Speaking with HipHopDX recently, Bun B spoke about the upcoming and final UGK album 4 Life, coming March 31st on Jive Records [click to read].
In honor of the project, Bun spoke about his proudest verse from Pimp C, his late partner in the 15-plus year old group. The verse, “My Angel” [click to read], came courtesy of 2004’s Free Pimp C: The Sweet James Jones Stories, the producer and rapper’s solo debut on Rap-A-Lot Records. “‘[My] Angel’ was a song that he wrote about his mom and his grandmother and his girl. It’s honestly the most sincere gangster record you’ve ever heard in your life. I say that because…gangstas love they mama too. Gangstas love they woman. Gangstas love they children. And gangstas aren’t afraid to tell the people that they love that they love them, that they cherish them and that they care for them.“
Bun highlighted the significance in saying, “I thought it was very telling that he was able to do this record. And it was not just my favorite, but a lot of people’s favorite. A lot of people feel that way, but they’re not really sure about how to express that. I think that records like that make it a lot easier for the brother that considers himself hardcore, rough and tough and impenetrable, to understand that it’s okay to be real with certain people. A lot of times in life, especially in the streets and in the rougher side of the world, you’re told not to expose anything to anybody. But everybody has to break down and give it up to somebody.“
Reacting, Bun summarized in saying, “I love the fact that he was able to let people know that in your life, you don’t have to die, be sick or go to Heaven to see an angel. A lot of the times, angels are walking amongst us right now.”
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Bun then spoke on this album’s production was carried out without Pimp C there behind the boards. “With the overall sound in my hands and the person that normally constructed everything not being around, I was very lucky in the fact that with the last album [Underground Kingz] [click to read], as well as the songs recorded going into this album, Pimp had not been doing the sole production. He had been trying, actually, to pass a lot of the production responsibilities off to a young team of producers that he was putting together.” Port Aurthur’s AVEREXX and DJ B-DO, Dallas’ Steve Below and famed Houston underground rap veteran producer Cory Mo.
These were trusted sound sources to UGK. “Those are the people I went to. Steve Below for example, is a 10 year apprentice of Pimp C‘s,” said Bun. “He’s been around for the last three albums, literally in the studio with us. He knew exactly what it was to set it up. [The same is true] of Cory Mo. Cory has been a friend and recording partner for well over seven years now,” he said of producer who worked with Z-Ro, The Geto Boys and Devin The Dude previously. “It was just a matter of getting people who knew what this album was supposed to sound like, but also capable of making it sound like that, getting them involved. A lot of these tracks were tracks that Pimp had made, already structured, set up, and Pimp had already laid vocals [to]. It was just about finishing everything up.”
UGK‘s 4 Life releases March 31.
