Bernard James Freeman (born March 19, 1973), known professionally as Bun B, is an American rapper. He is best known as one half of the southern rap duo
UGK
UGK (short for Underground Kingz) was an American hip hop duo from Port Arthur, Texas, formed in 1987, by Chad "Pimp C" Butler and Bernard "Bun B" Freeman. They released their first major-label album, ''Too Hard to Swallow'', in 1992, followe ...
(UnderGround Kingz), a group he formed in 1987 alongside
Pimp C
Chad Lamont Butler (December 29, 1973 – December 4, 2007), better known by his stage name Pimp C, was an American rapper and record producer. He was best known for his work with Bun B as one half of the hip-hop duo Underground Kingz (UGK).
S ...
. Aside from his work with UGK, Bun B has released five solo albums, including 2010's ''
Trill OG'', which received the rare 5-mic rating from ''
The Source
''The Source'' is an American hip hop and entertainment website, and a magazine that publishes annually or . It is the world's longest-running rap periodical, being founded as a newsletter in 1988 by Jonathan Shecter. David Mays was the ma ...
''.
He is also a guest lecturer at
Rice University
William Marsh Rice University (Rice University) is a private research university in Houston, Texas. It is on a 300-acre campus near the Houston Museum District and adjacent to the Texas Medical Center. Rice is ranked among the top universities ...
, located in
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...
,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
.
Life and career
Freeman was born in
Port Arthur,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
where he met
Pimp C
Chad Lamont Butler (December 29, 1973 – December 4, 2007), better known by his stage name Pimp C, was an American rapper and record producer. He was best known for his work with Bun B as one half of the hip-hop duo Underground Kingz (UGK).
S ...
, and was raised in the city of
Houston, Texas, where he met
Slim Thug
Stayve Jerome Thomas (born September 8, 1980), better known by his stage name Slim Thug, is an American rapper. He initially gained mainstream attention for his contribution to the hit single by rapper Mike Jones, " Still Tippin'". In July 2005, ...
.
UGK
In the late 1980s,
Pimp C
Chad Lamont Butler (December 29, 1973 – December 4, 2007), better known by his stage name Pimp C, was an American rapper and record producer. He was best known for his work with Bun B as one half of the hip-hop duo Underground Kingz (UGK).
S ...
started the rap duo
UGK
UGK (short for Underground Kingz) was an American hip hop duo from Port Arthur, Texas, formed in 1987, by Chad "Pimp C" Butler and Bernard "Bun B" Freeman. They released their first major-label album, ''Too Hard to Swallow'', in 1992, followe ...
. He first released a demo tape titled "Underground King" which didn't feature Bun B on the track. Instead, it featured Pimp C's friend Mitchell Queen. Bun B and friend Jalon Jackson had their own group called P.A. Militia. Both groups joined forces and formed the group 4 Black Ministers. Queen and Jackson later left the group leaving Pimp C and Bun B so they decided to revert to UGK. The demo Pimp C recorded with Mitchell Queen, ''Underground King'', caught the attention of an independent label in
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...
called Bigtyme Records. They then released an
extended play
An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record. titled ''
The Southern Way
''The Southern Way'' is the debut EP by UGK, which was released on cassette
Cassette may refer to:
Technology
* Cassette tape (or ''musicassette'', ''audio cassette'', ''cassette tape'', or ''tape''), a worldwide standard for analog audio r ...
''. The release of this record caught the attention of
Jive Records. While recording their debut album, ''
Too Hard to Swallow
''Too Hard to Swallow'' is the debut studio album by American hip hop duo UGK. It was released on November 10, 1992, by Jive Records.
Track listing
;Sample credits
* "Something Good" contains samples from " Tell Me Something Good" performed b ...
'', many of the songs had content too explicit for the album, so Bigtyme Records released an extended play titled ''
Banned'' before the album was released, including all the songs that were too explicit for ''Too Hard to Swallow''. The song "Pocket Full of Stones" became the first UGK song to get major airplay throughout the United States. Their second album, ''
Super Tight
''Super Tight...'' is the second studio album by American hip hop duo UGK. The album was released on August 30, 1994, by Jive Records. As of 2011, it has sold 375,000 copies. ''Super Tight...'' is notable for being the first UGK album to have Th ...
...'', followed in 1994. Their third album, ''
Ridin' Dirty
''Ridin' Dirty'' is the third studio album by American hip hop duo UGK. It was released on July 30, 1996 by Jive Records. Despite no music videos or official singles being released, it is their best selling album with over 850,000 copies sold to ...
'', peaked at number 2 on the R&B Charts in 1996, and at number 15 on the
''Billboard'' 200. After releasing their fourth studio album, ''
Dirty Money'', Pimp C got sentenced to jail.
''Trill'' and beginning of solo career
When Bun B's
UGK
UGK (short for Underground Kingz) was an American hip hop duo from Port Arthur, Texas, formed in 1987, by Chad "Pimp C" Butler and Bernard "Bun B" Freeman. They released their first major-label album, ''Too Hard to Swallow'', in 1992, followe ...
partner, the late
Chad "Pimp C" Butler, entered a jail sentence on an aggravated gun assault charge in 2002, Bun B made guest appearances on numerous albums by other rappers and released a 2005
mixtape titled ''Legends''.
Singles featuring a Bun B guest appearance included "They Don't Know" by
Paul Wall
Paul Michael Slayton (born March 11, 1981), better known by his stage name Paul Wall, is an American rapper and DJ. He has spent much of his career affiliated with Swishahouse Records, and has released several albums under the label and collabor ...
, "Gimme That" by
Webbie
Webster Gradney, Jr. (born September 6, 1985) who performs under the mononym Webbie, is an American rapper from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He's been signed to the independent Trill Entertainment label since 2003. In 2005 he came into the hip hop ...
and "I'm A G" by
Yung Joc
Jasiel Amon Robinson (born September 20, 1980), better known by his stage name Yung Joc, is an American rapper. He is best known for his 2006 hit single " It's Goin' Down". and as a feature on T-Pain's US number-one single "Buy U a Drank (Shawt ...
. Bun B also appeared in a documentary titled ''Screwed In Houston'' produced by VBS/''
Vice
A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character t ...
'' that details the history of the Houston rap scene.
In October 2005, Bun B's debut solo album ''
Trill
TRILL (Transparent Interconnection of Lots of Links) is an Internet Standard implemented by devices called TRILL switches. TRILL combines techniques from bridging and routing, and is the application of link-state routing to the VLAN-aware cus ...
'' was released.
Singles included "
Draped Up
"Draped Up" is the first single from Bun B's solo debut album '' Trill''. It samples elements from the song "Pimp Tha Pen" by DJ Screw. It features an intro from Lil' Keke. The official remix is on the album and it features Lil' Keke, Slim Thug, C ...
",
"
Git It
"Git It" is the second single from Bun B's debut album '' Trill''. It features the Ying Yang Twins and is produced by Mr. Collipark. It peaked at number 22 on the U.S. rap chart. This song is also a remake of the song "Get It Girl" which was ...
", and "
Get Throwed
"Get Throwed" is the third single from Bun B's debut album ''Trill (album), Trill''. It features Pimp C, Z-Ro, Young Jeezy, and Jay-Z.
The song was the first video Pimp C was featured on since he was released from his prison sentence. In the musi ...
". The album peaked at the number 6 spot on the American
''Billboard'' 200 chart and number 1 on the
Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated Jan ...
chart.
''II Trill''
After Pimp C died in 2007, Bun B returned to a solo career. In 2008, he released his second album, ''
II Trill''.
The first single was "
That's Gangsta
"That's Gangsta" is the first single from the Bun B album '' II Trill''. It features Sean Kingston and is produced by J.R. Rotem. The single peaked at #45 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The video is released on MTV2's ...
" featuring Jamaican American artist
Sean Kingston. It debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200, selling 98,000 copies. Other singles were "Damn I'm Cold" featuring
Lil Wayne
Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman, joining ...
and "
You're Everything
"You're Everything" is a song by American rapper Bun B, released July 31, 2008 as the third single from his second studio album ''II Trill'' (2008). The song, produced by Mr. Lee, features fellow southern rappers Rick Ross, David Banner and 8Ball ...
" featuring
Rick Ross,
David Banner
Lavell William Crump (born April 11, 1974), better known by his stage name David Banner, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor.
Born in Brookhaven, Mississippi, Banner's family moved to Jackson, Mississippi, where he was raised. Ba ...
, DJ Corbett and
8Ball & MJG
8Ball & MJG is an American hip hop duo from Memphis, Tennessee. They met at Ridgeway Middle School (Memphis, Tennessee) in 1984. In 1993, the duo released their debut album ''Comin' Out Hard''. They went on to release ''On the Outside Looking I ...
, the latter of which was dedicated to the late Pimp C.
''Trill OG''
![Bun B's Set @ The Loft, Atlanta (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/Bun_B%27s_Set_%40_The_Loft%2C_Atlanta_%28cropped%29.jpg)
Bun B's third album is ''
Trill OG''. In an interview with MTV Live, Bun B stated that
2Pac
Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the b ...
was set to feature on the album, claiming "It's a brand new verse." The album was released under
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...
on August 3, 2010.
''Trill OG: The Epilogue''
On October 28, 2011, a song titled "The Life" and produced by 14KT was leaked. On March 3, 2012, Bun B leaked a song featuring
Royce da 5'9" and
Redman titled "Stop Playin'" after he reached 400,000 followers on Twitter. He has not announced the song's appearance on his upcoming album
His fourth studio album was rumored to be titled, ''Trill 4 Life'' and scheduled for a 2013 release. On August 22, 2013,
Rap-A-Lot Records
Rap-A-Lot is a hip hop record label co-founded by James Prince and Cliff Blodget in 1986. Smoke-a-Lot Records is a subsidiary.
Rap-A-Lot was first distributed by A&M Records with the release of Raheem's 1988 debut ''The Vigilante''. The label w ...
revealed that his Sony distributed fourth studio album will be released in October 2013. The album is to feature guest appearances from
Rick Ross and
2 Chainz
Tauheed K. Epps (born September 12, 1977), known professionally as 2 Chainz (or Tity Boi), is an American rapper. Born and raised in College Park, Georgia, he initially gained recognition as one-half of the Southern hip hop duo Playaz Circle, a ...
. On October 4, 2013, the album was then officially announced to be titled ''
Trill OG: The Epilogue'' and be released on November 12, 2013. The album was revealed to contain primarily leftover tracks from the ''Trill O.G.'' recording sessions. It was also confirmed to feature Pimp C, 2 Chainz, Rick Ross,
Lil Boosie
Torence Ivy Hatch (born November 14, 1982), better known by his stage name Boosie BadAzz or simply Boosie (formerly Lil Boosie), is an American rapper. Hatch began rapping in the 1990s as a member of the hip hop collective Concentration Camp, ev ...
,
Kirko Bangz
Kirk Jerel Randle (born August 20, 1989), better known by his stage name Kirko Bangz, is an American rapper from Houston, Texas. He is best known for his single, " Drank in My Cup" which was released in 2011 and peaked at number 28 on the US ' ...
,
Big K.R.I.T.,
Raekwon
Corey Woods (born January 12, 1970), better known by his stage name Raekwon The Chef, or simply Raekwon (), is an American rapper. He rose to prominence as a founding member of the hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan, which achieved mainstream success ...
, Z-Ro and
Devin The Dude
Devin Copeland (born June 4, 1970), better known by his stage name Devin the Dude, is an American rapper from Houston, Texas. He is known for his unique rapping style and his 2002 songs "Lacville '79" and "Doobie Ashtray".
Early life
Devin Copel ...
.
Bun B announced "The Trillest Tour" in January 2014. On January 30, the Houston native revealed the tour dates, where he was accompanied by fellow Houston native
Kirko Bangz
Kirk Jerel Randle (born August 20, 1989), better known by his stage name Kirko Bangz, is an American rapper from Houston, Texas. He is best known for his single, " Drank in My Cup" which was released in 2011 and peaked at number 28 on the US ' ...
. The tour ran from March 6 until April 17, 2014.
Other ventures
Awards
On June 24, 2014, Bun B made a guest appearance to the Htown Beatdown concert hosted by local radio station
Hot 95.7. He was awarded the 360 Legend Award for his successful music career and his impact on the local community.
Teaching
At the start of the Spring 2011 semester, Bun B joined the faculty of
Rice University
William Marsh Rice University (Rice University) is a private research university in Houston, Texas. It is on a 300-acre campus near the Houston Museum District and adjacent to the Texas Medical Center. Rice is ranked among the top universities ...
as a Distinguished Lecturer. He taught a course in the School of the Humanities on
Hip hop and
Religion
Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, ...
.
[Alexis, Nadeska, "Bun B to Teach Hip-Top and Religion Class at Rice University," 2010-06-22](_blank)
Theboombox.com, accessed December 20, 2010. Into 2013 Bun B continues to teach the course twice a week.
Coloring book
On September 17, 2013, Freeman released a coloring book titled "''Bun B's Rap Coloring Book''" along with author
Shea Serrano
Shea Serrano is an American author, journalist, and former teacher. He is best known for his work with the sports and pop culture websites, '' The Ringer'' and ''Grantland'', as well as his books, including '' The Rap Year Book'', '' Basketball ...
. Freeman and Serrano had previously talked about working together to make a book. At first they agreed on a "hip hop survival guide", but both agreed against the project. Later on, Serrano drew coloring pages of rappers that he posted on
Tumblr
Tumblr (stylized as tumblr; pronounced "tumbler") is an American microblogging and social networking website founded by David Karp in 2007 and currently owned by Automattic. The service allows users to post multimedia and other content to a sho ...
. The pages quickly went viral. Freeman and Serrano then decided to make a whole coloring book.
Personal life
Bun B has been married to Queenie since 2003 and has 2 stepchildren and 7 step-grandchildren.
His stepson is American rapper Young-B, who is a member of the rap group Youngest N Charge, which is Bun B's opening act.
On April 24, 2019, Bun B shot an armed intruder who was attempting to rob his Houston home. The intruder fled on foot. The suspect, identified as DeMonte Jackson, was taken into custody by Houston police after arriving at the hospital.
Discography
Studio albums
* ''
Trill
TRILL (Transparent Interconnection of Lots of Links) is an Internet Standard implemented by devices called TRILL switches. TRILL combines techniques from bridging and routing, and is the application of link-state routing to the VLAN-aware cus ...
'' (2005)
* ''
II Trill'' (2008)
* ''
Trill OG'' (2010)
* ''
Trill OG: The Epilogue'' (2013)
* ''
Return of the Trill
''Return of the Trill'' is the fifth studio album by American rapper Bun B. The album was released on August 31, 2018 by 2 Trill Enterprises, Double Dose Entertainment and EMPIRE Distribution. The album features guest appearances from Big K.R.I. ...
'' (2018)
Collaboration albums
* ''
TrillStatik''
with Statik Selektah
Static may refer to:
Places
*Static Nunatak, a nunatak in Antarctica
United States
* Static, Kentucky and Tennessee
* Static Peak, a mountain in Wyoming
**Static Peak Divide, a mountain pass near the peak
Science and technology Physics
*Static e ...
(2019)
* ''Mo Trill''
with Cory Mo (2022)
* ''TrillStatik 2''
with Statik Selektah (2022)
Filmography
* ''Survival of the Illest'' (2004)
* ''Dominos: The Games We Play'' (2006)
* ''
Ghetto Stories'' (2010)
* ''Video Girl'' (2011)
* ''
Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap'' (2012)
* ''Candy'' (2017)
* ''
Mo'' (2022)
* ''Lotus Land'' (2023)
References
External links
*
Rap-A-Lot RecordsDiscography at discogs.comBun B RBMA lecture
{{DEFAULTSORT:B, Bun
1973 births
African-American male rappers
Asylum Records artists
Gangsta rappers
Living people
People from Port Arthur, Texas
Rap-A-Lot Records artists
Rappers from Houston
Rappers from Texas
Rice University faculty
Southern hip hop musicians
21st-century American rappers
21st-century American male musicians
21st-century African-American musicians
20th-century African-American people