There is nothing more disappointing to a hip-hop fan than when a seasoned artist succumbs to a fad and releases an album so distant from their style that the only appropriate response upon hearing it, is to vomit from the windows to the wall, till the sweat drops down ... well, you get it.
This is what I half-expected of UGK’s double-disc and sixth-original album, “Underground Kingz.” From the first track, “Swishas and Dosha,” I was proven wrong. Bun B and the recently freed Pimp C pumped out their signature smooth beats, bluesy choruses and thuggish lyrics, all delivered in the calmest manner known to gangster rap.
However, we have more MCs than just Bun B and Pimp C to thank for this record’s moments of Zen. “International Players Anthem,” produced by Three 6 Mafia featuring Outkast, is probably hip-hop’s best collaborative effort so far this year. Unfortunately it will never see the light of radio due to Andre 3000’s unorthodox but impressive opening verse.
The cameos continued with rappers of all genres, including Too Short, Scarface, Talib Kweli, Slim Thug, Rick Ross, TI and more. UGK even brought in British rapper Dizzee Rascal.
The variety of featured artists reflects one of the larger themes of this record. As articulated in “Quit Hatin’ The South,” UGK sends a clear message that rap can be from anywhere as long as it sounds good and the lyrics are legit. In addition to this, UGK turns its insightfulness towards the past and wonders whether gangster rap was the right path for them to follow. Of course it was! As a result of their melancholic musing, we get songs like “How Long Can It Last,” “Shattered Dreams” and “Living This Life,” which are reminiscent of “One Day” from UGK’s 1996 album, “Ridin’ Dirty.”
Filled to the brim with cocaine, pimpin’, cars and hard knocks some might say that “Underground Kingz” is a dime a dozen these days. And, to a certain extent, that’s true. Yes, hip-hop is over saturated with bling, narcotics, “hoes,” and ridiculous bass lines. But what the cynics forget is that UGK helped create the southern gangster rap wagon that everyone has recently jumped on. What else would you expect from a group Mike Watts, founder of SwishaHouse Records, called the “foundation of today’s southern style,” and Lil’ Wayne acknowledges as his inspiration?
They have lived the life their lyrics describe, and it is evident in the originality of their style, the rap sheet of Pimp C, and on tracks like “Living This Life,” which express a transformation of their psyche: from pure thug to gangsters with heart. Simply put, UGK has created another rap album that many will emulate and most will fall far short of achieving.
So if you’re looking for a way to spruce up your underground image as you drive around in your Ford Focus this semester, pick up “Underground Kingz,” and pop it in the CD player. Clean instrumentals candy coated with sincere stories from Houston’s underworld cement a rap enlightenment your crappy family sedan belies. And if that ain’t enough, at least you can get a complimentary UGK Records air freshener.
— Chris Piel
