“Sweet Jones James Stories” was released in 2005 and came as the first solo album from the late UGK member Pimp C. It is one of two albums he did without Bun B and it has the Port Arthur, Texan coming with a release from behind bars, ones he would be released from the following year, only to record one more solo record and a UGK double-album before dying as a result of his ‘sizzurp’ and a heart condition.
1. “Hogg In The Game” (Intro)
2. “Swang Down”
Using the melodies found on the hook to Dr. Dre’s “Let Me Ride” on this one you see that Pimp C comes off a heavy introduction, only to disappoint with a very average cut that does very a little as you see that he jumps on top of plain beats that sound like they came out of 2000/2001 and so it means that you have to wait until later on to get something that you will actually be impressed by.
I felt the same towards this one as the last as you see that here lots of time is wasted with him singing to put you off form the early stages, and from here (as he rides more lifeless production) he comes to deliver some very general rhymes which appear to do very little and hen you consider that no new UGK material had come since 2001, it leaves you wanting so much that simply doesn’t come yet.
**Three Stars**
4. “Comin’ Up”
Finally some sort of lift comes in the material
as here you see that he jumps on some funk material and chooses to adapt Luther Vandross’ “Never Too Much” to bringing out a tune that is bound to direct listeners in through the way that you are guided in through the familiarity of a popular R&B joint as he does his thing with his rhymes and does it all in his care-free manner that suits his ways perfectly.
**Four Stars**
5. “I’sa Playa”
You find that with this one the rapper comes in with some hardcore material that builds upon other son the album leading u p to this point. Here you find that he gets down to one that uses a heavy bassline that seems to guide the thing as he shows how exactly he feels he can appeal to a girl that he has his eyes on. It is a heavy joint on the thing and has him flowing confidently as he works with Z-Ro, Twista and UGK’s other half; Bun B.
**Five Stars**
6. “I Know U Strapped”
The style of the production on this one (built up from a classic line on the hook) you see that this one is pure Houston Hip Hop (even though he is from Port Arthur, but came up in the game whilst living out in the city). With this one he comes with some raw flows which find him flowing in the Gangsta Rap style whilst calming it through the general feel that you tend to get from this kind of Southern Hip Hop.
**Five Stars**
7. “I Gotta Thang”
Using inspiration from a 197- Funkadelic work, you see that in this one he does a fly jam where he shows just how well he get down to things when he’s in the right mind-set. It is a light groover from the rapper and one that I felt could be considered a weak one for the fact that it is so slow and long, but I found that as times goes on it seems to improve as you finds hook becomes increasingly infectious.
**Four Stars**
8. “Slow Down”
With this one you see that he get help from both Young Porter and Cory Mo and with this pair he comes with another tune that I felt had something within it, but really wasn’t engaging enough from the get-go to really enjoy all that much and so it led to it developing into a plain and average tune from him where he comes with general flows which trace his journey with Bun B and his careers over the years.
**Three Stars**
9. “Get My Money”
Breaking it all down to his listeners, you find that in this one he gets down to a jam where he shows exactly what he is about by ignoring anything else that may distract him as he is all about getting to the money, and so as he plays his position as the pimp, you find that he tells his girl to go out and get his money on top of some fly beats that are sure to get you grooving along to its funky twists and turns.
**Five Stars**
10. “Young Prostitute”
As things move on through wit this one you find that here you get one that carries with it more of the same kinds of themes with it as the last one had as you see that here he brings one that has him speaking directly about his love for getting with prostitutes. You see that here he kicks it all off by breaking out with what sounds like a seventies Funk jam before he decides to rap things out in a barked manner that goes against the smoothness of the rest of it.
**Four Stars**
11. “Everytime”
This was a track that I really needed to try to enjoy as it has him changing his style so much to the point that it doesn’t sound like his work at all. You see that here he tries out some sensual material, but resorts to the typical explicit material that sounds plain nasty and so seems to spoil it quite a bit and leaves it as one of the worst on the album. Some lines are big, but with it generally sounding weak, little can be valued.
**Two Stars**
12. “A Thin Line”
On this one he links up with Cory Mo on a track that I saw as a banger as it is one that grows on you with time and has The Pimp coming out with more of his laid-back Southern Rap material that made him popular from as early as 1988 with his work with Bun B as they moved to Houston and found some attention there. Some of the liens are questionable, especially in the hook, but it is generally hard.
**Five Stars**
13. “My Angel”
Although I tried with this one, there really wasn’t much at all that I can say was really valued in this one at all as you see that in this one he gets on production that I really felt was wack, an form here he turns to rapping about his mother and shows some love for her as she has supported him since he rapped form the age of 16. It is a weak one and pulls things down significantly and I expect others to see it this way too.
**One Star**
14. “Young Ghetto Stars”
On the final track he manages to recover from the last one massively as you see that here he links up with cousins Z-Ro and Trae The Truth to show more support he has from the underground Hip Hop scene out in H-Town (Houston, Texas). It is a killer tune and I felt that the laid-back material was lifted massively with the rhymes of the guests, who are seen to lift the tempo and add to the variety of the record.
**Five Stars**
I felt that this was a fairly disappointing album from Pimp C and one that doesn’t compare tot he quality that came once he was finally released from prison and he came with “Pimpalation”. It is inconsistent and can’t be seen as more than average with a few featuring poor beats and having the rapper bring very few lines that actually impact upon the listener.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
very helpful by (100%):
