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.
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.