Pimp C was Unappreciated Back Home Until He Died

I grew up going up and down the same roads as the late Chad Butler, better known as Pimp C of UGK. He was one year older than I am and grew up about 15 miles from where I did, but our paths crossed a few times.

He went on to found arguably the most influential deep south rap act ever, and I went on to be an entertainment reporter for the area's main newspaper. Years ago, when the album "Ridin' Dirty" was doing well, I wrote a column posing a very simple question: Why are we ignoring UGK?

Granted, those who grew up on the streets of nearby towns like Port Arthur, Beaumont and Orange didn't ignore them. They were big among the same fans who loved them around the country. But the media and general public seemed unaware of UGK's existence. Other area artists like Janis Joplin, George Jones, the Big Bopper and Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown are celebrated. UGK was almost shunned.

The spotlight of Southeast Texas's "Golden Triangle" area finally focused on Butler when he was found dead in a Hollywood hotel room on the morning of Dec. 4. Immediately, speculation surrounding the cause of death was being whispered in circles that had never so much as heard the name before. Thousands turned out for the funeral, held at the Port Arthur Civic Center on Dec. 13. Both neighbors, fans and famous faces from the worlds of rap, hip-hop and entertainment in general lined up to pay their respects.

Of course, the funeral was big news. Why, then, wasn't UGK big news before Butler's premature death? After all, Southeast Texas is well known for taking pride in its home-grown heroes - especially in the world of music.

You can't cross the street in Port Arthur without hearing the name Janis Joplin, who, like Butler, grew up there. Everyone knows that Johnny and Edgar Winter cut their first guitar licks here, and that country greats like George Jones, Tracy Byrd and Clay Walker all grew up in and around sister city Beaumont - also the home of the Big Bopper. Even ZZ Top, who grew up in Houston but played their first gigs in Beaumont, were honored with a star on the city's entertainment complex sidewalk, unveiled by Kid Rock.