Bun B

Bernard James Freeman (born March 19, 1973),[1][2] known professionally as Bun B, is an American rapper. He is best known as one half of the southern rap duo UGK (UnderGround Kingz), a group he formed in 1987 alongside Pimp C. 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.[3]

Bun B
Bun B performing in 2013
Bun B performing in 2013
Background information
Birth nameBernard James Freeman
Born (1973-03-19) March 19, 1973
Port Arthur, Texas, U.S.
OriginHouston, Texas, U.S.
Genres Hip hop
Occupation(s)
  • Rapper
  • actor
  • songwriter
Years active1987–present
Labels
Formerly ofUGK
Spouse(s)
Angela Wells
​
(m. 2003)​

He is also a guest lecturer at Rice University, located in Houston, Texas.[4][5]

Life and career

Freeman was born in Port Arthur, Texas where he met Pimp C, and was raised in the city of Houston, Texas, where he met Slim Thug.

UGK
Main article: UGK

In the late 1980s, Pimp C started the rap duo UGK. 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.[6] The demo Pimp C recorded with Mitchell Queen, Underground King, caught the attention of an independent label in Houston called Bigtyme Records. They then released an extended play titled The Southern Way. The release of this record caught the attention of Jive Records. While recording their debut album, Too Hard to Swallow, 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.[7] The song "Pocket Full of Stones" became the first UGK song to get major airplay throughout the United States. Their second album, Super Tight..., followed in 1994. Their third album, Ridin' Dirty, 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.[8]

Trill and beginning of solo career
Main article: Trill (album)

When Bun B's UGK 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.[9] Singles featuring a Bun B guest appearance included "They Don't Know" by Paul Wall, "Gimme That" by Webbie and "I'm A G" by Yung Joc. Bun B also appeared in a documentary titled Screwed In Houston produced by VBS/Vice that details the history of the Houston rap scene.

In October 2005, Bun B's debut solo album Trill was released.[10] Singles included "Draped Up",[10] "Git It", and "Get Throwed".[11] 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 chart.[12]

II Trill
Main article: II Trill

After Pimp C died in 2007, Bun B returned to a solo career. In 2008, he released his second album, II Trill.[9] The first single was "That's Gangsta" featuring Jamaican American artist Sean Kingston. It debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200, selling 98,000 copies.[13] Other singles were "Damn I'm Cold" featuring Lil Wayne and "You're Everything" featuring Rick Ross, David Banner, DJ Corbett and 8Ball & MJG, the latter of which was dedicated to the late Pimp C.

Trill OG
Main article: Trill OG
Bun B performing in 2008

Bun B's third album is Trill OG. In an interview with MTV Live, Bun B stated that 2Pac was set to feature on the album, claiming "It's a brand new verse."[14] The album was released under Universal Music Group[15] on August 3, 2010.[16]

Trill OG: The Epilogue
Main article: 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[17]

His fourth studio album was rumored to be titled, Trill 4 Life and scheduled for a 2013 release.[18] On August 22, 2013, Rap-A-Lot Records 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.[19] 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, Kirko Bangz, Big K.R.I.T., Raekwon, Z-Ro and Devin The Dude.[20][21]

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. The tour ran from March 6 until April 17, 2014.[22]

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 as a Distinguished Lecturer. He taught a course in the School of the Humanities on Hip hop and Religion.[23] Into 2013 Bun B continues to teach the course twice a week.[24]

Coloring book

On September 17, 2013, Freeman released a coloring book titled "Bun B's Rap Coloring Book" along with author Shea Serrano. 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. The pages quickly went viral. Freeman and Serrano then decided to make a whole coloring book.[25]

Trill Burgers

Bun B opened up Trill Burgers located on North Shepherd and Richmond Avenue In Houston, Texas.

Personal life

Bun B has been married to Queenie since 2003 and has two stepchildren and seven step-grandchildren.[26] 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.[27]

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, DeMonte Jackson, was taken into custody by Houston police after arriving at the hospital.[28]

Discography
Main article: Bun B discography
See also: UGK discography

Studio albums

Collaboration albums

Filmography

References
  1. "ACE Repertory". Ascap.com. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  2. "Bun B | Biography, Albums, Streaming Links". AllMusic. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
  3. Lynch, Sean (August 3, 2010). "The Source Crowns Bun B's "Trill OG" a Hip-Hop Classic". Thesource.com. Archived from the original on March 7, 2012. Retrieved June 15, 2011.
  4. "Bun B, Rice University". Houston Press. 2011. Retrieved October 14, 2013.
  5. "Center for Engaged Research and Collaborative Learning (CERCL)". CERCL.
  6. "The 30 Greatest Hip Hop demos". Complex Networks. Retrieved December 28, 2012.
  7. "Songs No One Should Hear: UGK's Banned". Archived from the original on December 16, 2008. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
  8. Bush, John (May 20, 2008). "UGK > Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved April 13, 2012.
  9. Jeffries, David (May 20, 2008). "Bun B > Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved July 19, 2008.
  10. Orzeck, Kurt (October 17, 2005). "New Releases: Ashlee Simpson, Depeche Mode, Bun B, Stevie Wonder, Thrice, M.O.P. & More". MTV News. Retrieved July 19, 2008.
  11. Reid, Shaheem (January 3, 2006). "25 Best Tracks of 2005". Mixtape Monday. MTV News. Retrieved July 19, 2008.
  12. "Trill – Billboard Albums". Allmusic.
  13. Hasty, Katie (May 28, 2008). "3 Doors Down Cruisees To No. 1 On Album Chart". Billboard.
  14. "UGK: The Trill OG'z". WordofSouth.com. March 15, 2009. Retrieved July 1, 2009.
  15. Paine, Jake, "Bun B Moves From Asylum To Universal Music Group, Still With Rap-A-Lot," Feb. 27, 2010 Archived April 20, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, accessed December 20, 2010.
  16. Hanna, Mitchell, "Tuesday Rap Release Dates,"hiphopdx.com, May 18, 2010 Archived June 3, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, accessed December 20, 2010.
  17. Bun B "The Life [Prod. 14KT]" Archived May 10, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, accessed October 28, 2011.
  18. "Today In Hip-Hop: Bun B Celebrates His 40th Birthday – XXL". March 19, 2013.
  19. HipHopDX (August 23, 2013). "Rap-A-Lot Records Signs Distribution Deal With Sony RED, Plans Bun B Album". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on February 16, 2015. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  20. "Bun B Announces New Album – Rap Radar". Rap Radar. October 4, 2013. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  21. "Bun B Closes the 'Trill' Chapter". Rolling Stone. October 4, 2013. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  22. "REVOLT – Exclusive: Bun B & Kirko Bangz Announce The Trillest Tour". REVOLT. Archived from the original on December 18, 2014. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  23. Alexis, Nadeska, "Bun B to Teach Hip-Top and Religion Class at Rice University," 2010-06-22, Theboombox.com, accessed December 20, 2010.
  24. "Bun B Says The Elders May Have Not Raised Upcoming MCs Correctly – XXL". November 13, 2013.
  25. Bacher, Danielle (June 18, 2013). "Q&A: Bun B on the 'Incredible Journey' of Creating His Hip-Hop Coloring Book". Rolling Stone.
  26. "Bun B Talks Married pBliss! Peer Pressure, Family Values and More". UrbLife.com. July 8, 2010.
  27. Coleman II, C. Vernon (2010). Down With The King (September 2010 ed.). XXL (magazine). p. 62.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  28. Kreps, Daniel (April 24, 2019). "Bun B Shoots Armed Intruder During Robbery Attempt at Houston Home". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
  29. "Bun B & Statik Selektah - TrilStatik 2". Apple Music. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
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