UGK - Ridin’ Dirty

How does music spread the way it does?
No matter where or how it’s made, good music almost always transcends (”almost” because labels and lawyers really can put a project in the dirt). I think this is probably the simplest explanation for why UGK was able to achieve such huge success. How does that saying go?

“What’s done in the dark comes to the light”

No matter how much UGK, Texas, or the South was being slept on in the 90’s, Bun B and Pimp C’s dedication to creating “Country Rap Tunes” that truthfully reflected a lifestyle they knew, could not be overlooked or drowned out. Between Pimp’s drum tight production, an vocal styling and Bun B’s cold-as-fuck flow and technical rhyme schemes , there was no way that they’d go unheard for long.

UGK had already gained recognition from their first 3 releases (The Southern Way, Too Hard To Swallow, Supertight), but the real stunner (for me at least) came in the form of their album,  Ridin’ Dirty.  The album was released in 1996 on Jive records without a single or a music video. Then again, why would UGK ever have needed a single or a video. The album was cosigned by the late great innovator DJ Screw, who worked with them to put together a screwed and chopped mixtape which was released before the album. 

Honestly, UGK, and screw should have gotten the endorsements back then that they get today. Every song on the radio seems to have something or other “screwed” whether it’s a hook, intro, or catch phrase of the day. As for UGK, Even in lockup and death (R.I.P.) Pimp C was making guest appearances on some pretty insane and unlikely tracks, while Bun B still manages to astound with the variety of artists he works with.

The bottom line is that this album is a certified classic, that covers the full emotional spectrum. Anything you can feel that’s real is depicted here. The things your proud to feel, and the things that your ashamed to feel and think. It’s all here, laid out simply, truthfully and in a way that will forever set UGK apart and above the standard storytelling  and rhyme spitting of this genre. There are so many ways to get the album now, but I’d recommend going for the traditional format, here.