UGK: UGK (Underground Kingz) : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

UGK are as Houston as oil rigs, having helped originate the slow-rolling drawl-and-brawl sound that defines H-town hip-hop, but they were sidelined while their city blew up -- Pimp C, one half of UGK, recently spent four years behind bars for aggravated assault. UGK is one monster comeback album: twenty-six tracks with guest spots from OutKast, Rick Ross and T.I. Pimp C produces most cuts, going heavy on narcotic synth-funk that's sometimes hypnotic and sometimes forgettable, and though both Pimp's deep drawl and Bun's rapid-fire attack make for warm, pleasurable rhymes about girls, guns and especially cars, two discs are about one too many. But several cuts suggest the powerhouse UGK could have been: The wickedly catchy "The Game Belongs to Me" feels like a beautifully stoned cruise on a humid Houston evening, and then there's the exuberant, soul-splashed "Int'l Players Anthem," the best OutKast guest spot since Andre 3000 decided to rap again.