globalhiphopbattles.com

Byron Amos (right) and Pimp C

​Circulating the hip-hop rags is a thought-provoking story about how Byron Amos, former vice-president of UGK Records, lost the Atlanta Federation of Teachers' support in his bid to sit on the Atlanta Public Schools Board of Education because of his affiliation with the label.

"Hip-hop is unfairly held to a different standard where the mainstream is able to separate the actor from the character in movies," Amos responded in a statement. "They don't to the same thing for hip-hop. Art imitates life, good, bad and indifferent.

The subculture of hip-hop and R&B and the reality that it represents cannot be ignored. That is the real life to many people and I have the vantage point of being on both sides of the equation and have gained invaluable experiences that I will be able to use to help move a people that have been overlooked, underestimated, and thrown to the side because of the culture they've adapted.

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​As Rocks Off continues our countdown of UGK's Most Insightful Tracks, it's important to point out that this isn't a "best of" list. Perhaps this is a safer route, but it doesn't make the list any less important. Especially as we break into the Top 5, the joking in Part 1 subsides and things get serious. We begin to venture into the most emotional and inspiring tracks in UGK's catalogue.

To catch you up, last Friday, we released rankings six through 10.

10. "Da Game Been Good To Me"
9. "Swishas and Dosha"
8. "Ain't That a Bitch"
7. "Purse Comes First"
6. "Hi Life"

Let's finish strong. UGK's Top 10 Most Insightful Tracks, Pt. 2.

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blastro.com

​There's a big difference between being a fanatic and fan of someone's music. We all know this, but let's spell it out for the slow kids in class. For instance, Rocks Off is a fanatic of Death Cab for Cutie. We love their deep cuts as much as the widely known "Soul Meets Body."

We have their entire catalogue and listen to it intently all the time, counting down the days to their concert in Houston. We burn CDs for people, who don't listen to their stuff and force it down their throats. Fanatic.

Now with Big K.R.I.T, we have a measly five of his most popular tracks in our iTunes. We're a fan. We like him, but are far from being a fanatic.

Rocks Off considers ourselves UGK fanatics. A few points that qualify us:

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djomry.com

"R.I.P. Pimp C" may be easier said than done if this court case drags on.

​When Rocks Off heard last week that the late Pimp C had released a new song, "Grippin' on the Wood," and that a new Pimp album was on the way next month, it sent our antennae up. As happy as we were to hear new Pimp material - and "Wood," featuring Bun B and Big K.R.I.T., is a good one - it made us wonder exactly who is in charge of putting it out there.

Turns out we're not the only ones.

The day after "Wood" leaked to the Internet, an attorney for Pimp's widow, Chinara Butler, faxed the attorney for his record label, Rap-a-Lot Records, a letter asserting that Mrs. Butler has domain over anything Pimp-related. The letter demanded that "as of today, you are to stop, cease and desist any activities with respect to Pimp C."

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smokingsection.uproxx.com

​It's not quite up to Tupac-level proportions yet, but UGK keeps pouring out that prime Southern rap unencumbered by Pimp C's untimely December 2007 demise.

The latest track, leaked by the Smoking Section this morning, is the expertly sculpted ode to steering wheels "Grippin' On the Wood," featuring the Port Arthur duo's Mississippian associate/acolyte Big K.R.I.T.

We'll let Pimp take it from here: "Grippin' on the wood, grippin on the wood, every fuckin' day a young nigga live good/ Got a pocket full of cheese, yella on my dick/ Every fuckin' day I'm on some pimped-out shit."

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Some rappers happen to be thoughtful, intelligent people. Every Monday that isn't a national holiday Rocks Off will have some of them here discussing issues relevant to their culture.

Photo illustration by John Seaborn Gray

​This Week's Panel: Bun B, Trae,Yung Redd, Lil' Flip, Fat Pimp, H-Kane, Preemo, Scooby, GT Mayne, C-Stone, TV Johnny, Fat Tony, Young Sensation, Nique from the G.R.I.T. Boys

Not Invited: The city of Atlanta, because it's not a part of the South. Oh, and Lil' Troy. He wasn't invited either.

This Week's Prompt: The track listing for Pimp C's forthcoming album came out last week, as did the first leak ("What Up," feat. Bun B and Drake). So, in honor of his Trillness: What is the best Pimp C verse of all time and why?

Bun B: "Cocaine In The Back Of The Ride" to me. The first words anyone heard from UGK: "Pimp C, bitch! So what the fuck is up?"

Trae: "Swang" or "Get Throwed" remix. I say "Swang." It's a lot with that song, with Pimp and H.A.W.K.

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If you woke up this morning wishing for a Pimp C/Drake collaboration, then consider this your lucky day. You should also go ahead and play the mega-lottery while you're at it.

Why, yes, the paths of Chad Butler and Aubrey Graham have finally crossed on "What Up," the lead cut from Pimp's forthcoming LP The Naked Soul of Sweet Jones that leaked to the Internet earlier today - by Bun B himself as a celebration of accumulating 50,000 Twitter followers, as it turns out.

In his signature raw and uncompromising style, Pimp C warns against the power of punani, his voice glistening against the backdrop of Boi-1da's dense instrumentation.

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Welcome back to Five Spot. Every Friday, we'll examine a recent bit of music news and, albeit sometimes awkwardly, tie it to a bit of Houston rap. It's five videos and occasional cussing. Send tips to introducingliston@gmail.com.

​Today marks the two-year anniversary of Pimp C's death.

Quick aside: We first mentioned this in a recent Artist of the Week interview, but doesn't it feel like "anniversary" is the wrong word to use here? Isn't there something a little more appropriate? Anniversaries are for happy moments. Remembering that somebody died about 50 years too early doesn't seem like it should qualify. Unless we're talking about Jon Gosselin. But whatever.

Today, the first annual Pimp C Hip-Hop and Health and Wellness Fair, founded by his widow Chinara Butler, will be held out in Port Arthur in his remembrance. More details here.

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Has it really been a year already? Indeed it has: On December 4, 2007, Port Arthur-born MC and producer Pimp C was found dead in his Hollywood hotel room; the Los Angeles County Coroner listed the cause as a combination of sleep apnea and accidental overdose of codeine-containing cough syrup. To say things haven't been the same without him would be a massive understatement.

Tonight on KPFT's "Damage Control" (90.1 FM, 12-3 a.m.), Pimp's former UGK partner Bun B and HoustonSoReal/AustinSurreal blogman Matt Sonzala will join host DJ Chill for a three-hour tribute to the late Southern rap icon. Stream the show at kpft.org. - Chris Gray

 

If the verdict from Pimp C’s autopsy leaves you with more questions than answers you are not alone. Matt Sonzala still has his doubts.

He writes:

“Two months later, on Feb. 4, the L.A. County Coroner's Office concluded that Pimp C's death was the result of sleep apnea combined with prescription-strength cough syrup found in his system. Why did it take two months to reach this conclusion? The bottle was in his room and he had already been diagnosed with sleep apnea years earlier.

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