When Pimp C announces, “Back from the dead!” at the beginning of UGK’s eighth and final record, entitled UGK 4 Life, it’s a spine-tingling moment. In December 2007, Pimp C was found dead in a Los Angeles hotel room, the result of an overdose on cough syrup combined with sleep apnea.

Far too often the dreaded “posthumous album” strips musicians of their identity and true essence, combining collaborators and beats they would never have considered when alive. Luckily, that isn’t the case with UGK 4 Life.

There’s no maudlin over-romanticism and no eulogies. The songs are still rooted in the Texas style of southern hip-hop, and partners Pimp C and Bun B still rap about sex, drugs and flossing, with over-thudding and oddly-synthed beats.

It would even be easy to miss the fact that one of the voices has dropped out, were it not for a spontaneous “R.I.P.” from collaborator Snoop Dogg.

There’s really only one miss on the album; “Hard as Hell,” an uncomfortable collaboration with Akon, feels out of place, despite being a fitting stripper ode. Another track that nearly missed is titled “Hairy Asshole,” but despite the horrible imagery created by the chorus, the emcee duo’s verses in the song are excellent as usual.

Tracks like “Used To Be” and “Everybody Wanna Ball” are proof that the album is exactly what through-and-through UGK fans desire. Guests featured on the album are almost exclusively the same ones the duo collaborated with for years, including rappers E-40, Too $hort and Lil’ Boosie.

Ultimately, UGK 4 Life — and, in particular, the track “Da Game Been Good To Me” — serves as a reminder of the loss of the melodic emcee.

Reach reporter Nick Feldman at arts@dailyuw.com.