short for Underground Kingz) was an American hip hop duo from Port Arthur, Texas, formed in 1987 by Chad "Pimp C" Butler (1973-2007) and Bernard "Bun B" Freeman (born 1973).
After their independent EP The Southern Way became an underground hit, UGK caught the attention of Jive Records, who signed them to a five-album contract. The duo released their major-label debut album Too Hard to Swallow in 1992, which featured included many remixed versions of songs from The Southern Way, removing samples the label thought would be too expensive to clear on a brand new act. A popular song from the album, "Pocket Full of Stones," was included on the Menace II Society soundtrack in 1993.
Several songs that had been intended to be included on the album were excised at the last minute, allegedly due to their overly explicit content. Five of them surfaced on an EP appropriately titled Banned.
Their sophomore album Super Tight was released two years later. Unlike their debut album, it managed to break into the Billboard Hot 200, ultimately peaking peaked at #95. Ridin' Dirty followed in 1996, peaking at #15. In spite of having no singles or music videos, it is their most critically acclaimed and best-selling album.
The year 2000 was a breakthrough year for UGK, with high-profile guest appearances on Jay-Z's smash hit "Big Pimpin" and Three 6 Mafia's "Sippin' on Some Syrup." Both of these collaborations increased their reputation outside of the south and helped fuel anticipation for their next project. Jive Records failed to capitalize on this new-found interest in the duo, as their long-delayed fourth album, 2001's Dirty Money, came and went with little fanfare.
Further problems arose when Pimp C was incarcerated for an aggravated assault charge in 2002. Forced to start a solo career, Bun B carried on the UGK name by making numerous guest appearances on songs by other artists. He released his debut solo album Trill on October 18, 2005, which debuted at #6 on the Billboard Hot 200 and peaked at #1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Album chart. Earlier that year, Rap-a-Lot Records also compiled several of Pimp C's recordings to create his unofficial solo debut Sweet James Jones Stories on March 1, 2005.
On December 30, 2005, Pimp C was released from prison and was to be set on parole until December 2009. He released his first post-incarceration project Pimpalation on July 25, 2006, which he viewed as a compilation of collaborations with other artists.
On August 7, 2007, the group released their their self-titled double album Underground Kingz. It received a positive reception both commercially and critically, garnering a four-star rating from Allmusic and reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot 200 album charts. "Int"l Player's Anthem (I Choose You)" became the group's only single to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 pop charts, peaking at #70.
On December 4, 2007, Pimp C was found dead at the Mondrian Hotel in West Hollywood, California, after Los Angeles County Fire Department responded to a 911 call. The Los Angeles County coroner later ruled his death an accidental overdose from Promethazine/Codeine syrup combined with sleep apnea.
A final album followed in 2009, UGK 4 Life, which had mostly been completed before Pimp C's death. Bun B has since continued with his solo career, and multiple posthumous Pimp C albums have been released.
Discography:
Extended Plays- The Southern Way (1992)
- Banned (1992)
Studio Albums
- Too Hard To Swallow (1992)
- Super Tight (1994)
- Ridin' Dirty (1996)
- Dirty Money (2001)
- Underground Kingz (2007)
- UGK 4 Life (2009)
Compilations
- Lost Tracks (2002)
- Side Hustles (2002)
- UGK Chopped & Screwed (2004)
- The Bigtyme Way (2014)
Tropin' Dirty:
- The Ace: Not only was Pimp C a rapper, but he produced many of the duo's songs, sang several hooks, and played live instruments.
- Addiction Song: "Stone Junkee"
- All Just a Dream: The ending of Pimp C's very intense story on "Feels Like I'm the One Who's Doing Dope."
- Anti-Police Song: "Protect & Serve"
- Boastful Rap: Not uncommon, with "Wood Wheel" and "The Game Belongs to Me" being notable examples.
- Bookworm: Pimp C claims to have read four libraries wirth of books on "Living This Life."
- Bowdlerise: For the clean version of their album "Ridin Dirty", rather than just cencering the curse words the usual way, they recorded new lines in their place. The vinyl version of the album, called "Ridin Clean", also featured one exclusive song, "You Don't Know Me Fool".
- Canon Discontinuity: In the intro to the first posthumous Pimp C album, he states that he didn't consider either of his two credited solo projects from his lifetime, Sweet James Jones Stories and Pimpalation, to be proper solo albums.
- Car Song: UGK is a Trope Codifier for these in Southern hip-hop. There’s "Chrome Plated Woman”, “Front, Back, and Side to Side”, and “Diamonds and Wood” among others.
- Catchphrase: Pimp C's signature phrase was "smoke somethin.'"
- Cluster F-Bomb: As expected from rappers. Special mention goes to the original version of "Somethin' Good", right off the bat:One, muthafucka, two, muthafucka, three, muthafucka, four...
- Driving Song: "Front, Back & Side to Side" is about driving around in a car with hydraulics.
- Exactly What It Says on the Tin: "Three Sixteens" is a song composed of three 16-bar verses.
- Gangsta Rap: Mostly Blue Collar, but definitely veering into Hardcore.
- It Can't Be Helped: "One Day" is about the inevitability of death.
- Letters 2 Numbers: The final album UGK 4 Life.
- Mood Whiplash:
- André 3000's verse about getting married on "Int'l Players Anthem" is immediately followed by Pimp C rapping about being a player.
- On Underground Kingz, the misogynistic "Two Types of Bitches" is followed by "Real Women," which treats women much better.
- Murder Ballad: The appropriately titled "Murder," though it contains more threats than actual violence.
- Obfuscating Stupidity: Pimp C states that he tries to hide his intelligence on "Living This Life."
- Portmanteau: Pimpalation is short for "Pimp C Compilation."
- Posthumous Collaboration: Death hasn't stopped Pimp C guest verses from popping up in new music.
- Rags to Riches: "Pocket Full of Stones" is a rather dark example.
- Reconcile the Bitter Foes: Pimp C's solo song "Knockin' Down Doors" name drops several southern rappers who had beef with each other and told them to cut it out.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: Pimp C was the red to Bun B's blue.
- Riches to Rags: Pimp C warns of the dangers of taking success for granted in "Da Game Been Good To Me."
- Sequel Song: "Still Ridin' Dirty" and "Pocket Full Of Stones Pt. 2".
- Solo Side Project: Subverted. Bun B didn't want to be a solo artist, but had no other choice while Pimp C was in jail.
- Title-Only Chorus: Their early work tended to have more simpke choruses. "Cocaine In the Back of the Ride" is a notable example played straight.
- Trope Namer: They coined the term "country rap tunes" to refer to their highly regional style which featured prominent blues, gospel, and Southern soul elements and emphasized their Texas drawls. Ironically, they had little actual country influence.
