Pimp C | |
---|---|
Pimp C in mid-2006.
|
|
Background information | |
Birth name | Chad Lamont Butler |
Also known as |
|
Born |
Port Arthur, Texas, U.S. |
December 29, 1973
Died | December 4, 2007 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
(aged 33)
Genres | |
Occupation(s) |
|
Years active | 1987–2007 |
Labels | |
Associated acts | |
Website | www.pimpcmusic.com |
Chad Lamont Butler (December 29, 1973 – December 4, 2007), better known by his stage name Pimp C, was an American rapper and record He was best known for his work with Bun B as a founding member of the Underground Kingz (UGK).
Butler formed the rap group Underground Kingz (colloquially known as UGK) with best friend Bernard "Bun B" Freeman in 1987 in Port Arthur, Texas. In 1991, Jive Records signed UGK and released Too Hard to Swallow, followed by the critically acclaimed Super Tight. The group's third album, Ridin' Dirty, reached #2 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and their momentum was continued with features on the popular singles "Big Pimpin'" with Jay-Z and "Sippin' on Some Syrup" by Three 6 Mafia. UGK's fourth album, Dirty Money, was distributed in 2001. Due to Butler's incarceration in 2002, UGK would not release another studio album until 2007's Underground Kingz, which included the hit "International Players Anthem (I Choose You)", featuring Outkast.
In January 2002, Pimp C was sentenced to eight years in prison for violating his probation by ignoring his sentence to community service stemming from an earlier aggravated assault charge. His arrest was widely protested by the hip hop community, who along with Bun B, immediately initiated a grassroots "Free Pimp C" campaign. While Pimp C was in prison, Rap-A-Lot Records released The Sweet James Jones Stories in 2005, most of which consisted of unreleased freestyle recordings.