UGK

• Genre: Texas/ H-Town
• UGK Website

About

Also known as UGK, the Underground Kingz came out of Port Arthur, Texas, in the early 1990s. Comprised of Pimp C and Bun B, they released two EPs on the independent label Big Tyme that were loaded with supremely funky production and charismatic rhymes mostly focused on the crack cocaine trade. In 1992, they signed to Jive and dropped their major label debut, Too Hard to Swallow. Two more LPs, Super Tight and the classic Ridin' Dirty, came out in the '90s, and the duo essentially owned the South. In 2000, they hit the mainstream, teaming up with Jay-Z for his smash hit "Big Pimpin'." More popular than ever, UGK released Dirty Money the following year, and then Side Hustles in 2002. Their career was derailed that year when Pimp C was incarcerated for flashing a gun; he was released in 2005. In 2007, the group released its acclaimed comeback disk, Underground Kingz, but later that year, Pimp C died in a hotel room in Los Angeles. With his passing, hip-hop lost one of its most beloved figures. In 2009, the group released UGK 4 Life. Like every UGK record, it's wonderful.

- Sam Chennault