UGK’s third album, Ridin’ Dirty, is their first to be released by a major label, which gives you some sort of indication of how far the group has gone in four short years. In that span of time, UGK scaled to the top of the small but vicious hip-hop scene in the Southern United States, creating a distinctive gangsta hybrid in the process. UGK is just as hedonistic and materialistic as those rappers out on the West Coast, but they don’t infuse their music with the deep funk of the Cali scene, nor do they revel in the buoyant bass of their Miami brethren. Instead, they take a more stripped-down approach, which is all the better to hear their celebrations of money, drugs, women — all of the typical gangsta accessories. If UGK doesn’t really have something new to say, at least they have come up with an engaging way to say it — the sound of their record is vibrant and direct, bringing you right into the thick of things. It’s not exceptional gangsta rap, but it is entertaining. – Leo Stanley