E
ver since I met Pimp C, he treated me like a big brother. I could fill every page in this magazine with stories about our adventures. We’ve traveled all over the country doing shows. We’ve spent endless hours in the studio. When we talked on the phone or hung out together, we rarely mentioned the music industry. We’d usually just chop up the game and analyze how some folks have it and some don’t.
if Scarface, The Geto Boys, Luke Skywalker, Trick Daddy, 8Ball & MJG, Outkast, the Goodie Mob, and all the other rap artists from the South had to fight their labels like UGK did.
Anybody who knows both of us should know how wild we used to be. Before he passed, he would tell me stories about crazy shit we did back in the day that he remembered, and I’d tell him what I remembered. Other people in the room would be looking at us like we really were crazy.
I just hope the Southern artists that are enjoying success these days give credit where credit is due. Ask Lil Jon, T.I., Mike Jones, Rick Ross, T-Pain, or Plies what they were doing when “Pocket Full of Stones” came out. Ask ‘em how many times they listened to the Ridin’ Dirty album and how many UGK songs they memorized. Ask ‘em about Pimp C’s production skills, or how many memorable hooks he came up with. Ask ‘em if Pimp and Bun influenced or inspired them in any way.
I was proud of my lil’ bra when he got out of prison a much more mature and wiser man. He did a lot of good things for a lot of people. I remember when him, Bun, and Mama were going through it with Jive Records. I wonder
I’ll never forget Bun B’s “Free Pimp C” campaign. He put it on t-shirts and said it in damn near every verse he spit. When Pimp was in jail, Bun kept Pimp’s name alive in the rap game. I personally feel that as much as Bun did all the
I just hope the Southern artists that are enjoying success these days give credit where credit is due. Ask Lil Jon, T.I., Mike Jones, Rick Ross, T-Pain, or Plies what they were doing when “Pocket Full of Stones” came out. Ask ‘em how many times they listened to the Ridin’ Dirty album and how many UGK songs they memorized. right things for UGK while C was locked down, every time he said C’s name in a song or an interview, that helped Bun as much as it helped C. I know little kids that know exactly who Bun B is, and say they’ve never heard of Pimp C, but if you know the whole story, folks thought he couldn’t make it without Pimp C. Bun is a better lyricist but Pimp had that swagger. By Bun doing all those guest appearances on other rapper’s songs, he not only saved both of their careers but also elevated them to a level they’d never been on before. When Pimp got out of prison, he was immediately driving a Bentley and wearing big diamonds. My lil’ bra was in a good mood every time I talked to him and every time I saw him after his release from prison. If you read this, thanks, Bun. Chad could have come home to nothing, but instead he came home and lived his last days like a Trill UnderGround King. The Saturday right before he passed, he came to my show, got on stage with me and had a good time. Backstage we joked and laughed like always. That’s how I’ll always remember him: Dedicated to the hustle, always making funky music and having fun all the way. He told everybody how much he loved his big bra Shortdog. Love you too, Pimpin’. // Photo: Alexander Sibaja/Getty Images
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