Various hip hop types paid tribute to the late Chad 'Pimp C' Butler yesterday as thousands of family members, friends and fans gathered in his home town of Port Arthur, Texas for a memorial service to pay tribute to the UGK rapper, who was found dead in an LA hotel room earlier this month.
The boss of Texas based Rap-A-Lot Records, J Prince, told reporters: "I tell everybody, Pimp was Tupac to the South. We probably loved him even more than the West Coast loved Pac. Everybody that's rapping today is imitating Pimp".
Texas born rapper Chamillionaire said: "You hear so many Southern artists and hear their styles and the influence that Pimp C and Bun B had on the whole culture. We're created off of them. It's a very, very big loss to the hip-hop community and you are going to see the impact globally".
Jive Records chief Jeff Sledge, who spoke at the funeral service, added: "He never let anyone forget that he was a Texas boy. It was all about PA [Port Arthur]. He was going to carry this city on his back. I'd never heard of this place before I met him".