We Lost Him Twice, The Second Time for Good

December 4, 2007: You want to talk about a death that transcended race and left Black and brown hip-hop followers in Houston breathless and in disbelief; it was the death of Chad Lamont Butler, better known as Pimp C - the incredibly creative half of the legendary UGK duo.

We lost him to jail time after violating probation in the early part of the decade, and when we finally got him back, we lost him again, but this time for good. You guessed it, codeine cough syrup played a part in Pimp C's death, along with his sleep apnea condition.

"I still hear songs, and think 'man, Pimp C could've wrecked that hoe,'" says Bunz. We agree. When we hear a Bun B solo album, it's like eating the cheeseburger without the meat. It's just bun.

Looking Forward

We asked Dope House's Ortiz what needs to happen to turn the tide as the beginning of a new decade is on the horizon.

"When a person dies in the music industry...you've almost invested part of your life in that person," says Ortiz. "People listen to their music and think 'I feel like this is the beat of my life.' Fans are hurt and they rely on this music.

"We need to stick together and work closely together. We do need each other and we need to let the world know that we love ourselves, we don't hate ourselves, and we don't want to kill ourselves."

Action speaks louder than words. We have a whole new decade to prove it.

Rolando Rodriguez is the managing editor of www.redbrownandblue.com. You can email him at [email protected].