Lost & Sound: UGK-Trill Azz Mixez (1999-00?)

[UPDATE: I was finished with this post and about to hit publish. Right before I hit the button, I texted Bun B to ask him a quick question. The quick question turned into brief phone conversation revealing even more history about this CD. I kept my post the same, but added his input. His new added quotes are in the block quotes.]

On the previous Lost & Sound I mentioned that I found this week's feature at the same time I found it, well here it is, UGK's Trill Azz Mixez a must have and heard for any and every UGK fan.



I can't remember if I copped this in 1999 or 2000, but I remember exactly where...the student center at my alma mater Fort Valley State University. Yep, while other schools had credit card companies in the student center signing up kids for new debt, FVSU had the bootleg CD man posted up with at least four tables worth of photocopied album covers and slim CD cases. I was always weary about copping stuff from the bootleg man, because shit, the CDs were bootleg. They were liable to play in one CD player and not the next. Or, they'd play in your CD player for about two weeks and just stop working. It's like they had an expiration date or something.

Plus, 99-00 was a time when albums first started leaking to the internet and at the time my college radio station partner-in-crime Shawty Slim was a wizard on the computer so I'd have most if not all of what the bootleg man was selling, weeks prior. But, one day when I was going through the student center to pick up some lunch, I decided to go see what he had on the table. MAN! When I saw the UGK crest logo it seemed like it was glowing and everything else got blurry. I remembered reading a couple things about TAM on a old UGK Geocities site called Country Rap Tunes, that I used to check religiously!

But, reading about it and actually expecting to find it was two different things. I have to remind you, this was damn near 10 years ago when you had to do more than just dream of something leaking to the internet, google it the next day and waah-laah, its there. Hell, the only reason I came up on the Dirty Money bootleg in '99 was because my college roommate at the time went to Texas for the summer and cameback with it somehow. I just thought TAM was gonna be some CD that wouldn't make it past Alabama. But, here it was staring me in the face. I immediately copped it for $5...photocopied cover and all.

Now, I know most artists out there frown upon people buying their product from the bootlegger. But, seeing as how UGK are the Underground Kingz, I think they damn near wanted folks to buy their shit from the bootlegger, unless it was one of their retail projects. Plus, like I said, this was at the height of the "where's Dirty Money?" days so I had to get this joint. Hell, for some years, the only way to get new UGK music was through an illegal means. Plus, I was wearing out my Dirty Money bootleg to the point that the film on the CD started chipping.

Bun B: Trill Azz Mixez was originally conceived by DJ Wiz in Nashville. He begged us to do it. This was back when mixtapes were actually "mixtapes" and was only available in mom and pop stores. Wiz used to do a lot of Cash Money and No Limit mixtapes and he always wanted to do one with us. We'd always just be like "yeah, aight, whatever." But, when we started having all of the label trouble we said we should do a mixtape and go ahead and put it out with Wiz. After it came out everywhere we went, people wanted it. We'd never have enough copies of it. To this day we still don't. We'd always talk about bringing it back and re-releasing it. We actually did shows in the Midwest and the majority of the show would be based off the mixtape. It created income and we sold them at shows. Big up to DJ Wiz, he was an undying supporter of UGK. He hepled us understand the scope of our spread. Doing that tape with him is the reason why we put the UGK logo big as hell on all of our CDs now.

But yeah, I'm doing all of this talking and haven't spoken on the actual CD. Well, Trill Azz Mixez is a blend tape of classic UGK songs and lyrics over other beats, a great example of Southern Hip Hop. Example:

"Back, Front, Back, Side to Side" x "P.W.A."


I wish I could have edited these two together for ya'll, because they way they blend into each other on the CD is flawless.

"I Left It Wet" x Too Short's "Freaky Tales"


Another thing I dug about this CD was that it had the best of two extremes. One minute it was mixing UGK lyrics over Bone instrumentals:

"Tell Me Something Good" x Bone & 2Pac's "Thug Luv"


Then it had blends that were more homegrown:

"Murder" x Lil Keke's "Southside"


Again, you have listen to the CD in its entirety to appreciate how the songs blend into one another:

"Break 'Em Off Something" x "Southside"


I would upload the flawless blend that is "2 Real" x "Diamonds & Wood" but I want to leave something left for you to experience when you download the CD.

Easily and obviously the highlight and standout of the CD is "Top Notch Hoes." Its the only song on the CD that isn't blended, its a standalone track. When TAM came out, the only other CD I ever heard this song on was my Dirty Money bootleg that I scored a year or so prior. Again it was the standout on there too because it was on the only song that sounded of decent quality and actually finished.

Question, am I the only one who thought Pimp was dissing The Roots on this song when he said "What They Do, What They Do, nigga was corny is fuck/You get no play that Texas, you're shit don't bump in the trunk." Its obvious that he was dissing BET and their East Coast biases, but I always wondered/overthought about that line in particular.

"Top Notch Hoes"

Bun B: Everybody wanted "Top Notch Hoes." We got shows off that song. That’s a hardcore UGK song. You came up to us tell us that was your shit? We knew you've been rocking with UGK for real. I'm not sure what or who's album that was for. It might have been for Kool Ace. I think "Top Notch Hoes" was supposed to be another Kool Ace song. Kool Ace was a big friend to UGK. When we recorded it we considered holding on to it and putting it on Dirty Money but we said fuck it because we didn't think Dirty Money was ever coming out.

Yeah, Pimp was talking about The Roots on his verse. Bygones are bygones now, but yeah, he was talking about them. He thought they were shooting at Too $hort in the video. And you know how close they were. Pimp was always taking up other people's battles. He never really had any proof that they were dissing him in the video, so when he says that line "I saw your video nigga sound like you dissing my friends" I'd be like exactly! That's what it "sounds" like, you don't really know. But Pimp actually liked what The Roots was doing, he always talked about having a live band on stage with him. They probably never knew Pimp was dissing them or ever did, I guess they do now. The only reason he said that was because he thought they were dissing $hort. Pimp just like to say things to get under people's skin, including mines.

Once again, the post is getting lengthy so I'll wrap it up now. If you are a UGK fan or even if you're just now getting introduced to them YOU NEED to have Trill Azz Mixez in your possession, this is classic and a gem. Up until 15 minutes ago, I never even knew who mixed this joint down, but Bun just informed me that it was DJ Wiz from Nashville, so shout out to him. Great work. Hope ya'll enjoy.

DOWNLOAD: UGK & DJ WIZ: TRILL AZZ MIXEZ