Fellow rapper Pimp C founded the rap duo Underground Kings in the late 1980s with friend Mitchell Queen. The lineup didn’t last long however and Bun B ultimately joined, alter securing a record deal with independent Houston label Bigtyme Records. The pair’s debut output was the well-received EP “The Southern Way”, which raised the duo's exposure and led to them signing with Jive Records. Unable to release much of their hardcore, explicitly content on their debut full-length, the EP “Banned” was issued in 1993 to satisfy fans. The studio album “Too Hard to Swallow” arrived in 1993 on Jive Records, succeeded by “Super Tight” in 1994, “Ridin’ Dirty” in 1996, and “Dirty Money” in 2001.
Following the arrest of his UGK partner Pimp C, Bun B began making appearances on songs by Paul Wall, Webbie, and Yung Joc, before releasing the mixtape “Legends” in 2005. The same year Bun B issued his debut solo album “Trill”, peaking at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 aided by the singles “Draped Up”, “Git It”, and “Get Throwed”. In 2007 UGK partner Pimp C was found dead in a hotel room, and Bun B’s sophomore album “Il Trill” was in large part a tribute to his former colleague. Debuting at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, the album proved his most successful to date, spawning the singles “That’s Gangsta”, “You’re Everything”, and “Damn I’m Cold”.
Two years later Bun B’s third studio album “Trill OG” hit the shelves featuring 2Pac, T-Pain, Trey Songz, Drake, and Slim Thug. Led by the single “Countin’ Money”, the record earned favourable reviews and charted at No. 4 upon release. “Trill OG: The Epilogue” followed in 2013 once again featuring a host of high-profile contributions from the likes of Big K.R.I.T, Rick Ross, 2 Chainz, and Redman. Debuting at No. 30 on the Billboard 200, the record received positive reviews and cemented Bun B’s position as one of the most celebrated rappers in hip-hop.
I would rate his concert a 4 out of 5 because he got everyone hype when he was on stage and though he didn't perform a single full song (probably for not getting paid enough since it was a small place) he was still worth every bit of effort to go see because after the show he greets the fans personally. However had it not been for Lil Keke I would give his promoters a negative 5 stars for not being able to keep the audience engaged enough, there was about a 4 hour wait for the main show and only an hour and a half worth of actual live music from other artists. 15% of the time the mic didnt work and to top it off the artist who sang the longest (about 35 min) was a rock wanna be rapper that wanted to use T-Pain effects while SREAMING- not rapping. Absolutely disgraceful to Lil Keke but props for Keke on making things right.
This was my very first time at Scouts Bar. I go to a lot of Z-Ro's concerts. I listen to him all the time so might as well. He wore all white last night and looked very handsome. He always has a tremendous stage presence. I'm about 10 years younger than him but I still love his music. He cracks me up too. Lol I'm old for my soul and my crowd his around his age. Anyways, it's always good to see him. I got a shirt, picture, a drink, and a seat. It was awesome.
Bernard Freeman is hardly the most street of names to go by, so there’s certainly no blaming the man for instead choosing to go by Bun B when he’s rapping; in truth, though, he doesn’t really require a change of name in retrospect, with his towering reputation in the genre more than secure thanks to his role as one half of the pioneering southern hip hop act UGK (UnderGround Kingz). As part of the duo, B - along with his late bandmate Pimp C - proved a huge inspiration to a new generation of rappers, including the likes of Lil Wayne. Since C’s passing, B has spent more time focusing on a solo career, and that of course includes some heavy touring schedules; backed by a hype man and a turntablist, B delivers his intelligent, socially conscious lyrics in incendiary style - his powerful flow is genuinely unique - as he runs through classic cuts both from his own catalogue and the UGK canon. He’s a commanding presence onstage, and remains one of hip hop’s most important underground acts.