LOS ANGELES (AP) — Pimp C, who spun searing tales of Texas street life into a key role in the rise of Southern hip-hop, was found dead in an upscale hotel. He was 33.
Pimp C was found dead Tuesday in a room at the Mondrian hotel. His death was announced by publicist Nancy Byron. The Los Angeles County coroner's office said there were no signs of foul play, and a cause of death could not be determined pending an autopsy report.
Born Chad Butler, the rapper formed Underground Kingz with partner-in-rhyme Bun B while the pair was in high school, and their often laconic delivery paired with wittily dangerous lyrics influenced a generation of current superstars like Lil' Wayne.
Over laid-back beats, UGK laid out incisive details that remain Southern rap mainstays: descriptions of sex and conspicuous consumption, wood-grain steering wheels and triple-beam scales used to weigh drugs.
Pimp C was best known for UGK's cameo on the Jay-Z hit "Big Pimpin'," and for "Free Pimp C" T-shirts and shout-outs, ubiquitous in rap several years ago while he was jailed for three years in 2002 on gun charges.
UGK's rise was derailed, but the "Free Pimp C" slogan caught on and an unauthorized album of Pimp C's freestyle rhymes was released while he was in prison.
When Pimp C and Bun B finally put out an album this year, they felt such a need to re-establish themselves they titled their album "Underground Kingz," as if to underscore a new start.
