Chaparral Field Manual : An Introduction to UGK

At the tail end of a series of intentionally executed yet ultimately unfortunate circumstances, I have found myself in Texas. It isn’t all bad. It could be worse, I suppose, but let’s just say it makes sense that the military chose this area of the country to practice blowing shit up. In the midst of the wasted vastlands, I spend every waking moment either driving recklessly or shooting guns and it is glorious. Still, the absurdity of it all is never lost on me. Not only do I get to behave irresponsibly and waste hundreds of thousands of dollars, I get paid handsomely to do so. Shit’s pretty gangster if you ask me, so of course its only natural that I should develop a gangster soundtrack to properly accompany such a lifestyle. 

This in mind, I present to our dear readers an introductory primer on the subject of the desperate gaud of the Texas area as outlined by the region’s finest auteurs, the incomparable UGK. If you’re already privy, then simply enjoy what is obviously the most aesthetically complete selection by the duo, edited and compiled for seamless swag. For the uninitiated, use this as a study guide for how to lead with the hips.

A bit on each track;

1 - Int’l Players Anthem

A calling card of sorts, this lesser known version (sans Andre 3k) is worth a look due to the

the presence of approximately three times more bars per capita. While not as dramatic as

the “I Choose You” edition, the feel strikes me as being closer to what would have been put

out if the members of Outkast never became viable piggybacks.

2 - Use Me Up

Obscurity is an easy card to pull when choosing songs to sample - the deeper the cut, the

more easily forgivable it is if it doesn’t work and the more credibly fascinating when it does.

When you choose to chop up a loop as instantly recognizable as this, its even more

impressive when pulled off correctly just because it becomes so much more obvious when

you’ve fucked it up. In this case, all stars align to form Orion’s boner.

3 - Still On The Grind Feat. Raheem Devaughn

Raheem Devaughn’s hook rides squarely in the backseat. The real stars of the show here

are Bun and Pimp themselves, spitting ambidextrously over a beat from Steve Below that

would quickly implode in the hands lesser MCs.

4 - Diamonds & Wood

That slow-lick guitar slang that was raped to death on the majority of Underground Kingz and

by every dirty south producer around the time of the release of the film Hustle & Flow actually

had a moment when introduced that bordered on the sublime. Here’s an example.

5 - I’m So Bad

“IM SO BAD I CAN SUCK MY OWN DICK.” The end.

6 - Real Women

One of two masterpieces of a very specific aesthetic to be found on this compilation.

Bun and Pimp go toe to toe with Talib Kweli and Raheem Devaughn spitting some of the

tightest diction of their careers over an ethereal Earth, Wind and Fire sample. When that

Rhodes hits, you’ll feel it.

7 - Something Good (Pimp C’s Remix)

Another example of UGK’s bravado in taking instantly recognizable source material

(“Tell Me Something Good”) and finding its perfect counterpoint (“Summer Breeze”) in order

to make something truly superior.

8 - Ridin’ Dirty

Straight up calling card type shit. Further proof that the Rhodes is a tragically underused

instrument in the genre.

9 - Texas Ave. Interlude

Much like with Ghostface’s Fishscale, UGK seem to save some of their choicest cuts for

interludes and skits. Why does Kanye do so little with all the production he’s got while UGK

can do such a lot with so little?

10 - Swishas & Erb Feat. Sleepy Brown

Whispery, swrrrrved out, shades of “Little Green Bag”.

11 - Cocaine In The Back Of The Ride

“I bust my nut on her stomach, wash my dick in the sink and buy a 40 from the store from a

Goddamned chink.”

12 - Candy

An ode to automotive excess that sets the standards for any rapper attempting to transform

an old hustle to meet modern production aesthetics.

13 - Short Texas

At first, “Short Texas” could be a cut from any early 90’s o.g. fuckfest (i.e. all of Ice T’s output

at the time), but intelligent production transforms it into something progressively more epic

with every verse. Sounds like it could be either the source material for UNKLE’s “Lonely Soul”

or a SPACEGHOSTPURRP/Raekwon mashup.

14 - Life Is 2009

A classic rhyme scheme meets the scoop of an 808. Casually shitting out gold at this point.

15 - Hit The Block

Sharp as a fucking icepick over some of Swizz Beatz’ finest. By the time T.I. shows up to

drawl everywhere, Bun and Pimp have effectively made you not give a fuck if he shows

up at all.

16 - Cramping My Style

Biggie took the Isley Brothers to the club with “Big Poppa”. A lucky few of us know UGK took

them to outer space first.

17 - 3 in the Mornin’

Creepin’, creepy, craaawwwlin’, draaawwwlin’.

18 - Int’l Players Anthem (Chopped & Screwed)

“Int’l Players Anthem” and over the counter drug abuse - two great tastes that taste great

together. Anyone familiar with the VirtualDj application can tell immediately that the biggest

difficulty faced by the producers in the creation of this track was staying conscious and lucid

long enough to remember to deselect the “Flippin’ Double” effect. Not that I give a fuck. 

“Idiot savant” is the term, I believe.

AND MY NAME BECAME YOUR BACK TATTOO.