UGK

Spring break… a period of unaccountability for all of us. Sorry in advance if posting slows down, but we all have places to go and friends to see. On another note, Charles Hamilton puts on a great live performance and I suggest if you ever get the opportunity to go see that show. You won’t regret it!

International Players Anthem – UGK feat. Outkast

If you’ve ever been near me in person there’s close to an 80 percent chance that you have already heard this song. Andre “3 Stacks” Benjamin and Big Boi of Outkast come together with Pimp C and Bun B from UGK to drop a truly classic track.

Andre 3000 raps first, starting off seemingly talking to the audience as though he was telling a story in person. As he keeps talking, you realize that this story actually rhymes, and goes well with an instrumental which up to this point is percussion free. “Then I CC’d every girl that I’d see see round town”, he raps, illustrating perfectly Andre’s ability to use playful and creative wordplay while actually making sense in a story. It’s a take on love, but with illustrative wording to make it original. You might recognize the verse from Girl Talk’s “Feed The Animals” CD.

Pimp C’s verse comes in after an introduction from the drums. Each line ends with two rhyming syllables that make it easy to remember and catchy as hell. His verse is pretty much the opposite of Andre’s, talking about pimping rather than love, making it a funny contrast. Next is Bun B, who uses a style similar to Pimp C’s. It’s a little more sing-y with a smooth and easy to listen to flow. It definitely compliments the verse before it and also transitions pretty well into Big Boi’s verse.

The final verse is yet another take on the different final outcome of relationships of a pimping. Think of it in context with Ye’s Gold Digger. Big Boi using the Chopped and Screwed method for a portion of his verse to talk about something that’s, well, Chopped and Screwed up. “Ask Paul McCartney, the lawyers couldn’t stop the, slaughter of them pockets, had to tie her to a rocket”, comically illustrating what happens if you get caught paying child support for a woman you don’t care about.

Although the other verses range from average to pretty good, the clear shining portion of the track is where Andre 3000 raps. The production for this track is amazing all around, integrating a sample well at the end of each verse to sum up each final outcome, “I Choose You”.

UGK Feat. Andre 3000 - International Player's Anthem (I Choose You) (sharebee)

-JR