Pimp C, We Hardly Knew Ye

Does it matter when you get your 15 minutes?

Here's a lick of today's entertainment news:

Pimp C, one-half of the veteran Houston rap group UGK, was found dead in a Los Angeles hotel at the age of 33.

"It is with great regret that I must confirm that Chad Butler aka Pimp C, one half of the legendary UGK, was in fact discovered dead this morning," his publicist, Nancy Byron, said in a statement, asking that "everyone please respect his family and those close to him at this time and refrain from rumors and innuendo."

Butler and his partner, Bernard "Bun B" Freeman, were pioneers of Southern rap, and hit the mainstream with their cameo on Jay-Z's smash "Big Pimpin'." Though they never enjoyed the pop-chart success of some other rappers, their 1996 CD "Ridin' Dirty" is considered a rap classic, and their laid-back sound, complete with gangsta tales of creeping through humid streets gripping wood-grain steering wheels, was influential in shaping the Southern rap movement.

The duo's career was derailed when Butler was jailed for three years in 2002 on gun charges. He released an album while in prison, and this year the group made a comeback with the critically acclaimed album "Underground Kingz," which included the hit "Int'l Player's Anthem (I Choose You)," featuring OutKast.

Veteran? Legendary? We're throwing a lot of weight behind Pimp L Pimp C. He was "discovered dead", not discovered a cure for cancer. Are there going to be tee shirts like Biggie and Tupac? The biggest thing to ever happen to you is that you took a dirt nap, and pardon our innuendo for wanting to know how an obscure rapper made front page interweb news. Original copies of "Ridin' Dirty" ought to double in value...is there a $2 bargain bin at record stores?