Pimp C
Pimp C was already a legend in Southern Hip-Hop circles but he saw his name get bigger when he was in jail thanks to the massive “Free Pimp C” campaign that caught fire in 2002 and burned until he was finally released in December 2005. While he was locked away his recording home Rap-A-Lot tried to take advantage by releasing Sweet James Jones Stories in March 2005. Many of the songs were cast aways that were sitting in Pimp’s stash that probably weren’t going to see the light of day until Pimp was ready. But since he was a solo artist on Rap-A-Lot at the time, the label figured it would be a good idea to catch the “Free Pimp C” wave. The album did little to satisfy fans as most of the songs were obviously not the level of quality that UGK fans grew accustomed to. Pimp and Rap-A-Lot would make up for it by releasing Pimpalation in 2006 after he was out of jail. The album fared much better, selling over 500,000 copies earning Pimp a Gold plaque. The album served as a pre-cursor to UGK’s most successful album as a group, 2007’s Underground Kingz that featured the hit single “International Players Anthem.”
Verdict: HUNG JURY. The “Free Pimp C” campaign kept his name alive and set the stage for him to get out and succeed. But he only enjoyed the success temporarily as he died almost exactly two years after he was released. Jail took years out of the prime of Pimp C’s life as the Southern Hip-Hop genre he helped create was growing in popularity.
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