Hiphopobit: MC Pimp C

MC Pimp C, Cahd Butler, of the Underground Kingz, has been found dead in a Hollywood hotel room.

The Underground Kingz formed in 1987, when schoolfriends Butler and Bernard Freeman - Bun B - came together in Port Arthur. It would be five years before their debut album proper arrived, although The Southern Way managed a cassette-only release in 1988. Picked up by Jive in the early 90s, their first album, Too Hard To Swallow, had some of its shine removed by the dropping of some tracks Jive felt unhappy with; these rawer songs emerged on the Banned EP.

In 2002, Pimp C wound up inside. He'd been convicted of aggravated assault - waving a gun around in a Texan food hall - but had managed to stay outside of prison; however, he fell behind on a commitment to community service, and was sentenced to eight years. While inside he still managed a solo album, Sweet James Jones Stories, knocked together of old raps with a fresh beat slapped over it - although there is some debate over how much involvement C actually had in the project. Talking to The Source magazine, C revealed he had misgivings that some people had been making money from the 'Free Pimp C' campaigns which had been supposedly working to gain his early release.

This year's UGK album, Underground Kingz, sat atop the Billboard Charts and is believed to have sold over half a million copies.

The cause of Pimp C's death has not been announced; staff at the Mondrian Hotel had called emergency services when his body was discovered this morning.