It is with great sadness that Jive Records announces the passing of Chad "Pimp C" Butler, a member of the celebrated rap duo UGK (Underground Kingz).  Jive Records' President and CEO Barry Weiss states: "We mourn the unexpected loss of Chad.  He was truly a thoughtful and kind-hearted person. He will be remembered for his talent and profound influence as a pioneer in bringing southern rap to the forefront. He will be missed and our prayers remain with his family and Bun B.  I've known Chad since he was 18, and we loved him dearly and he was a cherished member of the Jive family."
 
Born in Port Arthur,  Texas,  Butler's father was a trumpet player who played professionally with Solomon Burke.  Outside of his father, the 33-year old rapper's influences varied, ranging from Bobby Bland, Jimmy McGriff, the 1960's Motown artists to Run DMC. Butler met his inseparable partner Bernard "Bun B" Freeman in high school where they formed UGK. In 1992, the duo signed to Jive Records and went on release a total of eight albums for the label. They earned their highest achievement earlier this year when their most recent album, UGK (Underground Kingz), debuted in the number one position on the album pop chart. According to the New York Times, UGK "helped inspire a generation of Southern hip-hop stars, from OutKast to Lil Wayne."
 
Bun B is not available for comment at this time.

Congratulations to UGK for winning Best Collaboration with Outkast for "International Players Anthem" and Video of the Year at this year's BET Hip Hop Awards.

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UGK has been nominated for BET's 2nd Annual Hip Hop Awards!  UGK's single, Int'l Players Anthem, featuring Outkast is up for two nominations, including Best Hip Hop Video and Best Collaboration!  Tune into BET on October 17th at 9PM EST.

Bun B and Pimp C return with the most anticipated album out of Houston! The brand new, double album featuring 32 new tracks like "Stop & Go," "Like Dat," the street record "The Game Belongs to Me" and the highly anticipated collaboration with OutKast - "Int'l Players Anthem (I Choose You)" is set to hit stores on August 7th! The 2-CD set features brand new, never-before heard tracks as well as collaborations with OutKast, Lil Jon, Three 6 Mafia, TI, Rick Ross, Young Jeezy, and many more. Preview the entire album now on MTV2's The Leak!

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