The N. Period

Pimp C, one-half of the Houston-area rap duo UGK, was found dead at his hotel room this morning in West Hollywood. LA County Fire responded to a 911 call from the rapper’s sixth floor room at the swanky Mondrian Hotel on the vaunted Sunset Strip. No cause of death has been determined at the time of this writing.

The performer, whose real name is Chad Butler, has been a staple in the “Dirty South” genre of rap since his 2000 appearances as a member of UGK in such rap anthems as Jay-Z’s  “Big Pimpin’” and Three 6 Mafia’s “Sippin’ on Some Sizzurp.”  He even became a martyr in his community when the “Free Pimp C” movement formed when he was sentenced to eight years in prison for failing to comply with community service ordered stemming from a previous assault charge. Pimp C was 33.