Pimp to do it, and he will only give Jay eight bars. No more, no less. Pimp agrees but then bails on the Hype Williams-directed video shoot in Trinidad. After shooting their scenes, they find a spot in Miami that vaguely looks like Trinidad and they finally get Pimp C out of the house to complete the video. It’s also worth noting that UGK was also involved in some issues with their label Jive at the time, which he also references in his verse.
I almost gave it to them, but UGK’s “Let Me See It” came in with those record scratch noises. Oh man, this is the electrifying opener of their 2001 album. It arrived after a five-year hiatus but didn’t get nearly as much attention because of the aforementioned conflict with Jive, who failed to properly push UGK’s momentum following their collaborations with Jay-Z and Three 6 Mafia. “Let Me See It” is UGK at some of their most depraved, and I love it.
Few are able to convey deviancy in the way 8Ball & MJG can, and “Armed Robbery” is a testament to that. You have to pull up the lyrics while listening to fully appreciate it, although thetheme sample also gets the point across. Ball and G paint a vivid, thrilling picture of committing armed robbery.
But then you have a song as incredible as “Diamonds & Wood” in the mix. Sheesh. Again, Bun only chose to highlight Pimp C’s verse which I respect. UGK oozed that country luxury they rap so much about, with their shiny diamonds juxtaposed against the smooth wood grain of their steering wheels.
Pimp C’s magic is fully realized on “Knockin’ Doorz Down,” and that historic opening verse stirred the genre. He comments that all these feuds are unproductive and says “All you record company people need to shut the fuck up” and “the white people laughing at ‘em, that’s what’s happening,” demanding that these predatory executives keep their hands out of his beloved community, as they see these fights as entertainment. He only had one verse on the song, but it was enough.