UGK (short for Underground Kingz) were a hip-hop duo from Port Arthur, Texas, USA. Formed in 1987 by long-time friends Chad "Pimp C" Butler and Bernard "Bun B" Freeman, they were highly respected by many of their peers, due in part to their longevity and their entrenchment in hip-hop's underground. UGK, from Port Arthur, TX, the neighboring city to Beaumont, TX, released their first album in 1988. Titled The Southern Way, it was distributed by local record label Bigtyme Recordz and only available as an audio cassette. ...show more

UGK (short for Underground Kingz) were a hip-hop duo from Port Arthur, Texas, USA. Formed in 1987 by long-time friends Chad "Pimp C" Butler and Bernard "Bun B" Freeman, they were highly respected by many of their peers, due in part to their longevity and their entrenchment in hip-hop's underground. UGK, from Port Arthur, TX, the neighboring city to Beaumont, TX, released their first album in 1988. Titled The Southern Way, it was distributed by local record label Bigtyme Recordz and only available as an audio cassette.

In 1992, they had caught the attention of Jive Records, and were signed to a five album record contract. Their major label debut album Too Hard to Swallow was released later that same year, on November 10. While it featured several new recordings, it also featured several songs that had been culled from The Southern Way. However, several songs that had been intended to be included on the album were excised at the last minute, apparently due to their overly explicit content.

Five of these songs would surface two months before Too Hard to Swallow's release, on an EP distributed by Bigtyme Recordz; appropriately enough, the EP was titled Banned. Their sophomore album Super Tight... was released two years later, on August 30. Unlike their previous effort, it managed to break into the Billboard Hot 200, but ultimately peaked at a disappointing #95. ...show less