Top 25 Hip-Hop Songs of the 2000s: #25 UGK ft. Outkast “Int’l Players Anthem”

With the number 25 pick of our "Top 25 of the 2000s" countdown, RefinedHype.com and DJBooth.net are proud to select...UGK's "Int'l Players Anthem" ft. Andre 3000 and Big Boi!

Technically titled "International Players Anthem (I Choose You)" the dopely celebratory track is off UGK's seminal double-album "Underground Kingz", was produced by DJ Paul and Juicy J of Three 6 Mafia and heavily utilized Willie Hutch's classic soul song "I Choose You." At its peak the song hit #70 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it the only UGK song to chart there. The video was also awarded Video of the Year at the 2008 annual BET Hip-Hop awards.



"Int'l Players Anthem" earned a spot on our list for two primary reasons. One, it has some enormous historical significance. Pimp C died shortly after watching the track become immensely popular, incidentally making it the track he will most likely always be remembered for, and it was also the track that seemingly forced hip-hop nation to admit that Andre 3K rightfully deserves to be included in any discussion of the best rapper alive. Furthermore, it also served as a continuation of Big Boi's "don't have a baby with a groupie" campaign, a campaign I outlined in detail here.

Second, when asked how he defined pornography, former Supreme Court Justice Stewart said, and I'm paraphrasing here, "I can't define pornography, but I know it when I see it." Well I can't define great music, but I know it when I hear it. From the moment those first horns kick in you're just filled with hip-hop joy, and top if off, four of the game's inner circle of elite rappers deliver some of the decades most memorable verses. If I have to explain to you why this track is so dope, I'm sorry, but you're beyond help.

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