Todd Anthony Shaw, better known by the stage name Too Short, is an American rapper and record producer. Too Short became famous in the West Coast hip hop scene in the late 80s, with lyrics often based on pimping and promiscuity, but also drug culture and street survival. The latter, in songs such as "The Ghetto" and the former, in songs such as "Blow the Whistle".
UGK was an American hip hop duo from Port Arthur, Texas, formed in 1987, by Chad "Pimp C" Butler and Bernard "Bun B" Freeman. They released their first major-label album Too Hard to Swallow, in 1992, followed by several other albums charting on the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts, including the self-titled Underground Kingz album, which contained their single "International Players Anthem " and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, in August 2007. The duo has also been featured on hit singles by several other artists, such as "Big Pimpin'" by Jay-Z and "Sippin' on Some Syrup" by Three 6 Mafia. Pimp C founded UGK Records in late 2005. On December 4, 2007, Pimp C died in his West Hollywood, California hotel room.
8Ball & MJG is an American hip hop duo from Memphis, Tennessee. The two rappers met at Ridgeway Middle School in 1984. In 1993, the duo released their debut album Comin' Out Hard. They went on to release On the Outside Looking In (1994), On Top of the World (1995), In Our Lifetime (1999), Space Age 4 Eva (2000), Living Legends (2004), Ridin' High (2007) and Ten Toes Down (2010).
Chad Lamont Butler, better known by his stage name Pimp C, was an American rapper and record producer. He was best known for his work with Bun B as a founding member of the Underground Kingz (UGK).
Bernard James Freeman, known professionally as Bun B, is an American rapper and actor. He is best known as one half of the southern rap duo UGK, a group he formed in 1987 alongside Pimp C. Aside from his work with UGK, Bun B has released five solo albums, including 2010's Trill OG, which received the rare 5-mic rating from The Source.
Dejuan Walker, better known by his stage name Suga Free, is an American rapper and pimp from Pomona, California.
Danyel Robinson, better known by his stage name Dru Down is an American rapper and actor from Oakland, California. He is currently a member of The Regime, a collective of rappers that includes Yukmouth, Tech N9ne, Messy Marv, BG Bulletwound, Dorasel, Grant Rice, and Tha Realest.
Do or Die is an American rap trio originally from the East Garfield Park neighborhood on the West Side of Chicago, consisting of Belo Zero, N.A.R.D. and AK. The group experienced mainstream success with the platinum single "Po Pimp", which peaked at #22 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Vincenzo Luvineri, better known as Vinnie Paz, is a Sicilian American rapper and the lyricist behind the Philadelphia underground hip hop group Jedi Mind Tricks. He is also the frontman of the hip hop collective Army of the Pharaohs.
"Big Pimpin'" is the third and final single from rapper Jay-Z's fourth album Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter. Iconic Southern hip hop group UGK is featured. Timbaland produced the song.
Melvin Lewis Calhoun Jr., better known by his stage name Kutt Calhoun, is an American rapper and business executive from Kansas City, Missouri. After getting his start in the late 1990s underground rap scene of Kansas City, he subsequently signed to Strange Music when the label was founded in 1999. Calhoun released his debut album B.L.E.V.E. in 2004, and his 2007 sophomore album Feature Presentation debuted at number 60 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Calhoun's third album, Raw and Un-Kutt, made its debut at number 162 on the Billboard 200 chart in its first week of release, as well as charting at No. 19 on the Top Heatseekers chart.
UGK 4 Life is the sixth and final studio album by American hip hop duo UGK. The album was released on March 31, 2009, by Jive Records and Epic Records. This is also the first posthumous album for Pimp C.
Slaughterhouse was a hip hop supergroup consisting of rappers Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz, Kxng Crooked and Royce da 5'9". They released two studio albums as a group, the independent Slaughterhouse and the Shady Records/Interscope-backed Welcome to: Our House.
Trill OG is the third solo studio album by UGK member Bun B. It is the third album in his Trill series, and the title itself is a homophonic variation of the word trilogy. The album was released under Universal Music Group after Bun B left Warner Music Group's Asylum Records. The album was released August 3, 2010 on Rap-a-Lot Records and Fontana Distribution. On August 4, 2010, The Source magazine gave Trill OG its rare 5 mic rating.
Pimpin' on Wax is the debut album by rapper, JT Money. It was released on May 25, 1999 through Priority Records and was produced by Christoper Stewart, Dallas Austin and Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs. The album was met with success, peaking at 28 on the Billboard 200 and 8 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, but it was the single "Who Dat" featuring rapper Solé that gained the most success, it made it to 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, 2 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks and 1 on the Hot Rap Tracks. "Who Dat" was certified gold on September 30, 1999.
The Naked Soul of Sweet Jones is the third solo studio album by American rapper Pimp C. It was released through Rap-A-Lot Records on October 5, 2010, making it his first posthumous solo release. The album features guest appearances from Bun B, Da Underdawgz, BankRoll Jonez, Bub, Chamillionaire, Cory Mo, Drake, E-40, Hezeleo, Ivory P., Jazze Pha, J-Dawg, Lil' Boosie, Rick Ross, Slim Thug, The Gator Mane, Too $hort, Webbie and Young Jeezy.
Fear of God II: Let Us Pray is the major record label debut and extended play by American rapper Pusha T, released on November 8, 2011, under G.O.O.D. Music. The EP was his first project with Kanye West's GOOD Music label, since the announcement of his signing in September 2010. Pusha T claims his inspiration for Fear of God is that a vast majority of the people who he came in the music business with are in prison: "I came in the game with super producers. We made hit records. I never thought that it gets deeper. But not for nothing, 2009 I lost eight of my friends to incarceration. Everybody that I came in to the rap game with, and when I realized that those components weren't there anymore, the 'Fear of God' really came over me. It's full of the dichotomy of 'right and wrong' and 'good and evil'. A lot of it deals with greed. A lot of it deals with instant gratification. Personally... life without instant gratification... I don't know what it is."
This article summarizes the events, album releases, and album release dates in hip hop music for the year 2012.
Trill OG: The Epilogue is the fourth studio album by American rapper Bun B. The album was released on November 11, 2013, by Rap-A-Lot Records and distributed by RED Distribution. The album features guest appearances from Big K.R.I.T., Lil' O, Pimp C, Rick Ross, 2 Chainz, Raekwon, Kobe, Royce da 5'9", Z-Ro, Big Hawk, Lil Boosie, E.S.G., Redman, Kirko Bangz, Devin the Dude, Max Frost, Trae tha Truth, C-Note, Serani and Gator Main.
The Beauty of Independence is the first extended play (EP) by American hip hop group G-Unit. It was released for digital download on August 25, 2014 and includes six previously unreleased songs.
