Honestly speaking, Texas rap duo UGK releases their albums not really often. But even despite that fact that during the period of 1992-2001 UGK have promulgated only four full-fledged studio albums they managed to achieve an iconic status in the world of rap music. Bum B and Pump C sounded like worldly-wise old masters even on their first album To Hard To Swallow, which is considered as one of the most influential record of southern hardcore, needless to say how good were their following works. But news from UGK's camp appear extremely seldom. In the beginning of their career it was normal for them to release one album in two years, then they disappeared for five long years, released their recent album Dirty Money in 2001 and vanished from the sight again. But this circumstances failed to burry UGK, instead, while Pimp C was serving a four years sentence in prison, the south states became rap's dominant region and Bun B was doing his best to keep the band's name alive by making numerous guest appearances on songs by other artists, with every appearance either mentioning Pimp C or featuring a "Free Pimp C!" or "Free the Pimp" calls. UGK managed to maintain both their influential status and their rap mastery therefore today when Pump C is free UGK has no obstacle to release their new album.
Putting aside UGK's very first record released in 1992, available only on audiocassettes, their new work Underground Kingz is the fifth album in their discography. And it seems like Pump C and Bun B decided to fill a six years gap at full possible scale and recorded 26 songs. The album features a whole bunch of guest stars comprised mostly of respectable representatives of old school who have been starting their ways together with UGK in late 80’s-early 90's. For example, Quit Hatin' The South – a song which is anticipated to cause more friction between Dirty South rappers and East Coast rappers – you can hear Geto Boys' Willie D. Outkast appears on the album's single Int'L Players Anthem (I Choose You) and Jazze Pha raps on Stop-N-Go. However, southern fellows are not the only ones who attack the microphone here, track called Next Up, for instance, features two legendary New Yorkers Big Daddy Kane and Kool G Rap. Despite such abundance of rap veterans who furiously fight for the principles of old school the album sounds sufficiently up-to-date – the production work was done on the highest possible level, although the stylistic of arrangements is basically soaked with funk and soul tunefulness.
In fact, Underground Kingz sounds like an album one could expect from UGK. If you always loved this band than the record will hardly disappoint you. Most of the songs sound lazy and relaxed, beat leaves the borders of mid tempo quite rarely and arrangements feature funky guitar and very tuneful bass. In a word, all the trademark traits of UGK are put together including Pump C and Bum B’s famous vocal dichotomy, when one raps in a didactically low voice and the other corresponds in a high-pitched, cheeky-snuffling tone. The tracks where Pump C and Bun B go without outside assistance are concentrated in the first half of the album. Swichas And Dosha, The Game Belongs To Me, Underground Kingz – are great songs and probably the most valuable here because Pump C and Bun B sound just like they should sound. Unfortunately the album doesn't really differ from other rap releases of the last decade in the sense of subject matter. Everything spins around street life, drugs, guns and other things of this kind. 26 tracks spent on a discussion of these questions – a bit too much. However there is nothing to complain about, Underground Kingz is the band's first album for the last six years and for all that it noticeably towers over the overwhelming majority of this year's rap albums.
