July 17, 2024 • 33 mins
Coming in at #91 on Rolling Stone’s Greatest Songs of All Time list, this week hosts Rob Sheffield and Brittany Spanos discuss "Int'l Players Anthem" with special guest Bun B. The surviving member of UGK details the fateful way the song came together with OutKast including how their iconic video almost didn't happen.
Bun B sings the praises of his UGK partner Pimp C, who died six months after "Int'l Players Anthem" was released as a single. He credits Pimp C's musical intuition with seeing the potential for the song’s sample, which ended up being an accurate prediction. Plus, the rapper notes how impactful the video has been on the song's legacy.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to five hundred Greatest Songs, a podcast based on
Rolling Stones hugely popular, influential, and sometimes controversial lists.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
I'm Britney Spanis and.
Speaker 3 (00:09):
I'm Rob Sheffield and we're here to shed light on
the greatest songs ever made and discover what makes them
so great. This week, we're diving into a classic international
player's anthem by UGK featuring the Outcast.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
An absolute sanger of a song. Love the song so.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
Much, personal favorite person obsession for both of us.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Yeah, so this song is.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
It ranks at number ninety one on the Greatest Songs
of All Time list.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
It is an absolute classic.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
It's one of my favorite I think like maybe was
like the highest ranking, one of the highest ranking songs
on my ballot, Like it think it was like top
five or top ten. Yeah, same, Yeah, it had to be,
like honestly, might have been number two.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
I would be shocked if it weren't unbelievable.
Speaker 3 (00:54):
A song that gets more famous every year, A song
that was just instantly an attention getter when it came out. Yeah,
just to stop you in your tracks kind of song,
and that effect just never fades over time.
Speaker 4 (01:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
Yeah, I remember watching the video so vividly when it
came out, because that video is such a classic.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
And I don't think I really became like fully.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
Obsessed with the song until even later, kind of like
high school era, but just really love that song.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
It's a song where you have so many hip hop
legends coming together to make something that's totally original, even
unlike the stuff that they've done before. I mean, it's
a perfect love song. It's one of the all time
perfect love songs.
Speaker 4 (01:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
So this song was originally well, the beat was at
least originally created for a song for a project Pat
called Chose You, and it was supposed to you know,
it was on his album It was you could hear
the song and it is the beat from this project
Pat song, and then was repurposed for International Players Anthem
(01:55):
by EUGK, who are of course one of the most
iconic rap groups of all time, iconic Texas Southern rap
duo of Pimpsey and bun Bee, and Pimpsey loved this
beat and wanted to want to.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
Have it live its full life, its full.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
Potential of being a hit, which he was completely correct
about the fact that the song was meant to be
a hit, and worked out.
Speaker 3 (02:18):
Perfectly unbelievable and a great sort of summit in hip
hop that you have Basically you have Houston, Atlanta, and
Memphis coming together and all these legends who are making
their contributions and collaborating in the deepest sense.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
Yeah, this was Outcast kind of post hey I speaker
box love.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
Below blow up of that time.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
One of the biggest acts in the entire world at
this moment, and here's the song. Separately, they're not recording
music at the time together and ends up finding a
way onto this and creates I think, honestly like two
of the best verses that Andrea or Big Boy have
ever done. And I'm a huge fan of Outcast and
love many of their songs, but I think that their
(03:03):
verses on the song are two of their finess that
they were done.
Speaker 3 (03:05):
Yes, nuts, and they're both absolutely peaking in these verses
on their friend's record or even an Outcast record.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
Yeah, And even like you know, Andre wasn't really rappy
at that time much. He was kind of you know,
doing more singing at the time and acting, and so
it was already kind of like rare at this particular
moment for Andre three thousand to hear this beat and
be so kind of inspired by it and want to
write a new rap verse for it, which was you know,
ended up working out super well opens the song and
(03:36):
is just I mean an instant classic of kind of
his entire canon.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
Andrea's verse alone makes this song a classic before it's
a minute into a song that just keeps building from there.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
Every single verse has some of my favorite lines in music.
It's kind of like pretty remarkable how loaded this entire
song is. But the Andre three thousand verse has, It's
just like I every time I hear that one is
just like an absolute, like a new line every single time.
Like like today it's been like I seee every girl
that I see see around town has been just kind
(04:07):
of like rattling in my brain every five seconds. And
I just absolutely incredible wordplay all throughout.
Speaker 3 (04:12):
I'm such a pit I'm glad. It's nice. Yes, so good,
rarely come a quick with rear view mirrors. There's so
much Any line of this song is like somebody else's
entire song. Yeah, just in one line in this first yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
I mean, there's such like a great kind of I mean,
the framing of the song has outcasts. It starts with Andrea,
and then it kind of goes into UGK in the
center and then of course ending with Big Boy. But
you know, it's such a great sort of this. I
mean again like the meeting of these like Southern rap legends,
the kind of the kind of different energies that they're
all bringing to the song and kind of just like
(04:50):
showcasing them at their peaks, like showcasing what they sort
of inspired and the groundwork that they laid, just like
at their absolute peaks of their music creation and careers.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
Yeah, exactly, totally peaking. And even though we're very used
to hearing these artists, I mean, they were all super
well known at the time, yet they're all doing something
that is outside their usual zone.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
Yeah. And even just like the way that the production
of it works, kind of that the very like dynamic
way of the sample and the drums going in and out.
I mean, of course, like Andrea's kind of creates this
very romantic, very kind of like softness to the song
that it sort of promises at the beginning. You know,
just just hearing that Willly Hutch sample having him kind
(05:34):
of you know, be very kind of peak Andre three thousand,
romantic lead type of you know, like opening that we
get from this or I guess like troubled romantically.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
Kind of opening for Andre.
Speaker 1 (05:46):
And then just the way that the drums drop right
before Pimpsy's verse is just like, I mean, anytime I've
heard that at a party or anywhere, it's like been
like the best moment of that kind of like going
into Pimsy being like a bit of cheesy lover.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
I think it just kind of goes into that amazing
one of the best drops.
Speaker 3 (06:04):
Yeah, Andre's verse, it's I mean, it's so emotional, it's
so intense, it's beyond anything. It's just very different from
anything he'd tried before.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
Yeah, yeah, I mean there's such a great narrative that's
happening through the song, and they play within the video
of course, but it's it's very much the premise is
set out by Andre's versu of like he's met the
love of his life and his friends are kind of
are giving him the friend warning of you know, are
you sure is this the right person? Is this going
to work out? Like if it doesn't work out, you know,
(06:34):
you're really really screwed.
Speaker 4 (06:35):
If it doesn't.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
And then just a bunch of kind of you know,
the worst and best case scenarios play out over the
next three verses, which I just love that bactone to it.
Speaker 3 (06:44):
Yeah. This was my teenage nephew's first tattoo. Yeah, and
it's just really beautiful. His first tattoo was just the
line keep your heart stacks, keep your heart. Yeah, such
a powerful line, such an amazing to me. It's a
super inspiring tattoo. I think it's the only song on
the entire five hundred songs list that one of my
(07:05):
family members has tattooed onto their body.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
And what better one to have.
Speaker 3 (07:09):
Yeah, it's but it's that kind of song where lines
like that, just as you said, that verse builds and
reaches the part where there's the emotional urge and the
warning to pull back from that urge. Yeah, both so powerful.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
And then of course going into Pimp and Bunbee's verses,
which are just so I mean like like so fun,
so high energy, I mean, kind of peak EUGK. Kind
of what you want from EGK is like right in
the smack dab in the heart of this entire song
of them just kind of having the most like lyrical fun.
What do you think it is that has kind of
kept this song kind of growing beyond its era. I mean,
(07:45):
I think it's one of the you know, this percentage
of songs from that time that has just like kind
of it feels like, continues to get more popular and
continues to kind of find, you know, a huge and
much larger fan base.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
Yeah, it's a song I think because it reaches such
emotional extremes in all different directions. Andrea's versus very romantic,
also very sad, Yeah, and then it gets into the
hardcore parts and it covers all those emotional extremes but
also the musical extremes of like we get this super
sweet you know, seventy soul sample with just the strings,
(08:18):
it's so beautiful on its own. With the totally hardcore drums, yeah,
it's a different thing. And then just the drums by themselves,
it's like the sweetness is just a memory. Yeah. So
there's so many extremes in one song, but it flows
so beautifully.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
Yeah. I've always been surprised that, like, especially because there's
been so much pop nostalgia for this particular kind of
like decade in pop and rap music where there's you
know a lot of these like famous samples or kind
of original beats are repurposed so much. I've kind of
been surprised that no one's touched this, Like I feel
like it's you know, I feel I've gotten like multiple
songs of samples like freakaly, you know, like I'm like
(08:55):
shock that this song hasn't like kind of unless I've
missed something like there. I feel like I've always shocked
that this song has come back in a new format.
Speaker 3 (09:03):
I guess it's one of those untouchable songs.
Speaker 1 (09:05):
Yeah, tight of heart, I mean, because even it's like,
not only is the original version has existed, of course,
the you know the UGK and three six Mafia that
version has been released, which is also.
Speaker 3 (09:15):
Excellent one of the great Oscar moments of all time. Hyeah,
it's the presentation for Best Song in Queen Latifa's opening
the envelope and she just goes, it's hard out here
for a pimp. Just unbelievably beautiful.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
And I remember watching that Oscars Live but I was
I hadn't even seen that movie, and I was so excited,
Like I was just.
Speaker 2 (09:35):
Like, I was like, this is so exciting. I love
three six Mafia.
Speaker 3 (09:37):
Yes, John Stewart said, if you're keeping score, at home
for Oscars tonight, Martin Scorsese zero three six Mafia. I
think it just got easier out here for a pimp.
It was just a really beautiful moment. I always remember
specifically Dolly Parton was also nominated that year, and she
was in the audience and just her excitement when they
(09:59):
announ three six Mafia's name, and she was so happy
to cheer for you know, other Tennessee legends. Yeah, and
it was just like really beautiful music celebration moment.
Speaker 4 (10:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
I mean, I mean this specific era within especially with
Southern rap at this time, I mean, being such like
the dominant force in pop music. I mean it was
like pretty remarkable to kind of have again, like all
these artists come together. But also I mean this was
this was like the sound of radio at this time.
This was what was overtaking everything. Were these artists were
(10:30):
these specific rap communities, you know, Atlanta and Houston and Tennessee,
like all these like artists are like Memphis, like they're
all kind of like this was what was the most
popular and dominant genres in cities at that time. I
feel like and kind of again makes a song even
larger than life and more special.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
Yeah, and this is also like during a period, like
you said, like these these Southern rappers, this is the
most dominant force in pop music at the time, and
everything happening in New Orleans as well, which is so key.
The idea that all these Southern rap capitals that had
their own thriving scenes that they were interacting like this
(11:10):
was really kind of amazing. I mean, this was, you know,
an era where everything happening in New Orleans was about
to blow up on an even bigger level.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
Yeah, and what do you think about the legacy of
UGK specifically and kind of like how that was being
established already then but kind of has grown over over
the years.
Speaker 3 (11:28):
I mean they just their legend just grows over the years.
I mean, part of that is just it's just so
sad and tragic that we lost Pimpsey died in two
thousand and seven. Yeah, really soon after this song came out,
just really shocking, and Bunbee has really sort of beautifully
carried the torch since then.
Speaker 5 (11:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (11:45):
Of course this was the last video that he had
made with Bunbee and for EGK, and you know, I mean,
like a what a great sort of like kind of
cap on a legacy that honestly should have continued going
on much longer, but much longer.
Speaker 3 (11:58):
Yeah, and this record was taking them to another level
of fame after yours of being the Underground Kings, and
so it seemed like they were about to get another
sort of breakthrough that never got to follow up.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
Yeah, and it just felt like kind of a new
beginning was starting with Yeah.
Speaker 3 (12:16):
Yeah, really kind of amazing to see a song like
this become, as you said, a wedding song, Yeah, just
because it has that real opening fanfare, which is really
kind of different from what's going on in the lyrics,
but it's got that sweet fanfare, and then it's very
like dance floor friendly. Yeah, even though there's a lot
going on in the song emotionally.
Speaker 1 (12:37):
I consider it a really great love song, even though
if you listen very closely to the lyrics.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
It's not technically a love song, but it kind of is.
Speaker 1 (12:43):
There is so much work. I mean, I think it's
also really that really huch sample. I mean, there's so
much of that, like the passion in the I Choose
You and like the vocal runs of it just kind
of really there's so much romance and like you know,
passion in saying I choose you Amidstone being like, you know,
like you're gonna like be left of the kid and
(13:04):
wear a condom and.
Speaker 2 (13:05):
Like like all of that.
Speaker 1 (13:07):
So, you know, but it's it's hard to not count
it as a as a wedding song.
Speaker 2 (13:12):
Of course, the video is a wedding theme video.
Speaker 1 (13:15):
Andrew three thousand is at the altar and sort of
like you know, big Boy and Pimpsy and Bundy are
kind of playing all these kind of you know, characters
within the video that sort of are engaged with all
these hydrinks and things that go wrong on the wedding day.
Speaker 2 (13:26):
But you know, also has.
Speaker 1 (13:28):
Just a lot of really great cameos within the video,
Millionaires in there and Tea pain and of course Lucas
Haas is always at the scene of the crime. And
you know, it's like it's just a really kind of
fun sort of wedding theme video that kind of made
it much more of that very millennial kind of wedding song,
said it is. When you listen to it now, it's
(13:48):
just like there's nothing like it, Like there's nothing that
like feels like as weird, which is again why so
so many people are sampling songs constantly, like you're hearing
like those like those beats kind of like again because
they were just like so strange and unique and fun
and over the top.
Speaker 2 (14:04):
But yeah, it's such a it's such a perfect song.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
A perfect song. Well, and it's not a kid's song emotionally, Yeah,
it's especially compared to a lot of what was huge
at the time. It's it's very adult. There's a lot
of adult regret in it.
Speaker 1 (14:18):
Yeah, I mean again, like technically not a love song,
but kind of.
Speaker 3 (14:23):
Well, there is love song going on in it.
Speaker 2 (14:25):
There's love in there.
Speaker 1 (14:26):
You know, he, like Andre is, he is choosing her
at the end of the day. You know, he is
cec every girl I see around town to let them know,
Like even as people say, don't do it, reconsider, he's
still choosing her.
Speaker 3 (14:39):
Were all trying to get chose.
Speaker 1 (14:42):
I mean, it is the player's anthem, you know, it
is every Every player settles down at some point.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
At least of this song.
Speaker 3 (14:49):
Absolutely, And now we are honored to speak to the
great bun Bee of UGK.
Speaker 1 (14:57):
We are joined now by the legend Bunbe of UGK.
Thank you so much again for being on our podcast
and talking about this wonderful.
Speaker 5 (15:05):
Song, no problem, thank you for having me, thank you
for having the song.
Speaker 3 (15:08):
Yeah, as Brittany said, we're both obsessed with this song.
It's one of the greatest songs ever. We both had
it on our lists for this just a perfect, phenomenal
song that never stops.
Speaker 1 (15:19):
Yeah, what do you remember a little bit about recording
this song? I mean, like, did it was it something
that was coming together super easy when when you and
Pimp were working on it, or was it something that
kind of it took a while for you to kind
of get right.
Speaker 5 (15:32):
The story starts, I'm gonna guess around two thousand and four,
two thousand and five this season, Carson rated Project Pat
releases an album and it has a song on it
call I Choose You. While Pimp is flocked up in prison,
he gets the album. Here's the song. It's his favorite
song on the album. He just really loves how the
song was put together. He comes home. We Reunited YOUGK.
(15:54):
We're getting ready to record our album and we've we've
done a couple of songs already, and so one of
the the thing that we wanted to do was definitely
go out and connect with three six Mafia, good friends
of ours, Choosing and Pad and Google, rest In Piece
and Infamous Resting Piece. If they're all really good friends
of ours, so we really wanted to do some more
music with them, you know, before Pimpa gone to prison,
(16:16):
UGK and three six Mafia were actually in them in
the beginning stages of forming a super group called Underground Mafia.
There were two songs recorded for that album. One of
them is sip It on Scissor, which went on three
six Mafia's album, and the other one was called like
a Pimp, which went on ugks I want to say
Dirty Money album. So fast forward, we're in Los Angeles
(16:40):
with the guys and we're in the studio and they're like, so,
what kind of.
Speaker 4 (16:44):
Song y'all want to do?
Speaker 5 (16:45):
And Chad was like, well, I'm gonna be honest, man,
before we even get started, and I need to tell
y'all that I choose you record that y'all.
Speaker 4 (16:51):
Did for pro Ja Pee. That's the hit record.
Speaker 5 (16:54):
Y'all need to y'all need to figure out how to
put that album back out, put that single back.
Speaker 4 (16:58):
Out because that's a hit record.
Speaker 5 (17:01):
And they're like, oh man, that that album, that album's
gone you know, well he's already working on new music
and you know, we kind of passed that pimpo.
Speaker 4 (17:09):
He's like, no, I man, I'm telling you that was
a hit record.
Speaker 5 (17:11):
That was the best album, best song on that album,
but literally one of the best best records I've heard
a long time. That's the hit rerecord. Y'all need to
put it out again. And they were like, no, we're
not doing that. We're not gonna put that out again.
Speaker 4 (17:22):
We appreciate.
Speaker 5 (17:23):
Chad was like, take you what, give me the track,
and they were like, what do you mean. He was like,
give me the track, give me the music for that song.
I'm I'm gonna show you that that's a hit record.
They're like, Chad, we we can make you a million beats.
We can make you, you know, a million beats that
sound like that.
Speaker 4 (17:39):
That's not a problem. We can do that, you know.
Speaker 5 (17:40):
And I was sleep and he was like, no, no,
I'll tell you that one right there, just like it's produced.
Give me that, give me that record right there. So
we record an entire song and it and you know,
the background to the music players anthem mins I choose you,
which is it's exactly the same beat from project Pat's album.
So we record the album. We finished the album, Ji
(18:02):
puts together a sampler. The sampler goes out during the
All Star weekend in Los Angeles. Somehow Big Boy and
Andre separately because they're not recording at the time. Andre
is doing more acting at the time, right, so they
both get their hands on the sampler. I get a
call from hey man, I listened to the sample. I
(18:24):
love what y'all doing. Is this album to finish? Like? No,
this album, I'll finish it off great. I would love
to get on the I choose you record.
Speaker 4 (18:31):
You know.
Speaker 5 (18:32):
We be like, okay, no problem, but I just want
to wrap to the sample. I don't want to wrap
to the drums. Okay, no problem. If you hear on
the record, that's what he's wrapping to. We also get
a call at the same time from Big Boy, hey man,
listen to this sample.
Speaker 4 (18:48):
I love this. Are y'all done with the album? No?
Speaker 5 (18:51):
Not necessarily? What are you thinking, man? I really love
that I choose you record, Man, I think it's amazing.
I would love to wrap on it. Is it anyway
I could like redo the drums and just wrap over
some drums on it.
Speaker 4 (19:04):
We were like, well, I.
Speaker 5 (19:05):
Don't know about redoing the drum, because you've got to
talk to Jucy and Paul about that. But for if
you just want to rap over the drums, that's fine,
and you listen to the finished product, the beginning of
his versus him rapping just over the drums, and this
I think really speaks to the yin and yang combination
that is outcast. Right now, while all of this is
going on, the album is finished being recorded. Three six
(19:27):
Mafia wins the Oscar for as Hard out Here for
a pimp. Like most Oscar winners, the notion is that
if you win an Oscar, your rate goes up. Right,
everyone that wins an Oscar an Academy award, their rate
goes up. Three six Mafia assumes the same thing. So
they go into their record company, which I believe was
Sony at the time, and try to renegotiate because their
(19:50):
Academy award wins, and they're like, yeah, from what I
remember the guy tell him, it was kind of more like, yeah, well,
it's not really y'all record, right, it's actually the guy
from and the movie is rapping the record. You guys
were just the writers and the producers. But It's not
like you a three six Mafia recorded record, right, something
that would have gotten you know, radio play and been
much more monetized by the record company as opposed to
(20:14):
the film company and the soundtracks. They got into this
big thing with the record company because of it, and
they ended up basically being put to the side.
Speaker 4 (20:21):
So they weren't clearing three.
Speaker 5 (20:23):
Six Mafia as a rap group for any song called collaboration,
but their production deal is separate from their artists did
so while they're not able to no longer be rappers
on this song, the beats still stage. That's why the
original version of International Players Apple was just UGK three
six Mathias and there's a version of that out there
(20:45):
that exists. So now we have this outcast version of
this record right now. Outcasts and I are both under
the same publishing umbrella, which was Ample Music, So theoretically
we didn't have to clear Outcasts as a group, but
we had and told either artists that.
Speaker 4 (21:02):
The other was on the song.
Speaker 5 (21:04):
So then it became this whole thing of trying to
figure out how to have that conversation.
Speaker 4 (21:09):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 5 (21:09):
So we go to Andre first because we figured, you know,
Andresa furtherest removed from the recorded process.
Speaker 4 (21:15):
We go to Andrea, let it know, Hey.
Speaker 5 (21:17):
This is what the song's going to be, like, you know,
this is what we're thinking they're doing, like and we
don't really have to clear good y'all under the same
unbella with us. Andre was like, cool, no problem, I
got no problem with that. But just how y'all know
I'm not doing a video. I'm not doing a video.
I'm not doing that right now. I don't have a
problem being on the song. I have a probably being
on the song were big, We're just not doing no video.
I was like, okay, we'll across that bridge when we
get there.
Speaker 4 (21:37):
Right.
Speaker 5 (21:37):
So now we have the guys that approved that good
to go on the song. But of course the wret
the companies like we got to get a video for this,
and so I was like, okay, let's call Brian. Brian
I'm speaking of with Brian Barber, who was their longtime
video collaborator directed a lot of their fourth winning videos
to Put to Miss Jackson, which was an award winning
video as well in its own right, and I believe
(21:58):
he was the director of Idle. If I'm not mistaken,
If I go to Brian, I said, look, I really need.
Speaker 4 (22:04):
Andre to do a video for this song.
Speaker 5 (22:06):
I was like, we're going to hire you as director
and give him full creative control for the video. Do
you think you yourself? He's like, I'm about to take
it to him. He bit came up with the idea
for the video that we have with the wedding and
the whole theme of having a wedding, got the record recorded.
The record ended up replacing the original version with UGK
(22:29):
and three six Mafia, but the music video featured everybody,
and as they say, the rest is now rolling stone history.
Speaker 1 (22:37):
I love that story so much, especially the video part
whers and now why do the video and ended up
being the star of.
Speaker 3 (22:46):
Of course, right, but amazing that all these stories come
together for this one song.
Speaker 5 (22:52):
I think it's one of the greatest Southern hip hop
moments of all time, right, even without three six Mafia
being lyrically featured on the song. It's a collaboration with
UGK and Outcasts, produced by three six Mafia, three of
the you know leading forces in Southern hip hop, if
not mainstream hip hop culture. All of us have had
you know top, you know top releasing albums and songs
(23:13):
and whatnot and highly regarded, you.
Speaker 4 (23:15):
Know, respectively.
Speaker 5 (23:16):
And there is actually, if you, if you search deep enough,
somewhere in the internet's recipes Dallas Pen there is a
version of UGK Outcasts and three.
Speaker 4 (23:28):
Six Mafia to this song. It's pretty long, but it's
out there.
Speaker 1 (23:33):
And I want to go back to, you know, recognizing
that that particular beat was the foundation of a really
great I mean, you know, it was already the foundation
of one really great song, but you know, had this
potential to be a hit. What what was it about
that really hutch sample and those drums that really stuck
out to you and felt so particularly special and inspiring
(23:54):
to you.
Speaker 4 (23:55):
In that moment. Look, I'll be very honest. This is
not me.
Speaker 5 (23:57):
This is PIMC scene. This is Pimc's clarity. And this
is not the first time that he had done this.
We had done this before with the song one Day.
One Day was originally a song that was a closing
song on an artist name three to two Rest in Pieces,
his first solo project.
Speaker 4 (24:12):
He had played us the entire album.
Speaker 5 (24:14):
We thought the album was great, but Pimp was like, hey,
the one Day record, that's your hit record. That's the
best record. Got like, no, it's too slow, is depressing.
I don't think it's going to fit on the album.
He's like, you're crazy, that's the best record you made.
Speaker 4 (24:25):
He wasn't really feeling it. Pemp said, say give it
to me, Give it to me.
Speaker 5 (24:31):
So that's why he's actually on the first verse of
One Day, which is on our seminal album, Ryan Dirty,
and one of our most highly regarded recordings is the
One Day record. So Pimp just had I tell people
all the time, probably had one of the best ears
for music I've ever seen. And when Pimp says it's
a hit, I think if Pimpse tells you what you've
(24:51):
got in front of you is a hit record, you
either you need to listen to him or just.
Speaker 4 (24:56):
Give it to him and let him show you. And
that's what happened.
Speaker 5 (24:59):
It was it was beautifully sampled. I think, you know,
they're really good drum programmers as well, right. I think
that's one thing that three six Mafia production is highly
regarded for is their drum instrumentation, and I think this
record was was no different. I think it was a
perfectly paced drums pasted this sample because you know, you
(25:21):
could do this sample.
Speaker 4 (25:22):
It's a very laid back record.
Speaker 5 (25:24):
Three six Mafia is known for being more of an
energetic group, so having those double time drums allows people
who are laid back, like an Andre, who wanted to
do something more laid back.
Speaker 4 (25:34):
So that's why he asks for the drums to be removed, right,
because the drums.
Speaker 5 (25:38):
Would have been a little bit too off pace to
really let him set the tone for the record in
that way. And then, of course, I mean you hear
him rap like that, and then once those drums actually
kick in and PIPSI starts going, Now we're in a
whole other space with this record.
Speaker 4 (25:53):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 5 (25:53):
It's just a beautifully crafted production that I think plays
to almost everyone's sensitivity. Is because like all great producers,
they take they're not willing to just force music down
people's throats.
Speaker 4 (26:05):
They're willing to take notes. They took Andre's notes.
Speaker 5 (26:07):
They took first, they took Pimp's notes to actually go
give us that record, right, They took Andre's notes, the
musical cues that he wanted to rat to the same
thing with Big Boy, and it just becomes a perfect combination.
And that just really speaks to the give and tape
that true producers are, true artist size in shape should say,
really come to when they look at full collaboration. Right,
(26:29):
But you know these guys are willing to listen to
you know, Andrea and big voice, respective artistic interpretation of
what they produced, and I think it just makes for
a full fucking record.
Speaker 3 (26:39):
Well, then all these artists on this record, who we
all knew well at the time, We all knew the voices,
we all knew the beats. But everybody is at peak strength.
Never nobody's doing anything they ever did before.
Speaker 4 (26:53):
This is fair, No, this is fair. I mean three
SIG Mafia as a group are at a very high level.
Speaker 5 (26:57):
Outcasts of course, one of the biggest groups in the world,
UGK having this ton of momentum with PIMC being home
from prison.
Speaker 4 (27:05):
I just think the stars aligned perfectly.
Speaker 5 (27:07):
And keep in mind, all of us, all three of
these groups were great friends, right, not just people with
mutual respect for each other, not just acquaintances student music industry.
We're all really really good friends, just never really had
the positioning of where, you know, everyone was in a
space to be able to do something like this at
the same time, and Again, this was not even supposed
(27:29):
to be the record.
Speaker 4 (27:31):
Right.
Speaker 5 (27:31):
Had three six Mafia been cleared, this would have been
a remix, right. Could you imagine that this outcast person
would have been a remix?
Speaker 4 (27:38):
It would have come later, right.
Speaker 5 (27:41):
But I think everything happens for a reason. And look,
you talk to V six Mafia, they don't feel like
they lost on this record.
Speaker 4 (27:47):
They're still the soundtrack to this record.
Speaker 5 (27:48):
This record doesn't hit like it does if they don't
program those drums and chop that loop sample in the
way that they do. You know what I'm saying, it's
just as much their record, if not more, because they're producer.
Is they're half responsible for this record just to those
two guys, and the other four guys are over split
in the other half, you know what I'm saying. But
(28:09):
it's a perfect match, maybe, headbitch, And I think you're right.
I think everyone's in a perfect place for this record
to really be fully received by so many different people
because UGK three six Mafia, while having their own very broad,
respective audiences, do have that great point of overlap, right,
And I think that's the that's the backbone of this
(28:30):
record becoming a hit. And as it spreads out through
our respective audience, through three six Mafias respective audience and outcast.
Speaker 4 (28:37):
Audience as well. It just starts to reach more and
more people.
Speaker 5 (28:41):
But it's fulfilling, just as fulfilling for a UGK fan,
I think as it is for a three six Mafia
fan and for an outcast fan, because we're all doing
what we're already highly regarded and respected for.
Speaker 1 (28:51):
Yeah, yeah, you know with the song especially, it's so
you know, you could really hear how much fun and
how inspired each of you are with each of your are.
And I mean there's such incredible wordplay and eat like
such an amazing like one or two liners on this
song that I feel like every time I listen to it,
a new one kind of becomes my favorite immediately on
that listen. I'm curious, what are some of your favorite
(29:13):
lines or moments on the song?
Speaker 4 (29:15):
Oh it's a gotta be don't do it? Reconsider read
some litter We could all I'm sure go on and
on for days.
Speaker 5 (29:22):
It's just about how beautiful of a writer, deeply thoughtful
of a writer Andre is.
Speaker 4 (29:27):
This versus is no exception. By taking the drums out,
it brings a totally.
Speaker 5 (29:32):
Different type of aura to this record, like it starts
as a totally different record than what it becomes, and
that's that's a gift of laundres Is, Like, I know
what this record is going to sound like. I can
hear it with everybody, wrap it to this drums and
it's it's that kind of record, and I'm good with that,
and I think my contribution might be different. So let's
make sure that it's separate from what the rest of
the record is tone wise, so that I don't take
(29:53):
away from what everyone else is doing, and what they're
doing doesn't really get in the way of what I'm
trying to present. Every nobody's giving this way more deep
of a thought than people really give this record consideration.
For big boys just taking in the same way, this
record's going to be going at this pace, in this tempo.
Let me try to break it down, cut through the
monotony a little bit, try to put my little swag
(30:15):
and swear on it, you know what I'm saying. And
then Pimph and I are just doing what we do
right because we set the initial tone and we're just
going off of the chorus and going off of the
history of this record, you know, it drawing from the
mac soundtrack and all of that, you know, just the
reputation that really hutches music and this amazing soundtrack that
you put together already exists on so we don't want
it the way of this record. And that's again speaking
(30:37):
to the beautiful production by three six Mafia. They create
a song that has its own energy but also allows
you entry points without getting in the way of what
the artists are trying to present.
Speaker 4 (30:47):
It's really a well done piece of work by amazing arts.
Speaker 3 (30:51):
Yeah, is it ever a surprise to you that this
song had the impact it had and has the long
life that it has.
Speaker 4 (30:58):
Here's what's crazy.
Speaker 5 (31:00):
I don't know if Andre doesn't do a wedding theme video,
if this is like this wedding song, because I'm not
sure if you're aware of this, but this is a
huge wedding song now in the world.
Speaker 4 (31:12):
Yeah. Right.
Speaker 5 (31:12):
So many people have come up to me and said,
we walked out to this record. It was our second dance, right.
I came out with my grooms man, you know, me
and my bridesman. So many different aspects of weddings have
utilized this record, right, And again I know that that's
part of what the verse is in the beginning of
the song, but just the visual compliment of that setting
(31:33):
the tone for the record, which still allows me to
be the mac, allows Pimpsy to be the pimp, allows
the big boy to be the player, while still having
Andre in this very honest, sincere moment that he's having
with his closest friends.
Speaker 4 (31:47):
Right. It just really they.
Speaker 5 (31:49):
Encapsulated everyone's personality, everyone's character while tying in the overall
theme of the record.
Speaker 2 (31:56):
Yeah, thank you so much, fun VI, this was awesome.
Thank you so much for for doing.
Speaker 3 (32:00):
Thank you and honor to speak to you.
Speaker 5 (32:02):
I'm so happy, I'm very seldom I'm a forward the
opportunity to tell this story at full length.
Speaker 2 (32:07):
Yeah, we love that.
Speaker 3 (32:09):
Yeah, we could go on all day.
Speaker 4 (32:11):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (32:12):
Typically these things go chronologically and by the time we
get to that record, we're probably going into the fourth
quarter and then I know that time get to do
a deep dive, so it's always truncated. But I figured
for Rolling Stone, if anybody should get the full story,
why not you guys.
Speaker 2 (32:27):
Yeah, and we wholeheartedly appreciate that. This is again we
love the song.
Speaker 3 (32:31):
Yeah, what a story, And I love how you talk
about all the how everybody was so creative in it
and such big fans of each other, and you definitely
hear that.
Speaker 5 (32:40):
You hear it in the finished work, right, A bunch
of people who are really great at what they do,
having a great time with the people. They're doing it
with that energy that you get from the record, its
reflective of the energy that we had record.
Speaker 3 (32:56):
Thank you for this song and thanks for talking about
it with us today.
Speaker 2 (33:00):
I hope you get to leave them all soon.
Speaker 4 (33:01):
Yeah, no problem. I'm holding up the Findy dressing room
right now.
Speaker 3 (33:06):
Thank you, guys, Thank you, Thank you so much, No problem.
Thanks so much for listening to Rolling Stone's five hundred
Greatest Songs. This podcast is brought to you by Rolling
Stone and iHeartMedia. Written and hosted by me, Rob Sheffield
and Britney Spanos, Executive produced by Gus Winner, Jason Fine,
(33:28):
Alex Dale and Christian Horde, and produced by Jesse Cannon,
with music supervision by Eric Zeiler. Thanks for listening.
Welcome to five hundred Greatest Songs, a podcast based on
Rolling Stones hugely popular, influential, and sometimes controversial lists.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
I'm Britney Spanis and.
Speaker 3 (00:09):
I'm Rob Sheffield and we're here to shed light on
the greatest songs ever made and discover what makes them
so great. This week, we're diving into a classic international
player's anthem by UGK featuring the Outcast.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
An absolute sanger of a song. Love the song so.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
Much, personal favorite person obsession for both of us.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Yeah, so this song is.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
It ranks at number ninety one on the Greatest Songs
of All Time list.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
It is an absolute classic.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
It's one of my favorite I think like maybe was
like the highest ranking, one of the highest ranking songs
on my ballot, Like it think it was like top
five or top ten. Yeah, same, Yeah, it had to be,
like honestly, might have been number two.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
I would be shocked if it weren't unbelievable.
Speaker 3 (00:54):
A song that gets more famous every year, A song
that was just instantly an attention getter when it came out. Yeah,
just to stop you in your tracks kind of song,
and that effect just never fades over time.
Speaker 4 (01:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
Yeah, I remember watching the video so vividly when it
came out, because that video is such a classic.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
And I don't think I really became like fully.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
Obsessed with the song until even later, kind of like
high school era, but just really love that song.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
It's a song where you have so many hip hop
legends coming together to make something that's totally original, even
unlike the stuff that they've done before. I mean, it's
a perfect love song. It's one of the all time
perfect love songs.
Speaker 4 (01:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
So this song was originally well, the beat was at
least originally created for a song for a project Pat
called Chose You, and it was supposed to you know,
it was on his album It was you could hear
the song and it is the beat from this project
Pat song, and then was repurposed for International Players Anthem
(01:55):
by EUGK, who are of course one of the most
iconic rap groups of all time, iconic Texas Southern rap
duo of Pimpsey and bun Bee, and Pimpsey loved this
beat and wanted to want to.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
Have it live its full life, its full.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
Potential of being a hit, which he was completely correct
about the fact that the song was meant to be
a hit, and worked out.
Speaker 3 (02:18):
Perfectly unbelievable and a great sort of summit in hip
hop that you have Basically you have Houston, Atlanta, and
Memphis coming together and all these legends who are making
their contributions and collaborating in the deepest sense.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
Yeah, this was Outcast kind of post hey I speaker
box love.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
Below blow up of that time.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
One of the biggest acts in the entire world at
this moment, and here's the song. Separately, they're not recording
music at the time together and ends up finding a
way onto this and creates I think, honestly like two
of the best verses that Andrea or Big Boy have
ever done. And I'm a huge fan of Outcast and
love many of their songs, but I think that their
(03:03):
verses on the song are two of their finess that
they were done.
Speaker 3 (03:05):
Yes, nuts, and they're both absolutely peaking in these verses
on their friend's record or even an Outcast record.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
Yeah, And even like you know, Andre wasn't really rappy
at that time much. He was kind of you know,
doing more singing at the time and acting, and so
it was already kind of like rare at this particular
moment for Andre three thousand to hear this beat and
be so kind of inspired by it and want to
write a new rap verse for it, which was you know,
ended up working out super well opens the song and
(03:36):
is just I mean an instant classic of kind of
his entire canon.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
Andrea's verse alone makes this song a classic before it's
a minute into a song that just keeps building from there.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
Every single verse has some of my favorite lines in music.
It's kind of like pretty remarkable how loaded this entire
song is. But the Andre three thousand verse has, It's
just like I every time I hear that one is
just like an absolute, like a new line every single time.
Like like today it's been like I seee every girl
that I see see around town has been just kind
(04:07):
of like rattling in my brain every five seconds. And
I just absolutely incredible wordplay all throughout.
Speaker 3 (04:12):
I'm such a pit I'm glad. It's nice. Yes, so good,
rarely come a quick with rear view mirrors. There's so
much Any line of this song is like somebody else's
entire song. Yeah, just in one line in this first yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
I mean, there's such like a great kind of I mean,
the framing of the song has outcasts. It starts with Andrea,
and then it kind of goes into UGK in the
center and then of course ending with Big Boy. But
you know, it's such a great sort of this. I
mean again like the meeting of these like Southern rap legends,
the kind of the kind of different energies that they're
all bringing to the song and kind of just like
(04:50):
showcasing them at their peaks, like showcasing what they sort
of inspired and the groundwork that they laid, just like
at their absolute peaks of their music creation and careers.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
Yeah, exactly, totally peaking. And even though we're very used
to hearing these artists, I mean, they were all super
well known at the time, yet they're all doing something
that is outside their usual zone.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
Yeah. And even just like the way that the production
of it works, kind of that the very like dynamic
way of the sample and the drums going in and out.
I mean, of course, like Andrea's kind of creates this
very romantic, very kind of like softness to the song
that it sort of promises at the beginning. You know,
just just hearing that Willly Hutch sample having him kind
(05:34):
of you know, be very kind of peak Andre three thousand,
romantic lead type of you know, like opening that we
get from this or I guess like troubled romantically.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
Kind of opening for Andre.
Speaker 1 (05:46):
And then just the way that the drums drop right
before Pimpsy's verse is just like, I mean, anytime I've
heard that at a party or anywhere, it's like been
like the best moment of that kind of like going
into Pimsy being like a bit of cheesy lover.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
I think it just kind of goes into that amazing
one of the best drops.
Speaker 3 (06:04):
Yeah, Andre's verse, it's I mean, it's so emotional, it's
so intense, it's beyond anything. It's just very different from
anything he'd tried before.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
Yeah, yeah, I mean there's such a great narrative that's
happening through the song, and they play within the video
of course, but it's it's very much the premise is
set out by Andre's versu of like he's met the
love of his life and his friends are kind of
are giving him the friend warning of you know, are
you sure is this the right person? Is this going
to work out? Like if it doesn't work out, you know,
(06:34):
you're really really screwed.
Speaker 4 (06:35):
If it doesn't.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
And then just a bunch of kind of you know,
the worst and best case scenarios play out over the
next three verses, which I just love that bactone to it.
Speaker 3 (06:44):
Yeah. This was my teenage nephew's first tattoo. Yeah, and
it's just really beautiful. His first tattoo was just the
line keep your heart stacks, keep your heart. Yeah, such
a powerful line, such an amazing to me. It's a
super inspiring tattoo. I think it's the only song on
the entire five hundred songs list that one of my
(07:05):
family members has tattooed onto their body.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
And what better one to have.
Speaker 3 (07:09):
Yeah, it's but it's that kind of song where lines
like that, just as you said, that verse builds and
reaches the part where there's the emotional urge and the
warning to pull back from that urge. Yeah, both so powerful.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
And then of course going into Pimp and Bunbee's verses,
which are just so I mean like like so fun,
so high energy, I mean, kind of peak EUGK. Kind
of what you want from EGK is like right in
the smack dab in the heart of this entire song
of them just kind of having the most like lyrical fun.
What do you think it is that has kind of
kept this song kind of growing beyond its era. I mean,
(07:45):
I think it's one of the you know, this percentage
of songs from that time that has just like kind
of it feels like, continues to get more popular and
continues to kind of find, you know, a huge and
much larger fan base.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
Yeah, it's a song I think because it reaches such
emotional extremes in all different directions. Andrea's versus very romantic,
also very sad, Yeah, and then it gets into the
hardcore parts and it covers all those emotional extremes but
also the musical extremes of like we get this super
sweet you know, seventy soul sample with just the strings,
(08:18):
it's so beautiful on its own. With the totally hardcore drums, yeah,
it's a different thing. And then just the drums by themselves,
it's like the sweetness is just a memory. Yeah. So
there's so many extremes in one song, but it flows
so beautifully.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
Yeah. I've always been surprised that, like, especially because there's
been so much pop nostalgia for this particular kind of
like decade in pop and rap music where there's you
know a lot of these like famous samples or kind
of original beats are repurposed so much. I've kind of
been surprised that no one's touched this, Like I feel
like it's you know, I feel I've gotten like multiple
songs of samples like freakaly, you know, like I'm like
(08:55):
shock that this song hasn't like kind of unless I've
missed something like there. I feel like I've always shocked
that this song has come back in a new format.
Speaker 3 (09:03):
I guess it's one of those untouchable songs.
Speaker 1 (09:05):
Yeah, tight of heart, I mean, because even it's like,
not only is the original version has existed, of course,
the you know the UGK and three six Mafia that
version has been released, which is also.
Speaker 3 (09:15):
Excellent one of the great Oscar moments of all time. Hyeah,
it's the presentation for Best Song in Queen Latifa's opening
the envelope and she just goes, it's hard out here
for a pimp. Just unbelievably beautiful.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
And I remember watching that Oscars Live but I was
I hadn't even seen that movie, and I was so excited,
Like I was just.
Speaker 2 (09:35):
Like, I was like, this is so exciting. I love
three six Mafia.
Speaker 3 (09:37):
Yes, John Stewart said, if you're keeping score, at home
for Oscars tonight, Martin Scorsese zero three six Mafia. I
think it just got easier out here for a pimp.
It was just a really beautiful moment. I always remember
specifically Dolly Parton was also nominated that year, and she
was in the audience and just her excitement when they
(09:59):
announ three six Mafia's name, and she was so happy
to cheer for you know, other Tennessee legends. Yeah, and
it was just like really beautiful music celebration moment.
Speaker 4 (10:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
I mean, I mean this specific era within especially with
Southern rap at this time, I mean, being such like
the dominant force in pop music. I mean it was
like pretty remarkable to kind of have again, like all
these artists come together. But also I mean this was
this was like the sound of radio at this time.
This was what was overtaking everything. Were these artists were
(10:30):
these specific rap communities, you know, Atlanta and Houston and Tennessee,
like all these like artists are like Memphis, like they're
all kind of like this was what was the most
popular and dominant genres in cities at that time. I
feel like and kind of again makes a song even
larger than life and more special.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
Yeah, and this is also like during a period, like
you said, like these these Southern rappers, this is the
most dominant force in pop music at the time, and
everything happening in New Orleans as well, which is so key.
The idea that all these Southern rap capitals that had
their own thriving scenes that they were interacting like this
(11:10):
was really kind of amazing. I mean, this was, you know,
an era where everything happening in New Orleans was about
to blow up on an even bigger level.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
Yeah, and what do you think about the legacy of
UGK specifically and kind of like how that was being
established already then but kind of has grown over over
the years.
Speaker 3 (11:28):
I mean they just their legend just grows over the years.
I mean, part of that is just it's just so
sad and tragic that we lost Pimpsey died in two
thousand and seven. Yeah, really soon after this song came out,
just really shocking, and Bunbee has really sort of beautifully
carried the torch since then.
Speaker 5 (11:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (11:45):
Of course this was the last video that he had
made with Bunbee and for EGK, and you know, I mean,
like a what a great sort of like kind of
cap on a legacy that honestly should have continued going
on much longer, but much longer.
Speaker 3 (11:58):
Yeah, and this record was taking them to another level
of fame after yours of being the Underground Kings, and
so it seemed like they were about to get another
sort of breakthrough that never got to follow up.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
Yeah, and it just felt like kind of a new
beginning was starting with Yeah.
Speaker 3 (12:16):
Yeah, really kind of amazing to see a song like
this become, as you said, a wedding song, Yeah, just
because it has that real opening fanfare, which is really
kind of different from what's going on in the lyrics,
but it's got that sweet fanfare, and then it's very
like dance floor friendly. Yeah, even though there's a lot
going on in the song emotionally.
Speaker 1 (12:37):
I consider it a really great love song, even though
if you listen very closely to the lyrics.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
It's not technically a love song, but it kind of is.
Speaker 1 (12:43):
There is so much work. I mean, I think it's
also really that really huch sample. I mean, there's so
much of that, like the passion in the I Choose
You and like the vocal runs of it just kind
of really there's so much romance and like you know,
passion in saying I choose you Amidstone being like, you know,
like you're gonna like be left of the kid and
(13:04):
wear a condom and.
Speaker 2 (13:05):
Like like all of that.
Speaker 1 (13:07):
So, you know, but it's it's hard to not count
it as a as a wedding song.
Speaker 2 (13:12):
Of course, the video is a wedding theme video.
Speaker 1 (13:15):
Andrew three thousand is at the altar and sort of
like you know, big Boy and Pimpsy and Bundy are
kind of playing all these kind of you know, characters
within the video that sort of are engaged with all
these hydrinks and things that go wrong on the wedding day.
Speaker 2 (13:26):
But you know, also has.
Speaker 1 (13:28):
Just a lot of really great cameos within the video,
Millionaires in there and Tea pain and of course Lucas
Haas is always at the scene of the crime. And
you know, it's like it's just a really kind of
fun sort of wedding theme video that kind of made
it much more of that very millennial kind of wedding song,
said it is. When you listen to it now, it's
(13:48):
just like there's nothing like it, Like there's nothing that
like feels like as weird, which is again why so
so many people are sampling songs constantly, like you're hearing
like those like those beats kind of like again because
they were just like so strange and unique and fun
and over the top.
Speaker 2 (14:04):
But yeah, it's such a it's such a perfect song.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
A perfect song. Well, and it's not a kid's song emotionally, Yeah,
it's especially compared to a lot of what was huge
at the time. It's it's very adult. There's a lot
of adult regret in it.
Speaker 1 (14:18):
Yeah, I mean again, like technically not a love song,
but kind of.
Speaker 3 (14:23):
Well, there is love song going on in it.
Speaker 2 (14:25):
There's love in there.
Speaker 1 (14:26):
You know, he, like Andre is, he is choosing her
at the end of the day. You know, he is
cec every girl I see around town to let them know,
Like even as people say, don't do it, reconsider, he's
still choosing her.
Speaker 3 (14:39):
Were all trying to get chose.
Speaker 1 (14:42):
I mean, it is the player's anthem, you know, it
is every Every player settles down at some point.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
At least of this song.
Speaker 3 (14:49):
Absolutely, And now we are honored to speak to the
great bun Bee of UGK.
Speaker 1 (14:57):
We are joined now by the legend Bunbe of UGK.
Thank you so much again for being on our podcast
and talking about this wonderful.
Speaker 5 (15:05):
Song, no problem, thank you for having me, thank you
for having the song.
Speaker 3 (15:08):
Yeah, as Brittany said, we're both obsessed with this song.
It's one of the greatest songs ever. We both had
it on our lists for this just a perfect, phenomenal
song that never stops.
Speaker 1 (15:19):
Yeah, what do you remember a little bit about recording
this song? I mean, like, did it was it something
that was coming together super easy when when you and
Pimp were working on it, or was it something that
kind of it took a while for you to kind
of get right.
Speaker 5 (15:32):
The story starts, I'm gonna guess around two thousand and four,
two thousand and five this season, Carson rated Project Pat
releases an album and it has a song on it
call I Choose You. While Pimp is flocked up in prison,
he gets the album. Here's the song. It's his favorite
song on the album. He just really loves how the
song was put together. He comes home. We Reunited YOUGK.
(15:54):
We're getting ready to record our album and we've we've
done a couple of songs already, and so one of
the the thing that we wanted to do was definitely
go out and connect with three six Mafia, good friends
of ours, Choosing and Pad and Google, rest In Piece
and Infamous Resting Piece. If they're all really good friends
of ours, so we really wanted to do some more
music with them, you know, before Pimpa gone to prison,
(16:16):
UGK and three six Mafia were actually in them in
the beginning stages of forming a super group called Underground Mafia.
There were two songs recorded for that album. One of
them is sip It on Scissor, which went on three
six Mafia's album, and the other one was called like
a Pimp, which went on ugks I want to say
Dirty Money album. So fast forward, we're in Los Angeles
(16:40):
with the guys and we're in the studio and they're like, so,
what kind of.
Speaker 4 (16:44):
Song y'all want to do?
Speaker 5 (16:45):
And Chad was like, well, I'm gonna be honest, man,
before we even get started, and I need to tell
y'all that I choose you record that y'all.
Speaker 4 (16:51):
Did for pro Ja Pee. That's the hit record.
Speaker 5 (16:54):
Y'all need to y'all need to figure out how to
put that album back out, put that single back.
Speaker 4 (16:58):
Out because that's a hit record.
Speaker 5 (17:01):
And they're like, oh man, that that album, that album's
gone you know, well he's already working on new music
and you know, we kind of passed that pimpo.
Speaker 4 (17:09):
He's like, no, I man, I'm telling you that was
a hit record.
Speaker 5 (17:11):
That was the best album, best song on that album,
but literally one of the best best records I've heard
a long time. That's the hit rerecord. Y'all need to
put it out again. And they were like, no, we're
not doing that. We're not gonna put that out again.
Speaker 4 (17:22):
We appreciate.
Speaker 5 (17:23):
Chad was like, take you what, give me the track,
and they were like, what do you mean. He was like,
give me the track, give me the music for that song.
I'm I'm gonna show you that that's a hit record.
They're like, Chad, we we can make you a million beats.
We can make you, you know, a million beats that
sound like that.
Speaker 4 (17:39):
That's not a problem. We can do that, you know.
Speaker 5 (17:40):
And I was sleep and he was like, no, no,
I'll tell you that one right there, just like it's produced.
Give me that, give me that record right there. So
we record an entire song and it and you know,
the background to the music players anthem mins I choose you,
which is it's exactly the same beat from project Pat's album.
So we record the album. We finished the album, Ji
(18:02):
puts together a sampler. The sampler goes out during the
All Star weekend in Los Angeles. Somehow Big Boy and
Andre separately because they're not recording at the time. Andre
is doing more acting at the time, right, so they
both get their hands on the sampler. I get a
call from hey man, I listened to the sample. I
(18:24):
love what y'all doing. Is this album to finish? Like? No,
this album, I'll finish it off great. I would love
to get on the I choose you record.
Speaker 4 (18:31):
You know.
Speaker 5 (18:32):
We be like, okay, no problem, but I just want
to wrap to the sample. I don't want to wrap
to the drums. Okay, no problem. If you hear on
the record, that's what he's wrapping to. We also get
a call at the same time from Big Boy, hey man,
listen to this sample.
Speaker 4 (18:48):
I love this. Are y'all done with the album? No?
Speaker 5 (18:51):
Not necessarily? What are you thinking, man? I really love
that I choose you record, Man, I think it's amazing.
I would love to wrap on it. Is it anyway
I could like redo the drums and just wrap over
some drums on it.
Speaker 4 (19:04):
We were like, well, I.
Speaker 5 (19:05):
Don't know about redoing the drum, because you've got to
talk to Jucy and Paul about that. But for if
you just want to rap over the drums, that's fine,
and you listen to the finished product, the beginning of
his versus him rapping just over the drums, and this
I think really speaks to the yin and yang combination
that is outcast. Right now, while all of this is
going on, the album is finished being recorded. Three six
(19:27):
Mafia wins the Oscar for as Hard out Here for
a pimp. Like most Oscar winners, the notion is that
if you win an Oscar, your rate goes up. Right,
everyone that wins an Oscar an Academy award, their rate
goes up. Three six Mafia assumes the same thing. So
they go into their record company, which I believe was
Sony at the time, and try to renegotiate because their
(19:50):
Academy award wins, and they're like, yeah, from what I
remember the guy tell him, it was kind of more like, yeah, well,
it's not really y'all record, right, it's actually the guy
from and the movie is rapping the record. You guys
were just the writers and the producers. But It's not
like you a three six Mafia recorded record, right, something
that would have gotten you know, radio play and been
much more monetized by the record company as opposed to
(20:14):
the film company and the soundtracks. They got into this
big thing with the record company because of it, and
they ended up basically being put to the side.
Speaker 4 (20:21):
So they weren't clearing three.
Speaker 5 (20:23):
Six Mafia as a rap group for any song called collaboration,
but their production deal is separate from their artists did
so while they're not able to no longer be rappers
on this song, the beats still stage. That's why the
original version of International Players Apple was just UGK three
six Mathias and there's a version of that out there
(20:45):
that exists. So now we have this outcast version of
this record right now. Outcasts and I are both under
the same publishing umbrella, which was Ample Music, So theoretically
we didn't have to clear Outcasts as a group, but
we had and told either artists that.
Speaker 4 (21:02):
The other was on the song.
Speaker 5 (21:04):
So then it became this whole thing of trying to
figure out how to have that conversation.
Speaker 4 (21:09):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 5 (21:09):
So we go to Andre first because we figured, you know,
Andresa furtherest removed from the recorded process.
Speaker 4 (21:15):
We go to Andrea, let it know, Hey.
Speaker 5 (21:17):
This is what the song's going to be, like, you know,
this is what we're thinking they're doing, like and we
don't really have to clear good y'all under the same
unbella with us. Andre was like, cool, no problem, I
got no problem with that. But just how y'all know
I'm not doing a video. I'm not doing a video.
I'm not doing that right now. I don't have a
problem being on the song. I have a probably being
on the song were big, We're just not doing no video.
I was like, okay, we'll across that bridge when we
get there.
Speaker 4 (21:37):
Right.
Speaker 5 (21:37):
So now we have the guys that approved that good
to go on the song. But of course the wret
the companies like we got to get a video for this,
and so I was like, okay, let's call Brian. Brian
I'm speaking of with Brian Barber, who was their longtime
video collaborator directed a lot of their fourth winning videos
to Put to Miss Jackson, which was an award winning
video as well in its own right, and I believe
(21:58):
he was the director of Idle. If I'm not mistaken,
If I go to Brian, I said, look, I really need.
Speaker 4 (22:04):
Andre to do a video for this song.
Speaker 5 (22:06):
I was like, we're going to hire you as director
and give him full creative control for the video. Do
you think you yourself? He's like, I'm about to take
it to him. He bit came up with the idea
for the video that we have with the wedding and
the whole theme of having a wedding, got the record recorded.
The record ended up replacing the original version with UGK
(22:29):
and three six Mafia, but the music video featured everybody,
and as they say, the rest is now rolling stone history.
Speaker 1 (22:37):
I love that story so much, especially the video part
whers and now why do the video and ended up
being the star of.
Speaker 3 (22:46):
Of course, right, but amazing that all these stories come
together for this one song.
Speaker 5 (22:52):
I think it's one of the greatest Southern hip hop
moments of all time, right, even without three six Mafia
being lyrically featured on the song. It's a collaboration with
UGK and Outcasts, produced by three six Mafia, three of
the you know leading forces in Southern hip hop, if
not mainstream hip hop culture. All of us have had
you know top, you know top releasing albums and songs
(23:13):
and whatnot and highly regarded, you.
Speaker 4 (23:15):
Know, respectively.
Speaker 5 (23:16):
And there is actually, if you, if you search deep enough,
somewhere in the internet's recipes Dallas Pen there is a
version of UGK Outcasts and three.
Speaker 4 (23:28):
Six Mafia to this song. It's pretty long, but it's
out there.
Speaker 1 (23:33):
And I want to go back to, you know, recognizing
that that particular beat was the foundation of a really
great I mean, you know, it was already the foundation
of one really great song, but you know, had this
potential to be a hit. What what was it about
that really hutch sample and those drums that really stuck
out to you and felt so particularly special and inspiring
(23:54):
to you.
Speaker 4 (23:55):
In that moment. Look, I'll be very honest. This is
not me.
Speaker 5 (23:57):
This is PIMC scene. This is Pimc's clarity. And this
is not the first time that he had done this.
We had done this before with the song one Day.
One Day was originally a song that was a closing
song on an artist name three to two Rest in Pieces,
his first solo project.
Speaker 4 (24:12):
He had played us the entire album.
Speaker 5 (24:14):
We thought the album was great, but Pimp was like, hey,
the one Day record, that's your hit record. That's the
best record. Got like, no, it's too slow, is depressing.
I don't think it's going to fit on the album.
He's like, you're crazy, that's the best record you made.
Speaker 4 (24:25):
He wasn't really feeling it. Pemp said, say give it
to me, Give it to me.
Speaker 5 (24:31):
So that's why he's actually on the first verse of
One Day, which is on our seminal album, Ryan Dirty,
and one of our most highly regarded recordings is the
One Day record. So Pimp just had I tell people
all the time, probably had one of the best ears
for music I've ever seen. And when Pimp says it's
a hit, I think if Pimpse tells you what you've
(24:51):
got in front of you is a hit record, you
either you need to listen to him or just.
Speaker 4 (24:56):
Give it to him and let him show you. And
that's what happened.
Speaker 5 (24:59):
It was it was beautifully sampled. I think, you know,
they're really good drum programmers as well, right. I think
that's one thing that three six Mafia production is highly
regarded for is their drum instrumentation, and I think this
record was was no different. I think it was a
perfectly paced drums pasted this sample because you know, you
(25:21):
could do this sample.
Speaker 4 (25:22):
It's a very laid back record.
Speaker 5 (25:24):
Three six Mafia is known for being more of an
energetic group, so having those double time drums allows people
who are laid back, like an Andre, who wanted to
do something more laid back.
Speaker 4 (25:34):
So that's why he asks for the drums to be removed, right,
because the drums.
Speaker 5 (25:38):
Would have been a little bit too off pace to
really let him set the tone for the record in
that way. And then, of course, I mean you hear
him rap like that, and then once those drums actually
kick in and PIPSI starts going, Now we're in a
whole other space with this record.
Speaker 4 (25:53):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 5 (25:53):
It's just a beautifully crafted production that I think plays
to almost everyone's sensitivity. Is because like all great producers,
they take they're not willing to just force music down
people's throats.
Speaker 4 (26:05):
They're willing to take notes. They took Andre's notes.
Speaker 5 (26:07):
They took first, they took Pimp's notes to actually go
give us that record, right, They took Andre's notes, the
musical cues that he wanted to rat to the same
thing with Big Boy, and it just becomes a perfect combination.
And that just really speaks to the give and tape
that true producers are, true artist size in shape should say,
really come to when they look at full collaboration. Right,
(26:29):
But you know these guys are willing to listen to
you know, Andrea and big voice, respective artistic interpretation of
what they produced, and I think it just makes for
a full fucking record.
Speaker 3 (26:39):
Well, then all these artists on this record, who we
all knew well at the time, We all knew the voices,
we all knew the beats. But everybody is at peak strength.
Never nobody's doing anything they ever did before.
Speaker 4 (26:53):
This is fair, No, this is fair. I mean three
SIG Mafia as a group are at a very high level.
Speaker 5 (26:57):
Outcasts of course, one of the biggest groups in the world,
UGK having this ton of momentum with PIMC being home
from prison.
Speaker 4 (27:05):
I just think the stars aligned perfectly.
Speaker 5 (27:07):
And keep in mind, all of us, all three of
these groups were great friends, right, not just people with
mutual respect for each other, not just acquaintances student music industry.
We're all really really good friends, just never really had
the positioning of where, you know, everyone was in a
space to be able to do something like this at
the same time, and Again, this was not even supposed
(27:29):
to be the record.
Speaker 4 (27:31):
Right.
Speaker 5 (27:31):
Had three six Mafia been cleared, this would have been
a remix, right. Could you imagine that this outcast person
would have been a remix?
Speaker 4 (27:38):
It would have come later, right.
Speaker 5 (27:41):
But I think everything happens for a reason. And look,
you talk to V six Mafia, they don't feel like
they lost on this record.
Speaker 4 (27:47):
They're still the soundtrack to this record.
Speaker 5 (27:48):
This record doesn't hit like it does if they don't
program those drums and chop that loop sample in the
way that they do. You know what I'm saying, it's
just as much their record, if not more, because they're producer.
Is they're half responsible for this record just to those
two guys, and the other four guys are over split
in the other half, you know what I'm saying. But
(28:09):
it's a perfect match, maybe, headbitch, And I think you're right.
I think everyone's in a perfect place for this record
to really be fully received by so many different people
because UGK three six Mafia, while having their own very broad,
respective audiences, do have that great point of overlap, right,
And I think that's the that's the backbone of this
(28:30):
record becoming a hit. And as it spreads out through
our respective audience, through three six Mafias respective audience and outcast.
Speaker 4 (28:37):
Audience as well. It just starts to reach more and
more people.
Speaker 5 (28:41):
But it's fulfilling, just as fulfilling for a UGK fan,
I think as it is for a three six Mafia
fan and for an outcast fan, because we're all doing
what we're already highly regarded and respected for.
Speaker 1 (28:51):
Yeah, yeah, you know with the song especially, it's so
you know, you could really hear how much fun and
how inspired each of you are with each of your are.
And I mean there's such incredible wordplay and eat like
such an amazing like one or two liners on this
song that I feel like every time I listen to it,
a new one kind of becomes my favorite immediately on
that listen. I'm curious, what are some of your favorite
(29:13):
lines or moments on the song?
Speaker 4 (29:15):
Oh it's a gotta be don't do it? Reconsider read
some litter We could all I'm sure go on and
on for days.
Speaker 5 (29:22):
It's just about how beautiful of a writer, deeply thoughtful
of a writer Andre is.
Speaker 4 (29:27):
This versus is no exception. By taking the drums out,
it brings a totally.
Speaker 5 (29:32):
Different type of aura to this record, like it starts
as a totally different record than what it becomes, and
that's that's a gift of laundres Is, Like, I know
what this record is going to sound like. I can
hear it with everybody, wrap it to this drums and
it's it's that kind of record, and I'm good with that,
and I think my contribution might be different. So let's
make sure that it's separate from what the rest of
the record is tone wise, so that I don't take
(29:53):
away from what everyone else is doing, and what they're
doing doesn't really get in the way of what I'm
trying to present. Every nobody's giving this way more deep
of a thought than people really give this record consideration.
For big boys just taking in the same way, this
record's going to be going at this pace, in this tempo.
Let me try to break it down, cut through the
monotony a little bit, try to put my little swag
(30:15):
and swear on it, you know what I'm saying. And
then Pimph and I are just doing what we do
right because we set the initial tone and we're just
going off of the chorus and going off of the
history of this record, you know, it drawing from the
mac soundtrack and all of that, you know, just the
reputation that really hutches music and this amazing soundtrack that
you put together already exists on so we don't want
it the way of this record. And that's again speaking
(30:37):
to the beautiful production by three six Mafia. They create
a song that has its own energy but also allows
you entry points without getting in the way of what
the artists are trying to present.
Speaker 4 (30:47):
It's really a well done piece of work by amazing arts.
Speaker 3 (30:51):
Yeah, is it ever a surprise to you that this
song had the impact it had and has the long
life that it has.
Speaker 4 (30:58):
Here's what's crazy.
Speaker 5 (31:00):
I don't know if Andre doesn't do a wedding theme video,
if this is like this wedding song, because I'm not
sure if you're aware of this, but this is a
huge wedding song now in the world.
Speaker 4 (31:12):
Yeah. Right.
Speaker 5 (31:12):
So many people have come up to me and said,
we walked out to this record. It was our second dance, right.
I came out with my grooms man, you know, me
and my bridesman. So many different aspects of weddings have
utilized this record, right, And again I know that that's
part of what the verse is in the beginning of
the song, but just the visual compliment of that setting
(31:33):
the tone for the record, which still allows me to
be the mac, allows Pimpsy to be the pimp, allows
the big boy to be the player, while still having
Andre in this very honest, sincere moment that he's having
with his closest friends.
Speaker 4 (31:47):
Right. It just really they.
Speaker 5 (31:49):
Encapsulated everyone's personality, everyone's character while tying in the overall
theme of the record.
Speaker 2 (31:56):
Yeah, thank you so much, fun VI, this was awesome.
Thank you so much for for doing.
Speaker 3 (32:00):
Thank you and honor to speak to you.
Speaker 5 (32:02):
I'm so happy, I'm very seldom I'm a forward the
opportunity to tell this story at full length.
Speaker 2 (32:07):
Yeah, we love that.
Speaker 3 (32:09):
Yeah, we could go on all day.
Speaker 4 (32:11):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (32:12):
Typically these things go chronologically and by the time we
get to that record, we're probably going into the fourth
quarter and then I know that time get to do
a deep dive, so it's always truncated. But I figured
for Rolling Stone, if anybody should get the full story,
why not you guys.
Speaker 2 (32:27):
Yeah, and we wholeheartedly appreciate that. This is again we
love the song.
Speaker 3 (32:31):
Yeah, what a story, And I love how you talk
about all the how everybody was so creative in it
and such big fans of each other, and you definitely
hear that.
Speaker 5 (32:40):
You hear it in the finished work, right, A bunch
of people who are really great at what they do,
having a great time with the people. They're doing it
with that energy that you get from the record, its
reflective of the energy that we had record.
Speaker 3 (32:56):
Thank you for this song and thanks for talking about
it with us today.
Speaker 2 (33:00):
I hope you get to leave them all soon.
Speaker 4 (33:01):
Yeah, no problem. I'm holding up the Findy dressing room
right now.
Speaker 3 (33:06):
Thank you, guys, Thank you, Thank you so much, No problem.
Thanks so much for listening to Rolling Stone's five hundred
Greatest Songs. This podcast is brought to you by Rolling
Stone and iHeartMedia. Written and hosted by me, Rob Sheffield
and Britney Spanos, Executive produced by Gus Winner, Jason Fine,
(33:28):
Alex Dale and Christian Horde, and produced by Jesse Cannon,
with music supervision by Eric Zeiler. Thanks for listening.
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