Born in Port Arthur, Texas, a small town an hour and half east, and three worlds away from the sprawling metropolis that is Houston, Bernard Freeman – aka Bun B - always set his sights high. Surrounded by chemical plants, corrupted ports, a disproportionate amount of drug houses and an overtly harsh police force, the man who would one day become known as one half of the ground breaking rap duo UGK, probably never thought that one day he’d not only have a record in stores, but that an entire generation of music fans would hang on his every word.

Bun B didn’t go from being an aspiring rapper to becoming one of hip-hops most respected and inspiring voices overnight. His road was long and hard. When UGK first hit the scene in 1992, most people from outside their community never thought that legitimate hip-hop music could come from the south. Bun B and his partner in rhyme, Pimp C, quickly proved the naysayers wrong. 

UGK started like many musical groups. At the time, hip-hop was still in its infancy, and influenced by Run DMC, NWA, the Geto Boys and all the best acts of the time, Bun B, Pimp C and two of their close friends formed a group called Four Black Ministers, but as time passed, it was obvious who was ready to take it to the next level, and Bun and Pimp set off on their own as The Underground Kings.

After a chance meeting with a record store owner in Houston, Bun and Pimp signed with the young entrepreneurs label, Big Time Records to release their first tape, The Southern Way, which contained the monster hit, “Tell Me Something Good,” that borrowed heavily from the Rufus and Chaka Khan hit of the same name. That single was first heard on a Houston radio contest called Houston Home Jams. Over the course of two weeks, the song dominated the contest, but UGK was disqualified when their label began pressing up the single and selling it.

“But people kept calling the station to hear the song again,” Bun says, “and 97.9 the Box added it. The rest is history.”

And what a history it was. Soon after the success of “Tell Me Something Good,” the group was signed by Jive Records after a bidding war between multiple labels, hungry to be on the cutting edge of southern rap music. When UGK came out on Jive, there were only a few marginal success stories in Southern rap, but alongside their contemporaries 8Ball & MJG and Three 6 Mafia, they formed and developed an entire culture. And exposed the world to the real side of the south.

All of UGK’s releases on Jive, Too Hard to Swallow, Super Tight, Ridin’ Dirty, and Dirty Money saw marginal success, approaching or crossing the Gold line every time. But it was their latest opus, the double disc self-titled set that came out in 2007 that really proved who the Trill Kings of southern rap really are.

The double disc was a gift to a starving hip-hop community who waited patiently alongside Bun, while Pimp C served four years of an eight-year sentence in a Texas penitentiary. While Pimp was away, Bun B released his first solo album, TRILL, on Rap-A-Lot Records and kept it all the way Trill, by screaming FREE PIMP C at any chance he would get. FREE PIMP C became a rallying cry for the entire south, hell bent on seeing one of their most influential artists set free.

It was while Pimp was locked up that Bun’s status as a solo artist began to be recognized on a wide scale. From day one, as he started seeing success, he helped young artists find their way in the ever changing, and often confounding music industry. A mentor to artists like Young Jeezy and Killer Mike and a father figure of sorts to just about every rapper you ever heard of from Houston, Bun B provided a support base and a helping hand to many of today’s hottest artists. A true southern gentleman, he’s known as a man who always keeps his door open while so many of his contemporaries live their entire careers under lock and key.

It’s that openness that has taken Bun beyond the ranks of your average rap artist from the south. He has hosted and curated highly successful events at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, and was one of the first artists to embrace Houston’s downtown resurgence. You can catch Bun at an art gallery and then see him later that same night, at a club in the hood.

You might not read about it in the newspaper, but he’s an active member of his church, and is currently in the process of building a community center for youth in Houston. His work on World AIDS Day and Black HIV and AIDS Awareness Day garnered him a citation from the City of Houston, and he was one of the few rap artists to go to Jena, Louisiana and actually march with and speak for the Jena 6. Activism doesn’t exactly run rampant in the southern rap community, but Bun B has never been afraid to go against the grain, or challenge the norms of society and hip-hop.

As evidenced by some of the side features he has popped up on as of late. He recently appeared on the “Paper Planes” Remix with London based Sri Lankan singer M.I.A., and has also worked with Chicago’s Kids in the Hall on their “Work to Do” remix that has been picked up by the Barack Obama campaign as an anthem of sorts.

And if that’s not enough to keep one man busy, Bun also works closely with many Streetwear clothing companies, advocating their independent lines and is working closely with Microsoft Zune to promote their MP3 players and online community.

All this while recording his latest solo release 2 Trill, and album that he was about halfway through on that December morning when he got the call that would change his life forever.

On December 4^th, 2007, Pimp C was found dead in a Los Angeles hotel room, to the shock and dismay of Bun B as well as his family and legions of fans and supporters. It was a dark day for hip-hop, and a hard day for music in general.

Just as he did when his partner was locked behind bars, Bun B has to balance his new life as a solo artist, with keeping the name, tradition and mission of UGK alive. On 2 trill – to be released by Rap A Lot Records on May 20^th, Bun B does all that and then some.

The first single, "Gangsta,” produced by JR Rotem and featuring Sean Kingston sets the tone for the entire set. But don’t let the title fool you, “Gangsta” is not an ode to the streets, it’s a lesson to be learned. A gangsta, as defined by Bun B, is someone who finds his own path, makes his own way, doesn’t answer to others and works towards the goals he or she may have set forth. And that is what much of this album is about.

Former Swisha House producer Big Time pops up on two of the albums hardest cuts, “My Paper,” and “Get Yo Issue.” Bun’s voice cries the loud and shines bright as he takes crooked cops, preachers and politicians to task over a raucous, manic, out of control beat that goes every which way but loose. He starts off each verse with a line like "Hey (Mr. Policeman) I hear you're trying to save some people today." Then proceeds to break down said policemen, politicians and preachers on points that many would never think to question.

“Damn I’m Cold,” produced by Philly based producer CHOPS and featuring Lil Wayne is a lyrical flex fest in which Bun and Weezy seem to try and outdo each other in their respective verses, then come together in the third to trade off lines like Run DMC.

“My Block” reunites Bun B with longtime collaborator, Jazzee Pha. However it’s the stand out track “If It Was Up To Me,” featuring Junior Reid, that’s going to ring true in every listeners head in this especially important election year. On this one, Bun lets loose on politicians, the environment, neighborhood gentrification and America’s educational system.

The album also features production from Mr. Lee, Clinton Sparks, Enigma, Cory Mo, Blackout Movement, Mouse, Khalil and Cozmo. And verses from Rick Ross, 8Ball & MJG, Lupe Fiasco, Mya, Webbie, Slim Thug, Mike Jones and his long time side project MDDL FNGZ.

It’s a heartfelt walk through the mind of a man who has kept his partner, his city, his family and an entire culture of music fans on his shoulders for more than a decade and a half.