Incarcerated rap star Pimp C is about to be set free.
Pimp C, half of the acclaimed Texas duo Underground Kingz, or UGK, will be paroled within 30 days after serving about half of an eight-year sentence on an aggravated assault charge, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice announced Monday.
Since he was sent to prison in January 2002, “Free Pimp C” has been a favorite phrase of rappers in the South and beyond. Scores of rappers have donned T-shirts and baseball caps with the words in music videos and at concerts and awards shows.
Pimp C, whose real name is Chad Butler, was sentenced after falling behind on community service required after he pleaded no contest to aggravated assault. He was charged after brandishing a gun during an argument with a woman at a mall.
The Port Arthur native has sold well over 1 million records since 1992 from five major-label releases with UGK.
In March, Houston-based Rap-A-Lot Records released his first solo album, “The Sweet James Jones Stories,” created from a series of freestyle raps he did years ago. Pimp C called the album subpar, but it still debuted at No. 3 on Billboard magazine’s rap charts.
In a recent letter to The Associated Press, Pimp C said he looks forward to rejoining UGK partner Bun B to create more music.
He is featured on the single “Get Throwed” from Bun B’s album “Trill,” which was No. 1 on the rap charts when it debuted in October.