Another taste of Bun’s Trill O.G.: The Epilogue, dropping Tuesday.

Juicy J brings two Southern legends together for the “Show Out” remix, one from beyond the grave.

First single from Pimp C’s Still Pimpin’… One sheet with cover and tracklist above.

LISTEN: Pimp C – “Grippin’ On The Wood” (feat. Bun B & Big K.R.I.T.)

Hollywood & Mon Like Deez caught up with The Trill OG Bun B @ Ransom in Toronto for the launch party of his Ransom collaboration shirt. Bun discusses teaching hip hop at Rice University, not having a stereo system at home, Pimp C and more.

At the beginning of The Naked Soul Of Sweet Jones, Pimp C states “My first solo album, bitch. I ain’t never had one before. They dropped that other shit while I was in the penitentiary…. I got out and dropped that comp on they ass and fucked them up….this is Pimp C starring in the Naked Soul of Sweet Jones“. He refers to his first two solo albums, Sweet Jones Stories and it’s follow up, Pimpalation, neither of which he considers his debut solo LP. Passing away in 2007, he would never see – or finish – what would ultimately be that LP.

These words are hauntingly professed on “Down For Mine”, the album opener which finds Pimp in his element, crooning falsetto over a classic 70′s break (also used for this track), setting up the album nicely. “What Up” follows, with Boi 1da utilizing more vintage soul samples, as Drake helps animate the track with his colorful delivery and UGK partner Bun B adds his own verse to solidify things. The sticky funk of “Love To Ball” is also classic Pimp C, as he crafts a Cadillac anthem with Chamillionaire riding shotgun. Even the overused Jazze Pha sounds refreshing here on “Fly Lady”, while E-40 completely steals the show on the we-been-doing-this anthem, “Since The 90′s”.

While all of these tracks are Pimp C at his core, the album gradually loses it’s soul as it progresses, trading dusty samples for keyboard synth and his usual overly done live instrumentation. Much of the rest of the LP gets drowned out in guest appearance driven tracks from the usual suspects, covering the same topics over and over again. It doesn’t get more ignorant than “Dickies” (feat. Bun B & Young Jeezy) (“got my dickies on hoe, got my dickies on hoe”, and repeat), that is, unless you count “Made For Me”, where he and Too Short discuss the existence and duties of vagina. Rick Ross and Slim Thug appear together on the forgettable “Midnight”, while already expired Webbie and Lil’ Boosie deliver their usual dosage of hood hop with “Hit The Parking Lot”.

The overabundance of guest appearances, filling in the spaces where Pimp couldn’t be make this sound more like Pimpilation 2 than a glimpse at Pimp C’s naked soul. Ultimately, superfans of Pimp can get every last bit of his philosophies through any three of his non-albums, this one included.  But truly, his legacy lies with UGK, best exemplified in it’s humble beginnings with “Pocket Full of Stones”, all the way up through UGK For Life. Long live Pimp C.

From C’s The Naked Soul Of Sweet Jones, in stores now. Produced by Cory Mo.

Pimp C’s forthcoming LP The Naked Soul of Sweet Jones drops on October 5th. In the meantime enjoy the fresh single featuring Fizzle Fizzle himsizzle.

Pimp C feat. Jazze Pha – “Fly Lady” (MP3)

First single from Pimp C’s final album, The Naked Soul of Sweet Jones, due October 5th. Where have we seen that cover image before?

With Bun B’s Trill O.G. dropping this week, we thought we’d take a look back at this promo item from 2007′s Underground Kingz LP. Sure, you might have candy paint, cream on the inside, and wood grain wheels, but that doesn’t mean shit without the official UGK car freshener. We are sure that Pimp C had one of these inside his ride ’til he died.

     Just released from a short prison stint, Pimp C returns to the rap game, and everyone came out to show their support. The Texas native sounds reinvigorated on the album’s jump off track, “I’m Free”, which finds Beat Master Clay D cleverly manipulating a sample from Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin”, as C recounts his time in the pen. He gets right down to business on “Knockin Doorz Down”, acting as the Southern state of the union address, calling out all beefing rappers of the region, in an attempt to create some unity. Bun B checks in for a pair of back-to-back tracks on “Rock 4 Rock” (feat. Scarface and Willie D) and “Pourin Up” (feat. Mike Jones), both of which keep the UGK formula tightly in check, with trademark live instrumentation. Pimp C details his preferred profession on the Jazze Pha produced “The Honey”, while busting his vocal chops out on “Gitcha Mind Right”, with a show-stealing verse from Cory Mo. 

      However at 17 tracks length, with mostly Pimp C’s back up band handling the majority of the production, things do tend to get monotonous. The second half of the album drowns itself out with syrupy sex songs that seem to all run into to one another in a jumbled mess. The addition of at least two guests on every song on the album also makes this record sound like a compilation rather than a true solo record, but perhaps that was the idea (hence the title). 

    On one hand, its nice to see that everyone came out to support Pimp C on his comeback trail, but the inclusion of 27 guest artists almost suggests that C couldn’t carry the album by himself. Regardless, it will be nice to see him team up with Bun B for another UGK full-length, now that he’s finally free to do so.