UGK Albums (8)
What The Critics Say
Five months before Pimp C died, it seemed UGK emptied the vaults with their two-CD Underground Kingz release, but UGK 4 Life proves the group was on the creative upswing right up to their unfortunate end. Feeling planned and fully formed rather than cobbled together, the album is filled with the usual high-quality hooks, the same stone-cold bravado, and the Pimp's always amusing, highly developed love of sleaze. Highlights include the furious "Still on the Grind" which looks towards a blinged-out future that would never be, plus the slithering "Everybody Wanna Ball" which brings fine reminders of the group's classic "Pocket Full of Stones." The unity felt on "The Pimp & the Bun" is now heartwarming and so very bittersweet, and while "Da Game Been Good to Me" looks a lot like the last album's "The Game Belongs to Me" -- especially with Avarexx on both cuts -- it's an entirely new single that places with their best work. The fascinating ying and yang of UGK is best illustrated by the Pimp's unmentionable track with Lil Boosie and Webbie -- one his most filthy and fun numbers ever -- and the poignant outro where Bun gives fans a proper nod but can't quite bring himself to close the book on the group. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
When UGK member Pimp C was released from prison in late 2005, his anxiousness to get the group back in the game after three years off was obvious. Combine this with his partner Bun B's loyalty to UGK -- he begrudgingly released a great solo album in September of 2005, just to keep the brand going -- and it sure seemed like the late-2006 street date announced for their comeback effort was more likely to be pushed up than pushed back. Then Pimp C released a solo album and the group's promised double CD with too many guest stars to mention was pushed back for the first of many times, which often means "unruly mess." Underground Kingz, the album, is a glorious triumph over all these challenges that earns its two-disc sprawl, and while it can't turn back time, the missed street dates were a small price to pay for something so solid. The guest list is a case of "real recognize real" and UGK themselves have lost none of their skills, with Bun B being the stone cold soldier he always was while the Pimp stirs it up verbally and doubles as the main, hook-loving producer of the album. He shares duties with the legendary Scarface (three tracks including the highlight "Candy"), Jazze Pha (the surprising, minimal success "Stop-n-Go"), plus Juicy J and DJ Paul, who craft a soulful backing track that's as big and grand as the UGK/OutKast collabo it supports. Almost stealing the show is Averexx, who gives "The Game Belongs to Me" a proper slide, although it's hard to go wrong with a chorus as good as "I got Bobby by the pound/Whitney by the key/DJ Screw by the gallon/B*tch the game belongs to me." Now Pimp C used a Bobby and Whitney metaphor on his solo album and a couple remixes of "Int'l Players Anthem (I Choose You)" could be considered borderline filler, but the double-disc ride doesn't feel redundant till the songs read "bonus track." Strategically dropping the hard street tracks among the club numbers helps, as do a couple steps outside the duo's comfort zone, the most notable being "Two Type of B******," featuring U.K. garage rapper Dizzee Rascal. At the center of this is all is the undeniable chemistry between Pimp C and Bun B. Both strong on their own, there's that certain something when they get together, a something complementary and extraordinary. Time to stop worrying if the reunited UGK will be nearly as good as they were -- save 1996's Ridin' Dirty, they're better -- and time to start wondering how they'll top this one. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
'Jive Records Presents: UGK Chopped and Screwed'
Release Date 12/7/2004
Tracks 12
Label Jive
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
DJ 007 from the well-revered Chop Shop crew handles the chopping and screwing on this hallucinatory collection of UGK's best. He uses an old Chop Shop trick to great effect on the collection: start things off mildly and get a little freakier with each progressive track. By the time "Take It Off" comes on, tempos are crawling, making the already low bass of the original tracks shake the foundations. The poppy party track "Belts to Match" gets a wicked turntable scratch treatment, while the low rumble of "Pimpin' Ain't No Illusion" will surely wake the neighbors. That a Chop Shop-affiliated release would be this good is no surprise to the screwed and chopped faithful, but that such a mindbender is released by Jive -- the home of Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys -- is downright shocking. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Five years passed between 1996's Ridin' Dirty and 2001's Dirty Money, and in rap, that is an eternity. Rap tastes can easily change from one year to the next, which is why a lot of talented MCs have watched their popularity fade after only two or three albums. At any rate, Dirty Money has no problem picking up where Ridin' Dirty left off; UGK's lyrics are as decadent as ever. In the '90s, the Texas duo epitomized the Dirty South school of rap, and this 2001 release indicates that Pimp C and his partner aren't about to tone down their off-color approach; UGK's music is still a totally unapologetic celebration of promiscuous sex, marijuana, money, and jewelry. In other words, it is exactly the type of album that critics of hardcore rap love to hate. None of the lyrics on Dirty Money are groundbreaking -- the album's subject matter has been covered time and time again by West Coast gangsta rappers and G-funksters as well as UGK's Texas, Georgia, Tennessee, and Louisiana colleagues in the Dirty South arena. But while UGK's themes were never innovative, the Texans have usually had interesting ways of getting their points across, and that holds true on Dirty Money. The Texans still have clever ways of delivering their sex/money/jewelry/drugs mantra. Another thing that makes the CD memorable is the production; UGK's sleek, keyboard-driven tracks are, for the most part, as interesting as their Texas-fried rapping style. Dirty Money falls short of superb, but those who aren't offended by explicit lyrics will find it to be an enjoyable, entertaining slice of Dirty South rap that is good for some cheap thrills. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
UGK's third album, Ridin' Dirty, is their first to be released by a major label, which gives you some sort of indication of how far the group has gone in four short years. In that span of time, UGK scaled to the top of the small but vicious hip-hop scene in the Southern United States, creating a distinctive gangsta hybrid in the process. UGK is just as hedonistic and materialistic as those rappers out on the West Coast, but they don't infuse their music with the deep funk of the Cali scene, nor do they revel in the buoyant bass of their Miami brethren. Instead, they take a more stripped-down approach, which is all the better to hear their celebrations of money, drugs, women -- all of the typical gangsta accessories. If UGK doesn't really have something new to say, at least they have come up with an engaging way to say it -- the sound of their record is vibrant and direct, bringing you right into the thick of things. It's not exceptional gangsta rap, but it is entertaining. ~ Leo Stanley, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
UGK's third release smoothed out some of the rough edges of their earlier efforts without even coming close to selling out, something that not only landed them in the Billboard 200 album chart for the first time but solidified their status as the leaders of Texas hip-hop. Well aware they were going to earn a new audience with the album, Super Tight... reprises one of Too Hard to Swallow's best tracks as "Pocket Full of Stones, Pt. 2" and adds an anthem for the duo with "Underground," a track that marries a George Clinton-styled chorus with stone-cold rhymes. The Bun B showcase "Feds in Town" is the fondly remembered gangsta track of the album, "Front, Back & Side to Side" gave both Mike Jones and Paul Wall their blueprints for success ten years later, and Pimp C's slow and funky beats reached maturity right here, but if there's one reason UGK arrived with Super Tight..., it's "It's Supposed to Bubble." The snide swagger so key to the duo is captured in two lines -- "It's Dom Perignon/It's supposed to bubble" -- as laid-back funk, deep bass, and jazzy guitar loops all come together in perfect harmony. It's the sound of UGK finding the perfect formula to take Texas hip-hop to another level, two years before their next album, Ridin' Dirty, would make them the undisputed champions of Lone Star rap. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Truth in advertising, Too Hard to Swallow is UGK before they got funked up, grinding over some minimal, hard beats that aren't as complementary to their delivery as the smoother production they would later favor. Still, thanks to members Bun B and Pimp C's ability to write memorable rhymes, the album -- which repeats some tracks from their impossible to find indie release The Southern Way -- is a winner with three mammoth singles so important to the UGK story. "Something Good" puts a crooked beat under Rufus' most popular number, "Use Me Up" tells its pissed-off tale over a Bill Withers sample, and "Pocket Full of Stones" is a classic tale of crack rocks, Cadillacs, and making bail. The mucho macho "Cramping My Style" is a fan favorite with "hump and dump" lyrics that didn't really play nice with radio, and the snide "I'm So Bad" is a great example of how well Pimp C can offend and amuse at the same time. While most will prefer the Kingz' later sound, this is some fans' favorite album thanks to its unforgiving punch and visceral, controversial, cop-killer lyrics. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
