UGK (short for Underground Kingz) a hip-hop act from Port Arthur, Texas was formed in 1987 by the late Chad "Pimp C" Butler. He then joined with Bernard "Bun B" Freeman who became his longtime partner. They released their first major label album, Too Hard to Swallow in 1992, followed by several other albums charting on the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts, including the self-titled Underground Kingz album which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 in August 2007. The group has also been featured on hit singles by other artists, such as on "Big Pimpin'" by Jay-Z and "Sippin' on Some Syrup" by Three 6 Mafia. On December 4, 2007, Pimp C was found dead in a Hollywood, California hotel room. Pimp C also founded UGK Records in late 2005.
In 1992, UGK was signed to Jive Records under a five-album contract, releasing their major label debut album Too Hard to Swallow. While it featured several new recordings, it also featured several songs that had been culled from The Southern Way., however; several songs that had been intended to be included on the album were excised at the last minute, apparently due to their overly explicit content. Five of these songs would surface two months before the release of Too Hard to Swallow, on an EP distributed by Bigtyme Recordz; appropriately enough, the EP was titled Banned.
