Bun B

Today in Hip-Hop History: UGK Released Their First Studio Album ‘Too Hard To Swallow’ 31 Years Ago

by
Too Hard to Swallow

On this date in 1992, Bun B and Pimp C put out their first studio release Too Hard To Swallow and began their extremely successful career as Underground Kingz.

With UGK (short for Underground Kingz) being one of the first rap groups to come out of Texas to be regarded nationally, it’s easy to see how important it is to the South. At this time in the early 90s, there wasn’t much coming from anywhere other than New York or California. The only southern rappers that had hits were fellow Texas natives Geto Boys and Miami-based rappers 2 Live Crew. When this album dropped, it opened up a door for a whole new wave of southern rap to emerge.

Unlike the funkier, sample-heavy beats that UGK became known for rapping over later in their career, this album is true to its name as far as its production. The beats are a lot more aggressive and so is the lyricism. Nevertheless, this album is full of hits that are considered classics of the group’s catalog. These three tracks are “Something Good”, “Use Me Up” which hails a Bill Withers sample, and “Pocket Full of Stones”, which appeared on the soundtrack to the 1992 hood classic, Menace II Society.

The album was recorded over a year period from 1991 to 1992 and released on November 9th, 1992 under Jive Records, the early 90s powerhouse label hosting acts such as E-40, A Tribe Called Quest, R.Kelly, and the late Aaliyah. The album has so far sold 369,511 copies and peaked at 37th on the Billboard US R&B Charts. After this album, UGK went on to put out five albums until the untimely passing of member Pimp C in 2007.

The post Today in Hip-Hop History: UGK Released Their First Studio Album ‘Too Hard To Swallow’ 31 Years Ago first appeared on The Source.

The post Today in Hip-Hop History: UGK Released Their First Studio Album ‘Too Hard To Swallow’ 31 Years Ago appeared first on The Source.

Bun B Says Tory Lanez Sentence is a ‘Wake-up Call for Violence Against Women’

by
Bun B Says Tory Lanez Shooting Megan Thee Stallion Was 'Some Whore Sh*t'

Tory Lanez’s sentence continues to cause reactions across Hip-Hop. The latest comes from Houston legend Bun B who thinks the sentence is a “wake-up call for violence against women.”

“I don’t think this has anything to do with Hip Hop,” Bun said to TMZ. “If there were nobody in Hip Hop involved in this, this would still not be a good thing for us to see in this world right now.”

He added, “Keep your head up. Obviously, Tory might not be the biggest fan of mine, but I don’t wish prison on anybody and I hope he comes home safe.”

Lanez may not be a fan of Bun B due to him previously stating his actions toward Megan Thee Stallion was “some whore shit.”

Tory Lanez‘s time behind bars for the shooting of Megan Thee Stallion will be closer to nine years instead of the previously sentenced 10. Lanez will get credit for the time served.

“Lanez will be credited for 231 days he’s already spent in jail,” court reporter Meghann Cuniff wrote on Twitter. “He gets 15% credit of 34 days. Herriford also is crediting his 40 days of house arrest, for a total of 305 days. He’ll request bail pending appeal, which will be heard Aug. 15.”

Cuniff also noted that the possibility of bail is extremely unlikely.

Tory Lanez will be behind bars for a while, serving time for his shooting of Megan Thee Stallion. Lanez’s lawyer, Jose Baez, spoke with TMZ and stated the rapper is “feeling pretty low” and is processing the sentence. He added that the Chixtape rapper would deal with the sentence as best as he could.

Baez also noted that Tory would lean on his faith in God and his fans and family’s support system. Baez also states that they are still fighting for an appeal.

Tory Lanez’s time is to be spent in a California state prison.

The verdict was delivered after a 10-minute argument by Alex Bott on behalf of prosecutors and 20 minutes of defense from Jose Baez. Judge Herriford issued the ruling.

During the hearing, Tory Lanez spoke for several minutes, according to reporter Meghann Cuniff, where he said Megan is “someone I still care for dearly to this day” and said, “the victim’s my friend.”

He also would speak about the mutual loss of their mothers. “We both lost our mothers. We would sit there and drink, and drink until we got numb,” Tory Lanez said.

The post Bun B Says Tory Lanez Sentence is a ‘Wake-up Call for Violence Against Women’ first appeared on The Source.

The post Bun B Says Tory Lanez Sentence is a ‘Wake-up Call for Violence Against Women’ appeared first on The Source.

James Harden Loaded Up On Burgers From Bun B At Rolling Loud While Joel Embiid Got Married

by
james harden burgers
TikTok/TrillBurgers

This past weekend was an eventful one for the stars of the Philadelphia 76ers, as Joel Embiid got married on Saturday and thoroughly enjoyed himself, FaceTiming Meek Mill to rap “Dreams and Nightmares” to him from the ceremony while also dancing up a storm.

While that was happening and a handful of Embiid’s teammates were in attendance for his nuptials, James Harden and PJ Tucker were down in Miami enjoying themselves at Rolling Loud, where a video went viral of Harden grabbing four (4) hamburgers from legendary Houston rapper Bun B.

Listen, who among us has not been enjoying themselves at a concert, maybe had a few beverages, and not wanted to eat four hamburgers. I would do the same thing as Harden if presented with a tray of free burgers, so I am not going to be one to throw stones here.

That said, plenty of folks online began making connections between Harden’s statement (or maybe threat) earlier in the week to make things “uncomfortable” on his Instagram story amid the reports he’d be more than willing to report to camp and be a distraction should the Sixers not meet his trade request by October. Harden knows better than most how to turn up the heat on a team and make clear he doesn’t want to be there, as he put on some pounds in Houston when he wanted to leave the Rockets and made the Nets locker room miserable before being dealt to Philly. Maybe this is part of the program, maybe he’s taking burgers to some friends, or maybe he was just a very hungry fella. Either way, it is a pretty funny video of him just stacking burgers in his arms and disappearing into the night.

The First Time Jay-Z Called Bun B, The Texas Rapper Thought It Was A Prank

by

In the return of Uproxx’s Fresh Pair, Port Arthur, Texas rapper (and secret Swiftie) Bun B breaks down his career for hosts Just Blaze and Katty Customs as they break down the custom sneakers they made for him based on that career. One funny anecdote involves the filming of the video for “Big Pimpin’” and Bun’s reaction to receiving a personal phone call from Jay-Z.

Near the 11:30 mark in the episode, Just recalls his reaction to listening to “Big Pimpin’” for the first time, Bun recounts how he and his UGK partner-in-rhyme Pimp C were tapped to appear on the record.

“I thought the call was a prank,” he admits. “It was a blocked number. I was like, ‘Who’s this?’ He was like, ‘It’s Jay-Z,’ and I was like, ‘Yo, stop playing on my phone,’ and I hung up.”

However, Bun picked up when Jay called back and thanks to Jay’s distinctive voice, recognized that it really was the superstar rapper. It’s a great story about how the early rap business still had a personal touch.

Bun also recalls Pimp C’s initial skepticism about the song, the surprise of its success after a prior single flopped, and Pimp’s hilarious reaction to being told to take off his mink coat during the video shoot in Trinidad & Tobago.

You can watch the full interview above and subscribe for more Fresh Pair at Youtube.com/UproxxVideo. Check out a YouTube short of the moment below:

Bun B Entered His Swiftie Era After A Chance Meeting With Taylor Swift, Whom He Likened To Beyoncé And Barack Obama

by
taylor swift 2023 eras tour
Getty Image

Bun B was visibly impressed by the sneakers revealed to him on Uproxx‘s latest installment of Fresh Pair, and the Houston rapper enjoyed another surprise on Tuesday, July 11.

“About last night..got a call in the middle of dinner to meet Matt from @astorclubnyc at an Uno game. Random. Turns out it’s @questlove party with food from cannabis chef/educator @thechefnikki which was amazing. Quest calls @jazzbeezy who I hadn’t sent in years. On my way out he says ‘I have to have a picture with you and Taylor,’” Bun B captioned an Instagram photo of him shaking hands with Taylor Swift.

The UGK legend continued, “Who turns out to be THE Taylor. As in @taylorswift who couldn’t have been more kind and personable. I’ve only ever met 2 other people who make you feel this seen and heard in an interaction before and that’s @barackobama and @beyonce My question is does this make me a Swiftie?”

Bun B met Swift at an opportune time, considering she’s probably still riding the high from releasing Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) last Friday, and celebrating its arrival across two The Eras Tour shows in Kansas City, Missouri on Friday and Saturday, July 8. (Suddenly, all we can think about is whether Bun B can somehow finesse this into making Trill Burgers a sponsor of The Eras Tour.)

Swift will next take The Eras Tour to Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado on Friday, July 14, and Saturday, July 15. See her remaining North American dates here.

The 12-time Grammy winner also recently added more international dates for 2024. See them here.

‘Fresh Pair’ Returns With A Special Episode Starring Bun B

by

Fresh Pair is back, baby! Sneaker artist extraordinaire Katty Customs and legendary hip-hop producer Just Blaze have teamed up once again — taking their sneaker customization operation to the city of Austin, Texas for a special live episode starring UGK alum, Bun B.

A renowned sneakerhead in his own right, Bun is no stranger to a fire pair of kicks, considering that and the fact that the Fresh Pair team was visiting Bun’s home state, Katty and Just Blaze had their work cut out for them and nailing the right design was of paramount importance. We won’t spoil the reveals for you here (it’s a lot more fun to watch) but we will say that Bun was beyond impressed with what Katty and Blaze cooked up, inspiring the legend to share never-before-heard stories from his come-up and lengthy career.

Throughout this 30-minute episode, Bun takes us behind the scenes of the recording of “Diamonds and Wood,’ as well as the production process of UGK’s classic, Ridin’ Dirty. Later, Just Blaze and Bun reminisce about their early run-ins with Rockafella Records and Jay-Z and address that iconic moment in the “Big Pimpin’” video when Pimp C rocked a mink coat in 100-degree weather.

With the many references and nods to Bun’s career that Katty and Bun crammed into this single pair of sneakers, the hip-hop legend was bursting with stories to tell. Catch the full episode above and try to guess Bun’s out of 10 rating before we hit the post-interview during the credits.

Drake Declares Bun B’s Trill Burgers “The Best Burgers” He’s Ever Had

by

Bun B, Drake

Drake surprisedly visited Trill Burgers, the Houston-based restaurant owned by former rapper Bun B of the rap group UGK (Underground Kingz), labeling it “the best burger” he ever had.  Drake’s unexpected appearance at Trill Burgers on Monday, June 19, created a buzz among fans and patrons. The Toronto rapper admired Bun B, referring to him […]

The post Drake Declares Bun B’s Trill Burgers “The Best Burgers” He’s Ever Had appeared first on SOHH.com.

Bun B’s “Trill Burgers”: Houston’s Newest Culinary Sensation

by

Bun B

Houston’s legendary rapper, Bun B, has fulfilled a long-awaited dream by opening his highly anticipated burger joint, Trill Burgers, in the Montrose district. While the establishment’s current location is temporary, Bun B and his team are excited to provide Houstonians with their signature Trill Burgers, aiming to serve high-quality and delicious food daily. Bun B’s […]

The post Bun B’s “Trill Burgers”: Houston’s Newest Culinary Sensation appeared first on SOHH.com.

Bun B Opens First Brick-and-Mortar Trill Burgers Location in Houston

by
351734088 244029251598850 3987704055980041581 n

Houston’s renowned smashburger concept, Trill Burgers, founded by legendary rapper Bun B, officially opened its first brick-and-mortar location on June 7th. The restaurant, situated at 3607 S Shepherd Dr. at Richmond Avenue in Montrose, spans over 3,236 square feet and will serve as an extended pop-up venue for six months while Trill Burgers continues its search for a permanent establishment in Houston. Initially, the restaurant will operate during soft opening hours, seven days a week, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., with further hours to be announced.

“It’s been a dream for us, and it’s actually coming true,” Bun B said. “It’s been our sole goal to open up an establishment where we can serve you guys Trill Burgers consistently at a high level on a daily basis. And now we’re ready to do it. We are now officially open for business, ready to serve you.”

Trill Burgers’ opening menu will feature the same signature items that have garnered acclaim during its pop-ups and events since its inception in 2021. This includes the OG Burger, consisting of two smashed all-beef patties, Trill Sauce, pickles, caramelized onions, and American cheese on a potato roll bun. Additionally, a Vegan OG Burger with vegan cheese, vegan mayonnaise, and seasoned fries will be available. The new location will also introduce triple and single-patty options, such as the Triple OG, Triple Vegan OG, Baby G, and Vegan Baby G kids meals. Chef partners Mike Pham and Fernando Valladares are collaborating on developing additional menu items, which will be unveiled during Trill Burgers’ grand opening in the upcoming weeks.

The brick-and-mortar establishment will operate on a cashless system and currently offers dine-in and walk-up ordering services, accommodating up to 125 guests. A drive-thru service will be introduced in the near future. Customers are advised that Trill Burgers does not provide online or phone ordering options, nor is it affiliated with any third-party delivery services or apps. As an exclusive in-store fountain drink provider, Trill Burgers has partnered with the Texas-based beverage brand Dr Pepper.

Doug Freedman from United Equities facilitated the acquisition of the location for Trill Burgers, while the interior buildout was carried out by Houston-based Luria Construction, led by Aaron Lewis. The site was formerly occupied by one of Houston’s oldest James Coney Island locations, adding a touch of history to Trill Burgers’ new venture.

“I’ve been lucky to open more than a dozen fast-casual concepts, and nothing surpasses the love I have seen for Trill Burgers,” co-founder Andy Nguyen said. “When Bun, Nick Scurfield and I first launched this concept almost two years ago, we knew we had something special on our hands. Now it’s time to take it to the next level.”

The post Bun B Opens First Brick-and-Mortar Trill Burgers Location in Houston appeared first on The Source.