Bun-B' Music Videos including That's Gangsta, Get Throwed, Draped Up (remix), Draped Up on Blastro

Bernard Freeman - known in the rap game by the alias Bun-B - is one of Southern rap’s most influential figures. Though he is commonly associated with the Houston rap scene, he actually hails from nearby Port Arthur, Texas. Bun-B began rapping in high school, joining a neighborhood quartet known as the Four Black Ministers in the late 1980’s. After the Four Black Ministers crew broke up, Bun-B teamed up with Pimp C (real name Chad Butler) to form the southern rap duo UGK.

UGK (shorthand for Underground Kingz) released their first mixtape in 1988, and by 1992 had signed to a record deal with Jive Records. Though UGK put out a total of six records for Jive between 1992 and 2007, the group never achieved the mainstream success it was capable of - Bun B’s partner Pimp C was frequently in and out of jail, making it hard for the group to stay in the spotlight. Tragically, Pimp C died of a drug overdose in 2007, putting the UGK era to a permanent close. Despite the group’s turbulent history, UGK remained popular and well respected within Southern rap circles, collaborating with artists like T.I. and Three 6 Mafia.

Bun B began his solo career in 2005 when he released his debut album Trill on Houston-based Rap-A-Lot Records (Geto Boys, Lil’ Flip). Recorded during one of Pimp C’s prison sentences, Trill was an unexpected national success, reaching the #6 spot on the Billboard 200 and selling over 520,000 copies in the United States alone. The album produced two notable singles, "Draped Up" (which features young Houston phenom Lil’ Keke) and "Get Throwed", a collaboration with Jay-Z and Young Jeezy.