Alright, forget about what you may have heard — the south has risen! For those of you that have been patiently waiting the release of UGK’s latest album, wait no more. Underground Kingz is in stores now and it is HOT. I’ll admit, I was a little skeptical with this being a double album and all, but this CD does not disappoint. Most double CDs are filled with what we call “filler” music — songs that “fill” the CD, but don’t really add anything to it. I’m still in the process of listening to the album, but so far it’s all good.

Underground Kingz is the seventh studio album from UGK and the group’s first double length CD, comprising of 28 tracks. This is also the first album UGK has released together as a group in five years, since members Bun B and Pimp C pursued individual endeavors. Props to Pimp C as he either produced or co-produced half of the album. We also got production from Scarface, Three 6 Mafia, Jazze Pha, Lil Jon, and Swizz Beatz.

The CD has already spawned two singles (”The Game Belongs To Me’ and “International Player’s Anthem”) and includes an abundance of guests including Outkast, Too Short, Slim Thug, Charlie Wilson, Rick Ross, and T.I. among others. This album is sure to please all fans of UGK. Let’s get to the meat of this CD and review the tracks.

Disc 1

1. “Swishas and Dosha” - produced by Below, co-produced by Pimp C (9/10) -wow, I was expecting some kind of whack-ass intro, like we get on most hip hop CDs, but UGK cuts right to the chase and reminds us that they are the Underground Kingz of Texas. This is one of those jams you pump up in the car, lean down low, and drive two miles an hour!
2. “International Player’s Anthem (I Choose You - feat Outkast)” - produced by Juicy J & DJ Paul (10/10) - if you have not heard this jam on the radio yet, then you must have been asleep all summer long! This song right here is the official 2007 Summer Anthem. When I first heard it a few months ago, I was like “damn, when’s the beat gonna kick in?” Man, when it does, you know it!! After a minute-long intro, this beat has you noddin’ yo head so hard you gonna have to go see a chiropractor!
3. “Chrome Plated Women” - produced by Pimp C (9/10) - Man, my neck is still snappin! This track is hot too! That bass line is just mesmerizing.
4. “Life Is 2009 (feat Too Short)” - produced by Scarface (10/10) - oh yeah, and you don’t stop! Scarface knows how to make a track and with Too Short cuttin’ it up, that’s just a double-whammy! So far I’m lovin’ this CD!
5. “The Game Belongs To Me” - produced by AVEREXX, co-produced by Pimp C (10/10) - this track just grooves, man. This was the first single released for the album back in February. I loved it from the minute I heard it, but I don’t remember it doin so well on the charts. Oh well, that’s why they called the Underground Kingz!
6. “Like That (Remix)” - produced by Below, co-produced by Pimp C (6/10) - still tryin to figure out why they got the remix first (the original version is on the next disc). This song’s alright. Night tight beat, but I lost that neck snap.
7. “Gravy” - produced by AVEREXX, co-produced by Pimp C (7/10) - ok, now we slowin’ it real down; slow like gravy! Is this UGK’s attempt at a love song? Not with these lyrics! Ha ha, not a bad song though.
8. “Underground Kingz” - produced by Pimp C (7/10) - yeah, pick that tempo back up! Nice piano in the background. Production on this song is tight musically. The chorus is a little annoying, but the lyrics are straight.
9. “Grind Hard” - produced by DJ B-Doe, co-produced by Pimp C (5/10) - not too sure I’m feelin this song that much. The production is kinda whack; sounds like it belongs on a mixtape.
10. “Take tha Hood Back (feat Slim Thug)” - produced by The Runners (7/10) - here we go! The Runners can put together a pretty good beat. They’ve done stuff for Rick Ross, T.I., and Young Jeezy among others. This and Slim Thug is a nice addition to this album.
11. “Quit Hatin’ The South (feat Charlie Wilson)” - produced by Pimp C (10/10) - yeah, thanks for gettin’ back to the formula, Pimp C. This is the UGK I like — that funky stuff. And Charlie Wilson does his thang! Makes you wish the Gap Band were still together!
12. “Heaven” - produced by Pimp C, co-produced by N.O. Joe (9/10) - this track’s pretty hot too, it’s almost an extension of the last song — the beat and bass line are similar. That’s ok though!
13. “Trill Niggas Don’t Die” - produced by John Bido, Yung Fyngas and Joe Traxx, co-produced by Pimp C (8/10) - I don’t know who all these cats are in the production credits, but they put together one hell of a track! This song is tight!

Disc 2

1. “How Long Can It Last (feat Charlie Wilson)” - produced by Pimp C (10/10) - Charlie Wilson rejoins UGK on the second disc and this song jumps it off right! Very nice track! This could be next single material.
2. “Still Ridin’ Dirty (feat Scarface)” - produced by Scarface (8/10) - in a homage to their 1996 release Ridin’ Dirty, UGK brings us back to their roots and just strips it down raw! Scarface’s verse is a nice addition.
3. “Stop-N-Go (feat Jazze Pha)” - produced by Jazze Pha (5/10) - I first heard this track back in January and I wasn’t really feelin’ it then. It was supposed to be the first single off the album, but got replaced by “The Game Belongs To Me”. Good call. Usually I like Jazze Pha, but this song is just kind of blah, and Jazze is pretty annoying here.
4. “Cocaine (feat Rick Ross)” - produced by The Blackout Movement, co-produced by Pimp C and N.O. JOE (8/10) - wow, wasn’t expecting a slow track! When I saw Rick Ross on the credits, I thought this was gonna be a banger. But this is a slow, smoothed out track. Not a bad thing though. This some grooves and Rick Ross has that deep voice that fits well here.
5. “Two Type of B*tches” - produced by MoMo, co-produced by Pimp C (9/10) - more funk comin’ at ya here! This track is really tight. Loving the blues guitar in the background!
6. “Real Women (feat Talib Kweli & Raheem DeVaughn)” - produced by Pimp C (10/10) - lovin’ how UGK cleans it up by going from a song about b*itches to a dedication to real women. This song samples Raheem DeVaughn’s “Guess Who Loves You More”, which in turn samples Earth Wind & Fire’s “Can’t Hide Love” — a classic. This song gets a 10 just for the sample alone, but then they add Kweli and Raheem to the track… fire!!
7. “Candy” - produced by Scarface, co-produced by Randy “Bigg Tyme” Jefferson (7/10) - another Scarface production here. This song is chill, but a tad repetitive.
8. “Tell Me How Ya Feel” - produced by Jazze Pha (6/10) - ok Jazze, take 2! Why does the chorus sound like a knock off of “The Game Belongs To Me”? I don’t know, not really feelin’ Jazze Pha’s contribution to this CD. This track is definitely better than “Stop-N-Go” though.
9. “Shattered Dreams (feat Sleepy Brown)” - produced by Pimp C (9/10) - Pimp C bring us that funk, man! I love it! And Sleepy Brown makes it even funkier. Some would say the funk tracks get a little repetitive and it’s hard to tell one from the other, but I think these are UGK’s best tracks.
10. “Like That” - produced by Lil Jon (5/10) - ok, this is the original version; we heard the remix first on the last disc. Not sure if this is any better though. I can see why the remix was listed first. Lil Jon used to be better than this… OK?
11. “Next Up (feat Big Daddy Kane & Kool G Rap)” - produced by Marley Marl (8/10) - this is a nice gem! Old School producer Marley Marl gives us a nice tight beat and Big Daddy Kane brings it like its 1989! The beat does get a little repetitive though, but still a good track.
12. “Living This Life” - produced by N.O. Joe & Joe Scorsese (9/10) - this song grooves! Makes me wanna chill and get my drink on. Good choice to for an official ending to this CD, as the rest are considered bonus tracks. This track kind of reminds me of a slowed down version of “It’s Hard Out Here For A Pimp” from Hustle & Flow.
13. “Outro” - produced by Cory “Mo” - this ain’t nothin but a 50 sec vocal outro. No music here…
14. “Int’l Player’s Anthem (I Choose You) (Chopped & Screwed feat Three 6 Mafia)” - produced by Juicy J & DJ Paul (6/10) - never really been a fan of chopped & screwed, but it kinda works well on this track. Messes up the flow of the original though. Guess you gotta be from Texas to appreciate it.
15. “Int’l Player’s Anthem (I Choose You - feat Three 6 Mafia)” - produced by Juicy J & DJ Paul (9/10) - this remix is missing the long intro that the original has — it gets right to the beat immediately which kind of makes it lose its punch (even though its the same beat). Three 6 Mafia’s lines are a nice addition, but this remix is missing the flavor that Outkast brought to it. They would have been better off if they had just extended the original by adding Three 6 Mafia’s lines to it.
16. “Hit The Block (feat T.I.)” - produced by Swizz Beatz (8/10) -Swizzy! Some albums’ best tracks are hidden as bonus tracks. I can understand why UGK didn’t put this in the mix with the rest of the CD though. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a hot song, but doesn’t have the same flow as the rest of the CD. Maybe it could have replaced one of the Jazze Pha tracks though? At any rate, glad they included this one. Swizz Beatz can put together a club banger and my boy T.I. is well welcomed on this track.

Best Buy Bonus Track

“Top Drop Dyne” - produced by Cory “Mo” (7/10) - if you buy Underground Kingz from Best Buy, you will get this bonus track. Not sure why Best Buy gets all the exclusives, but I’m sure you can find other ways of gettin this. It’s not a bad song though. The beat sounds like it samples from Slim Thug’s “3 Kings” — a song that I love! But sadly, this isn’t as good. Not bad for a bonus track though!

Runtime: 2 hours 13 minutes
Overall score: 8/10