Pimp C

UGK co-founder Pimp C was a highly respected rapper and producer who merged hip-hop and soul to create music that was authentic, raw, and unapologetically Southern. • Growing up in Port Arthur, Texas, Pimp C played the trumpet, following in the footsteps of his father, a professional musician who performed with soul great Solomon Burke. • When Pimp C began making hip-hop beats, his stepfather—who was also his music teacher—told him to put melody in the music. He took that advice to heart. • Pimp C started UGK—short for Underground Kingz—with his best friend Bun B in 1987. • UGK released their debut album, Too Hard to Swallow, in 1992. Their 1996 third album, Ridin’ Dirty, reached the Top 20 of the Billboard 200 and went gold. • In 1999, Pimp C and UGK got a major look by guesting on JAY-Z’s 1999 platinum single “Big Pimpin’.” Pimp C was initially reluctant to appear on the track out of loyalty to 2Pac, who’d beefed with Hova. • Pimp C’s solo debut, 2005’s Sweet James Jones Stories, dropped while he was finishing a prison sentence. His sophomore effort, 2006’s Pimpalation, earned a gold plaque. • The Texas icon died on December 4, 2007, from complications related to sleep apnea and a drug overdose involving codeine and promethazine. • Released just four months before Pimp C’s death, UGK’s Underground Kingz album topped the charts on the heels of their celebrated OutKast collaboration “Int’l Players Anthem.” • Pimp C influenced scores of rappers, including A$AP Rocky, Big K.R.I.T., Drake, and Megan Thee Stallion, whose “Tina Snow” alias nods to Pimp C’s “Tony Snow” nickname.