Super Tight…

“Super Tight…” is the second studio album by UGK, released on August 30, 1994, through Jive Records.

The story

Recorded in 1993 and 1994 across several Dallas studios, the album followed the duo’s 1992 debut and came two years before their breakthrough “Ridin’ Dirty.” Its plain cover and grassroots feel matched a record made for a local audience rather than a national one. “Front, Back & Side to Side” was issued as a single in 1994, and the album also features guest spots from Smoke D and 3-2.

Sound and production

Pimp C produced the album, sharing credit with DJ DMD on some tracks. He brought in live players, and it was the first UGK album to feature Leo Nocentelli, guitarist of the Meters, as a session musician, along with David Torkanowsky on keys and Chris Severin on bass. “Front, Back & Side to Side” draws on the Meters’ “Rigor Mortis,” while “Protect & Serve” reworks N.W.A’s protest anthem. The eleven tracks move between breezy cuts like “It’s Supposed to Bubble” and darker material, with Bun B’s measured flow balancing Pimp C’s brash delivery.

Legacy

The album peaked at No. 95 on the Billboard 200, the group’s first appearance on that chart, and No. 9 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. It had sold about 375,000 copies by 2011. In 2005, T.I. built his single “Front Back,” featuring UGK and included on his 2006 album “King,” on the duo’s original song.

Released August 30, 1994. More from hip hop in 1994.