Bun B
Bernard Freeman spent two decades as one half of UGK, and has spent the years since as the most respected public figure in Houston rap — a guest verse specialist, a university lecturer and the person the city calls on when it needs a spokesman.
Early life and origins in Port Arthur
Freeman grew up in Port Arthur, Texas, a refinery town on the Gulf coast, and formed UGK with Chad Butler, known as Pimp C, in the late 1980s. Their partnership lasted until Butler's death and defined what Southern rap sounded like outside Atlanta.
UGK
The group signed to Jive and released Too Hard to Swallow, Super Tight, Ridin' Dirty and eventually the self-titled Underground Kingz. Ridin' Dirty is the one most often named as a Southern rap landmark. Their guest appearance on OutKast's "Int'l Players Anthem" introduced them to a far larger audience than their own records ever had.
Solo career
Butler's imprisonment pushed Freeman into solo work, and Trill arrived in 2005 with the free-Pimp-C campaign behind it. II Trill and Trill OG followed. Butler died in 2007, and Freeman has carried the group's catalogue since.
What Bun B is known for musically
Technical control. His verses are densely constructed and delivered with a weight that makes them work as guest features on records that would otherwise sound nothing like him. Among rappers he has a reputation as one of the most reliable writers alive.
Beyond music
He has taught a religion and hip-hop course at Rice University, been widely involved in Houston civic life, particularly around hurricane relief, and runs a restaurant business in the city. His public role now extends well past music.
Album discography
With UGK: Too Hard to Swallow (1992), Super Tight (1994), Ridin' Dirty (1996), Dirty Money (2001), Underground Kingz (2007) and UGK 4 Life (2009). Solo: Trill (2005), II Trill (2008), Trill OG (2010) and Return of the Trill (2018).
Who has Bun B worked with?
His guest verse count runs into the hundreds. "Int'l Players Anthem (I Choose You)" with OutKast is the best known, and he has recorded with Three 6 Mafia, Jay-Z, Drake, Rick Ross, Young Jeezy and most of Houston.
Influence and legacy
UGK are the most important Texas rap group and among the most influential Southern acts of any era. Bun B's post-UGK role — teaching, organising, representing the city nationally — has made him something closer to a civic figure than a working rapper.