Ugk Underground Kingz CD

Personnel: Danny Schofield "Styles" (vocals, keyboards); Thomasha Simmons (vocals); Scarface (guitar, keyboards); Craig Love, Rick Marcel, Joshua "Trumpet Solo" Lopez, Joel Kitnis, Victor Williamson (guitar); N.O. Joe (piano, organ, keyboards, drum programming); Kenneth Crouch (piano, organ, keyboards); Ced Keyz International (keyboards).
Audio Mixers: DJ B Doe; Phillip Ramos; Anthony Palazzole; Sean Brennan; Gary Fly; Kori Anders; Averexx; Geoff Rice; Bob Brown ; Travis Pochintesta; Tony Rey; Jonathon "Lil' Jon" Smith; N.O. Joe; Paul Gregory; Rich Keller; Rich Tapper; Leslie Brathwaite; Cory Mo; Brian Stanley .
Photographers: Clay Patrick McBride; Edgar L. Walker Jr.
Long before Houston rap came to define the sound of the Dirty South, UGK (the Underground Kingz), along with the Geto Boys, were holdin' it down strong for H-Town. While the duo of Bun B and Pimp C never achieved major cross-over success--spitting woozy gangsta tales a few too many years before mainstream radio was prepared for them--they gained a loyal fanbase and the respect of their fellow MCs (chief among them Jay-Z, who featured UGK on his classic track "Big Pimpin'").
After a brief separation marked by prison time for Pimp C and solo albums by both, UGK came back strong on UNDERGROUND KINGZ, a sprawling dripped-and-draped Dirty South block-rocker. A veritable who's-who from across the entire hip-hop spectrum pay their respects here, including Talib Kweli, Dizzee Rascal, Three 6 Mafia, T.I., and Big Daddy Kane. While glittery guest lists are a dime a dozen in hip-hop, the breadth and diversity of those on board here is proof positive that everybody wants to be down with the Kingz.
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 ifSpin (p.96) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "'Still Ridin' Dirty,' which samples the ominous piano chords from Scarface's 'The Fix,' is a deliciously cold-blooded anthem."
Entertainment Weekly (p.69) - "On the raunchy 'Like That' and the funk-driven 'The Game Belongs to Me,' UGK show enough swagger to rightfully claim their throne." -- Grade: B+
The Wire (p.75) - "It wouldn't be too much of a stretch to compare Houston's UGK to Outcast..."