Today in Hip-Hop: UGK Drop ‘Too Hard To Swallow’ Album

On this day, Nov. 10, in hip-hop history...

1992: Few artists have gone on to change the landscape of hip-hop. Only a handful of artists remain relevant in the game for more than a decade. Bun B and and the late, great Pimp C accomplished both of these feats. UGK aka Underground Kingz was just that, rappers from the dirty South who were the big dogs in their area but at the time couldn't break the glass ceiling of pop culture. The duo released their debut EP The Southern Way in the early 90s. Someone at Jive Records got a hold of their EP, signed them and the rest is history. UGK released their major label debut Too Hard To Swallow on Nov. 10, 1992 and would go on to be one of key reasons why Southern hip-hop crossed over to mainstream.

Before that, UGK were known for their explicit and brutally honest lyrics. Too Hard To Swallow was a testament of how both Pimp C and Bun B represented the dirty South and it's culture. The album had three colossal Southern records, which were "Something Good," "Use Me Up" and "Pocket Full Of Stones." "Pocket Full Of Stones" was used in the original soundtrack for Menace II Society. "Short Texas," "Cocaine In The Back Of The Ride," "Trill A** N****," "Cramping My Style," this 12-track LP was short but each song was perfectly crafted. Too Hard To Swallow laid the ground work of their illustrious careers and is an key album in the history of Southern hip-hop.

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