Pimp C passed away one year ago today. I never did formally eulogize the man, partially because I wanted to let his work and words speak for themselves and partially because I wasn’t sure how to approach it. Let’s be real, waxing dramatic/nostalgic about a dead rapper on the internet is a drop in a cliche sea of barely literate Pac stans and creepy J Dilla changed my shirt types. So let me just say this and make it as brief as possible: many of my colleagues have made a big to do about how Pimps rhyme partner Bun B is pretty much the ideal interview subject and it’s an absolute truth. Bun is an complete pleasure to talk to with in a job where pleasurable interviews are more of a rarity than they probably should be. But what folks don’t realize is that Pimp was every bit as friendly.^[1] Not just cordial, but friendly, as happy to talk to me about music as I was to him. Maybe it’s a Port Arthur thing, I don’t know. But in this line of work you really learn to appreciate the occasions where you’re made to feel like a human being and not just a receptacle for release dates and beef play by plays. Pimp was probably the first “celebrity” rapper to treat me as such and when I put this all behind me and look back at the endless string of mumbly mouthed phoners that constitutes my body of work, that interview will undoubtedly stand as one of the highlights. So yeah I can comfortably sit here and tell you his death was sort of affecting to me.

Still it wasn’t nearly as affecting as the music he made in life. Gushing about UGK is basically an everyday thing around here and I never tire of it. I know a lot of people on the internet like to downplay Pimp’s talents as a rapper (and dare I say a lyricist?) and I can only assume those people have never listened to the last verse on “Diamonds & Wood“. He says more in single lines on that song than most rappers say in their entire career. And with complete simplicity. “Got to the point where I could not decipher day and night / she say she love me but all we do now is fuck and fight” might just be the most poignant couplet about relationships that this little genre called hip hop has ever produced. And that’s not even accounting for how he mastered the art of shit talking. So I’m not even tripping off that debate right now. If you don’t think dude was a great rapper you are wrong, point blank. But it’s bigger than lyrics today.

Because, as is often overlooked, Pimp was a rapping producer and not the other way around. Maybe not the greatest of all time, but on the right day he’s my personal favorite. Only a couple of producers – Primo Dre, Quik come to mind- have had a longer time to build a body of work and really hammer away at their aesthetic while still staying above the fall off watermark. Pimp clearly had a sound in his head since The Southern Way and dedicated the 16 years that followed to refining it. It’s a spiritual and soulful sound, totally warm and inviting. And addictive. And more than anything his shit will make your rear view mirror shake like a motherfucker. His beats are comfort food for the trunk. I could happily sit at a stop light forever as long as Super Tight was in the deck.

But the interesting thing about his discography is how insular (and impossible to find) much of it is. He was an underground producer in the truest sense of the word. Aside from UGK he almost never placed a beats on major label records. Despite all the time the quote unquote new South spent shouting for his freedom not one of those guys ever got a Pimp C beat. For all the love Jay showed he never got one either. Even many of his peers – Outkast comes to mind – have never rhymed on his shit (not publicly, at least). Maybe these guys were sleeping, or maybe Pimp was just selective. Whatever the case, the bulk of his outside production went to independent street cats from around the gulf coast and Atlanta. ^[2] People I assume were just his homies (or, at least, likely to pony up a brown paper bag filled with tax free money). Some of them were good rappers, some were less then good. But the beats were rarely anything but impeccable.

So here is a little 90 minute comp highlighting some of those tracks. ^[3] It’s not comprehensive, just a selection. A couple of these artists – X-Mob, Critical Condition, 3re Da Hardaway – he worked with extensively and for length issues I only threw a couple tracks on there. I also generally tried to shy away from his handful of beats for higher profile artists like Master P, Spice 1 and Scarface. C-Murder and Big Mike are the biggest national stars here (and, retroactively, David Banner via Crooked Lettaz). And be forewarned that this is not an introduction to Pimp C, this is supplemental material. If you haven’t heard Super Tight or Ridin’ Dirty, you need to go to the store right now and purchase both. But first, head over to Pimp C Beat drop, where Bun B himself drops some very detailed history about some of Pimp’s classics. I contributed a few write ups there as well.

Cocaineblunts.com Presents: $64 Cologne: The Pimp C Productions

1. X-Mob – “Goodtimes” (Lake Charles, LA)
from Paper Chasing (Par-Le, 1997)
2. Young Bleed f/ Master P & Mystikal – “Bring The Noise” (Baton Rouge, LA)
from My Balls And My Word (No Limit, 1998)
3. Lil Sin f/ UGK – “Free” (Houston, TX)
from Livin In Sin (Premier, 2000)
4. Sleepy’s Theme – “Can’t Let Go” (Atlanta, GA)
from The Vinyl Room (Bang II, 1998)
5. X-Mob f/ Pimp C – “Watcha Gone Do”
from Ghetto Mail (Par-Le, 1995)
6. Crooked Lettaz f/ Pimp C – “Get Crunk” (Jackson, MS)
from Grey Skies (Penalty, 1999)
7. Meen Green f/ Pimp C – “Deep In The Game” (Los Angeles, CA)
from The Smoking Section (Patchwerk, 1998)
8. 3re Da Hardaway f/ Bun B – “Affiliation” (Miami, FL)
from Undaconstruction (Dead Serious, 1998)
9. Critical Condition – “4 Real Nigga Posse” (Morgan City, LA)
from CC Waterbound (Copasetic, 199?)
10. C-Murder f/ UGK & Master P – “Akickdoe!” (New Orleans, LA)_
from Life Or Death (No Limit, 1998)
11. Critical Condition – “Hood Card”
from CC Waterbound (Copasetic, 199?)
12. Adamshame f/ Too Short & UGK – “The Game Ain’t Rated” (Atlanta, GA)
from Revelations (Trumpp Tight, 1999)
13. One Gud Cide f/ UGK – “Down Here” (Ft. Worth, TX)
from Contradictions (Scarred 4 Life, 1999)
14. 5th Ward Boyz f/ UGK – “Swing Wide” (Houston, TX)
from Rated G (Rap-A-Lot, 1995)
15. PSK-13 f/ UGK – “Like Yesterday” (Houston, TX)
from Born Bad? (Big Tyme, 1997)
16. Big Mike f/ Pimp C – “Havin’ Thangs” (New Orleans, LA/Houston, TX)
from Somethin Serious (Rap-A-Lot, 1994)
17. Point Blank f/ UGK – “Cut U In Half” (Houston, TX)
from Prone To Bad Dreams (Big Tyme, 1992)

_{[1] But obviously not as humble, BITCH!
[2] Where Pimp actually lived for a few years, even though he had to reset his watch when he got there.
[3] Never let it be said that I don’t reward the few of you who still read my shit all the way through.}

Tags: eugugolys, Pimp C, UGK

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 4th, 2008 at 1:46 pm and is filed under CB Mix Series, Mixtapes, News, Texas. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.