The 30th anniversary of one of hip-hop’s most iconic albums deserves an equally special celebration, and that’s what will happen at the Smart Financial Centre in Sugar Land on Saturday, August 1.

Bun B and a cast of friends and musical stars will take the stage for a one-night-only celebration of Ridin’ Dirty, the groundbreaking UGK album, in sequence, with songs such as "Good Stuff" and "Pinky Ring" being performed live for either the first time or the first time in decades. Guest performers will appear for verses originally performed by Pimp C and Mr. 3-2 on the album.

“We recognize that Ridin’ Dirty is the seminal UGK album,” Bun B tells CultureMap. “It’s the one that went the farthest, that gave the most influence, and still stands the test of time.”

Bun celebrated the 20th anniversary of his debut solo album Trill at a special performance last year. The night’s success indicated that celebrating Ridin’ Dirty was the appropriate next step. Taken together, the performances are a tribute to Bun B’s success and continued influence on hip-hop in the South and beyond. Of course, Bun realizes expectations for the performance will be sky high.

“It’s something we’ll have to work at to get it right,” he says. “I’m excited about this opportunity. I’m excited to celebrate this music. It blows my mind. This album came out in ‘96. I dropped an album last year. We’re 30 years past Ridin’ Dirty, and we’re still making music. I think it’s a beautiful thing to celebrate.”

To that end, he’s carefully considering who to invite to perform both the Pimp C and Mr. 3-2 lyrics. Some will obviously be big stars. Others will be a little more under-the-radar. Specific names will be revealed closer to the performance.

“Couple guys we’ve locked in already. I’ve had fairly popular artists tell me, ‘I’m coming. Just figure out the song. I have to be part of the show.’ We’re taking that into consideration,” he says. “We don’t want the biggest, most popular people, although that would be nice. I do want people that represent what that song represents to be part of that performance. If it’s a car song, I want somebody whose track record deals in that space. Just trying to pick the right people to represent the right song.”

The performance will also include the skits that connect each song. Smoke D, who recorded some of the skits while in prison, according to Bun, will appear on stage to recreate them.

“‘3 in the Mornin’ is one of the songs we haven’t performed live. We have everybody available outside of Pimp. We want to give those people their flowers and let them have their moment on stage,” Bun says.

Presales for Been Ridin’ Dirty will begin at 9 am on Wednesday, May 6 and Thursday, May 7. General on-sale will begin at 10 am on Friday, May 8. Tickets will be available here.