UGK (short for Underground Kingz) was an American

hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...

duo from

Port Arthur, Texas Port Arthur is a city in the state of Texas, United States of America, located east of metro Houston. Part of the Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan area, the city lies primarily in Jefferson County, with a small extension in Orange County. ...

, formed in 1987, by Mitchell "Big Mitch" Queen who would eventually leave the group to pursue a football career and Chad "Pimp C" Butler with Bernard "Bun B" Freeman replacing Big Mitch who would still make guest appearances on UGK songs. They released their first major-label album, '' Too Hard to Swallow'', in 1992, followed by several other albums charting on the ''Billboard'' 200 and

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip-hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Luminate. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated January 30, ...

charts, including the self-titled '' Underground Kingz'' album, which contained their single " International Players Anthem (I Choose You)" and debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200, in August 2007. The duo has also been featured on hit singles by several other artists, such as " Big Pimpin'" by

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American Rapping, rapper, businessman, and record executive. Rooted in East Coast hip-hop, he was named Billboard and Vibe's 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time, the ...

and " Sippin' on Some Syrup" by

Three 6 Mafia Three 6 Mafia is an American hip-hop group from Memphis, Tennessee, formed in 1991. Emerging as a horror-themed underground hip-hop group, they went on to enjoy mainstream success. The group's 1995 debut album ''Mystic Stylez'' became an influen ...

. Pimp C founded UGK Records in late 2005. On December 4, 2007, Pimp C died in his

West Hollywood, California West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. History Most historical writing ...

hotel room.

Background

Originally from Port Arthur, Texas UGK members Pimp and Bun were from the same town as

Janis Joplin Janis Lyn Joplin (January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970) was an American singer and songwriter. One of the most iconic and successful Rock music, rock performers of her era, she was noted for her powerful mezzo-soprano vocals and her "electric" ...

and

Robert Rauschenberg Milton Ernest "Robert" or "Bob" Rauschenberg (October 22, 1925 – May 12, 2008) was an American painter and graphic artist whose early works anticipated the Pop art movement. Rauschenberg is well known for his Combine painting, Combines (1954� ...

. Though the town of 60,000 has a significant African American population, it was not known for its rap scene. They called themselves "Underground Kingz" because their

country rap Country rap (also called country hip-hop, country hick-hop, and sometimes hick-hop) is a fusion genre of popular music, mixing country music with hip-hop–style singing or rapping. History Prototypes Early influences on the emergence of count ...

style was so full of "slang and twang" they thought it was inaccessible for outsiders. UGK blended "deep bluesy texures, triumphant church organs, thick

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...

and meaty

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

". Bun's rap style was described as a "speeding-train delivery" with lyrics that "feel sanded-down and coated by heavy lacquer". Born Bernard Freeman, his childhood nickname "Bunny" was shortened to Bun. Pimp, or Chad Butler, is the son of a trumpet player and has had an interest in music since childhood: "I come from a classical background, I came up singing Italian sonnets, Negro spirituals, and shit of that nature." Even before studying

musical notation Musical notation is any system used to visually represent music. Systems of notation generally represent the elements of a piece of music that are considered important for its performance in the context of a given musical tradition. The proce ...

in school he learned to play many instruments by ear including piano, trumpet, drums and flugelhorn. His vocal style is of a "high-voiced, unstable and provocateur, as likely to slap your face as to sing you a love song". Influenced by

Run-DMC Run-DMC (also formatted Run-D.M.C., RUN DMC, or some combination thereof) was an American hip-hop group formed in Hollis, Queens, New York City in 1983 by Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, and Jason Mizell. Run-DMC is regarded as one of the mos ...

, he started synthesizing beats to rap over after receiving a

drum machine A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument that creates percussion sounds, drum beats, and patterns. Drum machines may imitate drum kits or other percussion instruments, or produce unique sounds, such as synthesized electronic tones. A d ...

and keyboard one Christmas. Following the advice of Pimp's stepfather to "put some music in that shit", Pimp decided to move beyond Run-DMC's

kick A kick is a physical strike using the leg, in unison usually with an area of the knee or lower using the foot, heel, tibia (shin), ball of the foot, blade of the foot, toes or knee (the latter is also known as a knee strike). This type of ...

snare SNARE proteins – "Soluble NSF attachment protein, SNAP REceptors" – are a large protein family consisting of at least 24 members in yeasts and more than 60 members in mammalian and plant cells. The primary role of SNARE proteins is to m ...

formula also known as boom bap, building on this by replacing the

drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a ...

sound In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the br ...

specifically with the

Roland TR-808 The Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer, commonly known as the 808, is a drum machine manufactured by Roland Corporation between 1980 and 1983. It was one of the first drum machines to allow users to program rhythms instead of using preset patterns. ...

and supplementing the

cymbals A cymbal is a common percussion instrument. Often used in pairs, cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys. The majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs sou ...

with mainly the hi-hats, which added another important rhythmic layer to the whole thing..

Career and recordings

In 1992, UGK was signed to

Jive Records Jive Records (later stylized as JIVE Records) was a British-American independent record label founded by Clive Calder in 1981 as a subsidiary of the Zomba Group of Companies, Zomba Group. In the US, the label had offices in New York City and Chic ...

under a five-album contract, releasing their major-label debut album '' Too Hard to Swallow''. While it featured several new recordings, it also featured several songs that had been culled from ''The Southern Way''. However, several songs that had been intended to be included on the album were excised at the last minute, apparently due to their overly explicit content. Five of these songs would surface two months before the release of ''Too Hard to Swallow'', on an EP distributed by Bigtyme Recordz; appropriately enough, the EP was titled ''Banned''. A popular song from the album, "Pocket Full of Stones", was also included on the ''Menace II Society'' soundtrack in 1993. Their second album, '' Super Tight'', was released two years later, on August 30. Unlike their previous album, ''Super Tight'' managed to break into the ''Billboard'' 200 and ultimately peaked at #95; their third album, '' Ridin' Dirty'', peaked at number 15. UGK Billboard Album Chart Positions

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

. Accessed December 9, 2007 ''Ridin' Dirty'' would also be UGK's last album for the time being, as they went on a five-year hiatus not long afterward. The year 2000 became a breakthrough year for the group. UGK made a high-profile guest appearance on

's smash hit " Big Pimpin'" and also appeared on

's hit " Sippin' on Some Syrup". Both of these collaborations greatly increased their reputation, and helped fuel anticipation for their next project .

failed to capitalize on this new-found interest in the duo, as their fourth album, 2001's '' Dirty Money'', came and went with little fanfare. Further problems arose when Pimp C was incarcerated for an aggravated gun assault charge in 2002.Harris, Chris
UGK's Pimp C To Be Released From Prison Within A Month

MTV News MTV News was the news production division of MTV. The service was available in the US with localized versions on MTV's global network and an online news team. In 2016, MTV refreshed the MTV News brand to compete with the likes of BuzzFeed and ...

: December 6, 2005. Throughout the time of his incarceration, Bun B carried on the UGK name by making numerous guest appearances on songs by other artists, with every appearance either mentioning Pimp C or featuring a "Free Pimp C!" or "Free the Pimp" chant. Many of UGK's peers did the same, and mentioned Pimp C in their own songs with or without Bun B. During this period,

released a ''Best of UGK'' album, as well as a Chopped & Screwed remix album. As a result of Pimp C's incarceration, both members of UGK began solo careers out of necessity. Rap-A-Lot Records released Pimp C's solo debut, '' Sweet James Jones Stories'', on March 1, 2005. Bun B later released his own solo foray, ''

Trill TRILL (Transparent Interconnection of Lots of Links) is a networking protocol for optimizing bandwidth and resilience in Ethernet networks, implemented by devices called TRILL switches. TRILL combines techniques from bridging and routing, and ...

'', on October 18, 2005. It opened at number 6 on the ''Billboard'' 200, and also peaked at number 1 on ''Billboard''s

chart. On December 30, 2005, Pimp C was released from prison and was to be on parole until December 2009. He released his first post-incarceration album, titled '' Pimpalation'', on July 25, 2006. On August 7, 2007, the group released their fifth studio album, the self-titled '' Underground Kingz''. It was a double album, containing 26 tracks and spanning two discs.Jeffries, David. Underground Kingz

: 2007 Featured guests included

Talib Kweli Talib Kweli Greene (; born October 3, 1975) is an American rapper. He first earned recognition through his collaboration with fellow Brooklyn rapper Mos Def (now known as Yasiin Bey) in 1997, when they formed the group Black Star. Kweli's music ...

Too Short Todd Anthony Shaw (born April 28, 1966), better known by his stage name Too Short (stylized as Too $hort), is an American rapper. A pioneer of West Coast hip-hop, Shaw was among the first acts to receive recognition in the genre during the late ...

Rick Ross William Leonard Roberts II (born January 28, 1976), known professionally as Rick Ross, is an American rapper. An influential figure in modern Hip-hop, hip hop music, Rick Ross has become known for his "Wiktionary:booming, booming" vocal perfor ...

Z-RO Joseph Wayne McVey (born January 19, 1977), better known by his stage names Z-Ro and the Mo City Don, is an American rapper from Houston, Texas. He was named one of America's most underrated rappers by ''The New York Times'' in 2007. Early life ...

Slim Thug Stayve Jerome Thomas (born September 8, 1979), better known by his stage name Slim Thug, is an American rapper. He gained mainstream attention for his guest performance alongside Paul Wall on Mike Jones' 2004 single "Still Tippin'". The followi ...

OutKast Outkast (sometimes written as OutKast) was an American hip-hop duo formed in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1992, consisting of Big Boi (Antwan Patton) and André 3000 (André Benjamin, formerly known as Dré). Widely regarded as one of the greatest an ...

, as well as hip-hop legends

Kool G Rap Nathaniel Thomas Wilson (born July 20, 1968), better known by his stage name Kool G Rap (or simply G Rap), is an American rapper. He began his career in the mid-1980s as one half of the group Kool G Rap & DJ Polo and as a member of the Juice Cr ...

and

Big Daddy Kane Antonio Hardy (born September 10, 1968), better known by his stage name Big Daddy Kane, is an American Rapping, rapper, producer and actor who began his career in 1986 as a member of the Juice Crew. He is widely regarded as one of the most influe ...

on a

Marley Marl Marlon Lu'Ree Williams (born September 30, 1962), better known by his stage name Marley Marl, is an American DJ, record producer, rapper and record label founder, primarily operating in hip hop music. Marlon grew up in Queensbridge Houses, Queen ...

-produced track titled "Next Up". The album also featured

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

rapper

Dizzee Rascal Dylan Kwabena Mills (born 18 September 1984), known professionally as Dizzee Rascal, is a British rapper and MC. He is often credited as a pioneer of British hip hop and grime music and was ranked by ''Complex'' as one of the greatest British ...

on the track "Two Types of Bitches", following UGK's guest appearance in Rascal's own album '' Maths + English'' for the track "Where's Da G's". The album featured production by DJ Paul &

Juicy J Jordan Michael Houston III (born April 5, 1975), known professionally as Juicy J, is an American rapper and record producer. Originally from Memphis, Tennessee, he is a founding member of the Southern hip-hop group Three 6 Mafia, established ...

Jazze Pha Phalon Anton Alexander, known professionally as Jazze Pha ( ), is an American record producer, rapper, singer and songwriter. He founded the record label Sho'nuff Records in 1995, through which he signed R&B singer Ciara in 2003. He produced h ...

Swizz Beatz Kasseem Daoud Dean (born September 13, 1978), known professionally as Swizz Beatz, is an American rapper and record producer. Born and raised in the Bronx borough of New York City, Dean embarked on his musical career as a DJ in 1994. At the age ...

, The Runners,

Lil Jon Jonathan H. Smith (born January 17, 1971), better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American rapper, DJ, and record producer. Regarded as a progenitor of the club-oriented hip-hop subgenre crunk, his production and voice presence were inst ...

, fellow Texas legend Scarface, and Pimp C. DJ Paul and

produced the second single, " International Player's Anthem (I Choose You)". The album got a positive reception, both commercially and critically. It received a 4-star rating from AllMusic, and reached number 1 on the ''Billboard'' 200 albums chart. " International Player's Anthem (I Choose You)" became the group's only single to chart on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 pop charts, where it peaked at number 70.

2007–2009: Death of Pimp C and breakup

On December 4, 2007, Pimp C was found dead at the Mondrian Hotel in

, after

Los Angeles County Fire Department The Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACoFD) provides firefighting and emergency medical services for the unincorporated parts of Los Angeles County, California, as well as 59 cities through Contract city, contracting, including the city of ...

responded to a 9-1-1 call. They arrived to his sixth-floor hotel room to find him dead in bed. This was three days after he performed with

at the

House of Blues House of Blues is an American chain of live music concert halls and restaurants. It was founded by Isaac Tigrett, the co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, and Dan Aykroyd, co-star of the 1980 film ''The Blues Brothers (film), The Blues Brothers''. The ...

in Los Angeles. Bun B was interviewed a few days later by radio DJ Madd Hatta, and an audio recording has been posted online. In 2008, Bun B stated in an interview that there would be one last UGK album released, before he permanently becomes a solo act: "Yea, we’re still putting together this last UGK record too, because there’s a lot of music that we’ve already recorded for it," said Bun B. "I think that album itself is going to be a little bit weird." '' UGK 4 Life'' was released in 2009.

Style and influences

Bun B said that they grew up listening to the Geto Boys, Eric B and Rakim,

N.W.A N.W.A (an abbreviation for Niggaz Wit Attitudes) was an American hip-hop group formed in Compton, California in 1987. Among the earliest and most significant figures of the gangsta rap subgenre, the group is widely considered one of the great ...

and

A Tribe Called Quest A Tribe Called Quest was an American Hip hop music, hip hop group formed in Queens, New York City, in 1985,Q-Tip< ...

. UGK (most notably Pimp C) has also influenced other rappers such as

Big Boi Antwan André Patton (born February 1, 1975), known professionally as Big Boi, is an American rapper and record producer. Born in Savannah, Georgia, and raised in Atlanta, he was one half of the Southern hip-hop duo Outkast along with rapper ...

Boosie Badazz Torence Ivy Hatch Jr. (born November 14, 1982), better known by his stage name Boosie BadAzz or simply Boosie (formerly Lil' Boosie), is an American rapper. Hatch began rapping in the 1990s as a member of the Southern hip hop collective Concentr ...

and

Paul Wall Paul Michael Slayton (born March 11, 1981), better known by his stage name Paul Wall, or the Ice Man, is an American rapper and DJ. He has spent much of his career affiliated with Swishahouse, and has released several albums under the label and ...

Discography

Studio albums *'' Too Hard to Swallow'' (1992) *'' Super Tight'' (1994) *'' Ridin' Dirty'' (1996) *'' Dirty Money'' (2001) *'' Underground Kingz'' (2007) *'' UGK 4 Life'' (2009)

Awards

, - , colspan="4" align="center" style="background:#FAEB86" ,

BET Awards The BET Awards are an American award show that was established in 2001 by the BET, Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate Black person, Black entertainers and other minorities in music, film, sports and philanthropy. The awards, which ...

, - , rowspan="2" style="background:#FAEB86" , 2008 , , "International Players Anthem" , , Video of the Year , , , - , UGK , , Best Group , , , - , colspan="4" align="center" style="background:#FAEB86" ,

BET Hip Hop Awards The BET Hip Hop Awards are an annual awards show, airing on BET, showcasing hip hop performers, producers and music video directors. The awards ceremony began in 2006; it was held on November 12, 2006 at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta and was first ...

, - , rowspan="2" style="background:#FAEB86" , 2007 , , rowspan="2" , "International Players Anthem" , , Best Collabo, Duo or Group , , , - , Best Hip Hop Video , , , - , colspan="4" align="center" style="background:#FAEB86" ,

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

s , - , style="background:#FAEB86" , 2001 , , " Big Pimpin'" , , rowspan="2" , Best Rap Performance By a Duo or Group , , , - , style="background:#FAEB86" , 2008 , , " International Players Anthem" , , , - , colspan="4" align="center" style="background:#FAEB86" , Ozone Awards , - , style="background:#FAEB86" , 2006 , , rowspan="2" , UGK , , Legend Award , , , - , rowspan="3" style="background:#FAEB86" , 2008 , , Best Group , , , - , "International Players Anthem" , , Best Video , , , - , ''Underground Kingz'' , , Best Album , ,

References

External links

UGK Website (Jive Records)
{{Authority control African-American musical groups American hip-hop duos Musical duos from Texas Musical groups disestablished in 2007 Musical groups established in 1987 Southern hip-hop groups 1987 establishments in Texas