''Underground Kingz'' is the fifth studio album by American hip hop duo UGK. The album was released on August 7, 2007, by

Jive Records Jive Records was an American independent record label founded by Clive Calder in 1981 as a subsidiary to the Zomba Group. In the US, the label had offices in New York City and Chicago. Jive was best known for its successes with hip hop, R&B, ...

. The album includes collaborations with

Z-RO Joseph Wayne McVey IV (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 ...

, T.I.,

Talib Kweli Talib Kweli Greene (; born October 3, 1975) is an American rapper. He earned recognition early on through his collaboration with fellow Brooklyn rapper Mos Def in 1997, when they formed the group Black Star. Kweli's musical career continued with ...

Rick Ross William Leonard Roberts II (born January 28, 1976), known professionally as Rick Ross, is an American rapper. Prior to releasing his debut single, "Hustlin'", in 2006, Ross was the subject of a bidding war, receiving offers from Diddy's Bad ...

Jazze Pha Phalon Anton Alexander, (born April 15, 1974), professionally known as Jazze Pha ( ), is an American record producer, singer, songwriter and rapper from Memphis, Tennessee. He is the founder and chief executive officer of Sho'nuff Records, to wh ...

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 from Queens, New York City. He began his career in the mid-1980s as one half of the group Kool G Rap & DJ Polo and a ...

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

Slim Thug Stayve Jerome Thomas (born September 8, 1980), better known by his stage name Slim Thug, is an American rapper. He initially gained mainstream attention for his contribution to the hit single by rapper Mike Jones, " Still Tippin'". In July 2005, ...

Dizzee Rascal Dylan Kwabena Mills (born 18 September 1984), better known by his stage name Dizzee Rascal, is a British MC and rapper. A pioneer of grime music, his work has also incorporated elements of UK garage, bassline, British hip hop, and R&B. D ...

Too Short Todd Anthony Shaw (born April 28, 1966), better known by the stage name Too Short (stylized as Too $hort), is an American rapper and record producer. He became famous in the West Coast hip hop scene in the late 1980s, with lyrics often based on ...

, Charlie Wilson, Middle Fingaz, Outkast,

Three 6 Mafia Three 6 Mafia is an American Hip hop music, hip hop group from Memphis, Tennessee, formed in 1991. Emerging as a horror-themed underground hip hop group, they would eventually go on to enjoy mainstream success. The group's 1995 debut album ''Mys ...

, and many more. Production mainly came from

Pimp C Chad Lamont Butler (December 29, 1973 – December 4, 2007), better known by his stage name Pimp C, was an American rapper and record producer. He was best known for his work with Bun B as one half of the hip-hop duo Underground Kingz (UGK). S ...

, N.O. Joe,

Lil Jon Jonathan H. Smith (born January 17, 1971) better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American rapper, producer and former frontman of the rap group Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz. He was instrumental in the emergence of the hip hop subgenre cr ...

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

DJ Paul Paul Duane Beauregard (born January 12, 1977), better known by his stage name DJ Paul, is an American DJ, record producer, and rapper from Memphis, Tennessee. He is a founding member of hip hop group Three 6 Mafia and uncle of the late rapper ...

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 i ...

, Scarface and

Marley Marl Marlon 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 housing projects ...

. The first single was believed to be "Stop-N-Go", but it was confirmed that the first single was "The Game Belongs To Me", produced by N.O. Joe. The second single was " Int'l Players Anthem (I Choose You)" featuring OutKast, and the video was released on

106 and Park ''106 & Park'' is an American hip hop and R&B music video show, set up in a countdown format, that was broadcast on weekdays at 6:00 pm ET/5:00 pm CT on BET; it aired on a one-day delay on BET International. It was the network's highest- rated ...

, June 16, 2007. The track is a remix of "Players Anthem" featuring

(both versions were produced by

and

). The video was awarded Video of the Year at the 2008 annual BET Hip-Hop awards. The song was nominated for the

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. This song was number 10 on ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

s list of the 100 Best Songs of 2007, and reached number 70 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, making it their only song to chart there. Pitchfork Media's "Top 500 songs of the 2000s" listed the song at number 43. The album debuted number 1 on the ''Billboard'' 200 with 160,000 copies sold in its first week. It was their first album since Pimp C had finished serving a lengthy prison term. The album was also Pimp C's final performance before his death on December 4, 2007, in Los Angeles, California, four months after the album's release. As of 2011, it has sold 500,000 copies.

Track listing

Credits adapted from liner notes.UGK - Underground Kingz. UGK Records/Jive/Zomba Label Group. 88697-08863-2B ;Samples *"Swishas and Dosha" contains a sample of "From Step to You" by Stephen J. Rideau. *"Int'l Players Anthem (I Choose You)" contains samples of "I Choose You" by

Willie Hutch William McKinley Hutchison (December 6, 1944 – September 19, 2005), better known as Willie Hutch, was an American singer, songwriter as well as a record producer and recording artist for the Motown record label during the 1970s and 1980s. Biog ...

and "I Choose You" by

Project Pat Patrick Earl Houston (born February 8, 1973), better known by his stage name Project Pat, is an American rapper from Memphis, Tennessee. He is the older brother of Juicy J, the co-founder of Three 6 Mafia. Houston was formerly a member of hip h ...

. *"Chrome Plated Woman" contains a sample of "Hercules" by

Allen Toussaint Allen Richard Toussaint (; January 14, 1938 – November 10, 2015) was an American musician, songwriter, arranger and record producer. He was an influential figure in New Orleans rhythm and blues from the 1950s to the end of the century, descri ...

. *"Life Is 2009" contains a sample of "Life is... Too Short" by

. *"Grind Hard" contains a sample of "Cocaine In The Back of the Ride" by UGK. *"Quit Hatin' the South" contains a sample of "Let's Straighten It Out" by Benny Latimore. *"Trill Niggas Don't Die" contains a sample of "

I Just Want to Celebrate "I Just Want to Celebrate" is a song recorded by American rock band Rare Earth. It was the lead single on their 1971 album '' One World'' and was the band's fifth single overall. Personnel *Peter Rivera – lead vocals and backing vocals, drum ...

" by Nick Zesses & Dino Fekaris. *"How Long Can It Last" contains a sample of "Something in the Past" by One Way. *"Still Ridin' Dirty" contains a sample of "The Fix" by Scarface. *"Two Type of Bitches" contains a sample of "Daddy Could Swear, I Declare" by

Gladys Knight & The Pips Gladys Knight & the Pips were an American R&B, soul and funk family music group from Atlanta, Georgia, that remained active on the music charts and performing circuit for over three decades starting from the early 1950s. Starting out as simply ...

. *"Real Women" contains a sample of "Can't Hide Love" by

Earth, Wind, & Fire Earth, Wind & Fire (EW&F or EWF) is an American band whose music spans the genres of jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, big band, Latin, and Afro pop. They are among the best-selling bands of all time, with sales of over 90 million re ...

. *"Candy" contains a sample of "Bridge Thru Time" by

Lonnie Liston Smith Lonnie Liston Smith Jr. (born December 28, 1940) is an American jazz, soul, and funk musician who played with such jazz artists as Pharoah Sanders and Miles Davis before forming Lonnie Liston Smith and the Cosmic Echoes, recording a number of ...

. *"Shattered Dreams" contains a sample of "Goin' Thru School and Love" by

Raydio Raydio is an American funk and R&B vocal group formed in 1977 by Ray Parker Jr., with Vincent Bonham, Jerry Knight, and Arnell Carmichael. Career 1970s and Raydio After securing a record deal, the group scored their first big hit in early 1978 ...

. *"Next Up" contains a sample of "The Symphony" by

Juice Crew The Juice Crew was an American hip hop collective made up largely of Queensbridge, New York-based artists in the mid-to-late 1980s. Founded by radio DJ Mr. Magic, and housed by Tyrone Williams' record label Cold Chillin' Records, the Juice Cre ...

. *"Living This Life" contains samples of "Free" by

Goodie Mob Goodie Mob is an American hip hop group based in Atlanta, Georgia, consisting of CeeLo Green, Khujo, T-Mo, and Big Gipp. History The group was formed in 1991 by Cameron " Big Gipp" Gipp, Willie "Khujo" Knighton Jr., CeeLo Green (born Tho ...

and "Free at Last" by

Al Green Albert Leornes Greene (born April 13, 1946), better known as Al Green, is an American singer, songwriter, pastor and record producer best known for recording a series of soul hit singles in the early 1970s, including " Take Me to the River", ...

. *"Hit the Block" contains a sample of " Spit Your Game (Remix)" by

The Notorious B.I.G. Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in East Coast hip hop and particularly gangsta ...

Chart positions

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{Authority control 2007 albums UGK albums Jive Records albums Albums produced by Swizz Beatz Albums produced by Jazze Pha Albums produced by the Runners Albums produced by Marley Marl Albums produced by Lil Jon Albums produced by K-Def Albums produced by N.O. Joe Albums produced by DJ Paul Albums produced by Juicy J