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UGK
UGK (short for Underground Kingz) was an American hip-hop duo from Port Arthur, Texas, formed in 1987, by Mitchell "Big Mitch" Queen and Chad "Pimp C" Butler. Big Mitch later left the group to pursue a football career, and was replaced with Bernard "Bun B" Freeman although Big Mitch still made 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 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 also featured on hit singles by several other artists, such as "Big Pimpin'" by Jay-Z and "Sippin' on Some Syrup" by Three 6 Mafia. Pimp C founded UGK Records in late 2005. The duo ended following Pimp C's death on December 4, 2007.
Originally from Port Arthur, Texas, UGK members Pimp and Bun were from the same town as Janis Joplin and Robert Rauschenberg. 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 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 and meaty soul".
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 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, he started synthesizing beats to rap over after receiving a drum machine 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-snare formula also known as boom bap, building on this by replacing the drum sound specifically with the Roland TR-808 and supplementing the cymbals with mainly the hi-hats, which added another important rhythmic layer to the whole thing..
In 1992, UGK was signed to Jive Records 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. 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 Jay-Z's smash hit "Big Pimpin'" and also appeared on Three 6 Mafia's hit "Sippin' on Some Syrup". Both of these collaborations greatly increased their reputation, and helped fuel anticipation for their next project [citation needed]. Jive Records 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.
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UGK
UGK (short for Underground Kingz) was an American hip-hop duo from Port Arthur, Texas, formed in 1987, by Mitchell "Big Mitch" Queen and Chad "Pimp C" Butler. Big Mitch later left the group to pursue a football career, and was replaced with Bernard "Bun B" Freeman although Big Mitch still made 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 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 also featured on hit singles by several other artists, such as "Big Pimpin'" by Jay-Z and "Sippin' on Some Syrup" by Three 6 Mafia. Pimp C founded UGK Records in late 2005. The duo ended following Pimp C's death on December 4, 2007.
Originally from Port Arthur, Texas, UGK members Pimp and Bun were from the same town as Janis Joplin and Robert Rauschenberg. 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 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 and meaty soul".
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 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, he started synthesizing beats to rap over after receiving a drum machine 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-snare formula also known as boom bap, building on this by replacing the drum sound specifically with the Roland TR-808 and supplementing the cymbals with mainly the hi-hats, which added another important rhythmic layer to the whole thing..
In 1992, UGK was signed to Jive Records 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. 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 Jay-Z's smash hit "Big Pimpin'" and also appeared on Three 6 Mafia's hit "Sippin' on Some Syrup". Both of these collaborations greatly increased their reputation, and helped fuel anticipation for their next project [citation needed]. Jive Records 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.