Born Bernard James Freeman on March 19th, 1973, Bun B is an American rapper, songwriter and actor. He is well known as the other member of a duo group he formed in 1987 alongside Pimp C called Under Ground Kingz (UGK). He is well respected in the Hip Hop fraternity for creating a style that has inspired modern rap through his smooth and authentic flow. If you have never come across the name Bun B, the following are ten things you need to know about him.
1. The rapper has five solo studio albums
Apart from being part of UGK, the king of Texas has also released five solo studio albums. His first solo studio album called ‘Trill’ was released on October 18th, 2005 and peaked at position six in U.S hot 200 albums. The album sold more than 500,000 copies and was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. His other four solo albums also made it to Billboard top 200 list with the highest-peaking album to date being ‘II Trill’ which was released in 2008.
2. He has taught at college
You read that right, the Southern rapper is not only great behind the microphone, but he is also an academic. In 2011, rapper Bun B started tutoring Religion and Hip Hop culture as a guest lecturer at Rice University. According to MTV, the rapper said that he took teaching because he believes that Hip-Hop can influence, motivate, and enlighten people from different backgrounds. Due to teaching the course along with Religious Studies professor Dr. Anthony Pinn, he has received “Distinguished Lecturer” recognition from the school.
3. Bun B is a big Travis Scott fan
In an interview with Complex, the Texas rapper said that fellow Huston native Travis Scott is the perfect person to continue representing Huston in the current new generation of artists. He describes Travis as a versatile musician who can switch tempos in different songs and still get an audience from the people. According to XXL, Bun B mentioned that there is something special about Travis Scott from the way he expresses himself musically to his stage connection with fans.
4. There is a petition to ban him from cheering local teams
On August 18th, 2017, a sports fan by the name Dontrelle Brown Reed started a petition to ban Bun B from participating in Houston sporting occasions. The sports fan claimed that every time Bun B is involved in local sporting activities or his songs played, their team ends up performing poorly. The fan’s petition also states that Bun B only shows up when the Houston Astros are on a winning streak. Therefore the rapper should be barred from attending their games. However, the petition did not gain momentum, and the rapper was never banned from attending any sporting events.
5. Bun B is married with two children
Bun B, who is 45 years old, married Angela Walls in 2013 and is a stepfather to two children. In addition to being an active rapper, Bun B is also a grandfather to his younger son’s child. Despite the children not being his biologically, since his wife got them in her previous relationship, Bun B has raised them for more than 20 years now and treats them as his own.
6. He recently shot an armed robber
The incident which happened on April 24th, 2019, left the 20-year-old intruder, DeMonte Jackson with a bullet wound. Bun B’s wife answered a door call thinking it’s an ‘Amazon’ delivery, only to be met by a man pointing a gun at her and demanding for assets. Bun B heard the commotion from upstairs, came down and engaged in a shoot-out with the masked intruder who was arrested at a hospital while seeking treatment. The police later released a statement saying that neither Bun B nor his wife was injured during the incident.
7. The rapper has performed with the Houston Symphony
The Houston Symphony is a Grammy Award Winning orchestra which was formed in 1966 and is based in Houston, Texas. On November 14th, 2013, Bun had the pleasure of sharing the stage with the acclaimed orchestra in the event named ‘Concert against Hate.’ In a statement, Bernard Freeman expressed his delight at being the first Hip-Hop musician to be included in the orchestra performance. Bun referred to the concert that went down at the Jones Hall as a significant stride towards acceptance of the Hip-Hop culture in Houston and the world at large.
8. His family gave him the name Bun B
The rapper who was born in a Houston hospital but brought up in Port Arthur disclosed that his stage name is a nickname his family gave him during his upbringing. Unlike most rappers whose stage name is about their talent or mostly fan gave, Bun B got his name from home. As a child, his family used to call him just Bunny. As he grew the title switched to Bunny B (a short form of Bunny Bernard), and then they shortened his name to Bun B. Up to date he is still known to many as Bun B.
9. The rap legend has created a children’s coloring book
For decades now, children’s coloring books have only featured old elements that are mostly education oriented. It seems like rapper Bun B noticed that and decided to team up with music commentator and illustrator to design a ‘Rap Coloring Book’ that is more exciting in 2013. The 48-page book features coloring pages from Hip-Hop’s royalties such as Tupac Biggie and Kanye West. It also includes several mind-boggling activities that will contest your Hip-Hop knowledge.
10. He has an estimated net worth of $3 million
Bun B made a significant amount of money when he was still part of UGK, all of the duo’s albums have sold more than 200,000 copies. The rapper also has amassed wealth from his various business ventures. For instance, two days he released a limited edition of Bun B-designed caps and fans reportedly lined up since early morning to purchase the brand.
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