Bun B: the Rhapsody Interview (I & II)

Although, I was never a big fan of UGK beyond “Big Pimpin’” and “Int’l Player’s Anthem”, Bun B has definitely earned my respect and attention with his music and recent interviews. Rhaposdy interviewed him recently about syrup, pimp c, obama, and host of other things. And in case you didn’t know… those are his one of a kind, self-designed AF1s.

Toshitaka Kondo writes:

It’s hard to think of another artist who experienced higher highs or lower lows in 2007 than Bun B, one-half of the legendary Houston rap group UGK. After 15 years in the game, UGK enjoyed its first number one album with UGK (Underground Kingz), and its first Grammy nomination for Best Rap Performance By a Duo or Group for the smash single, “Int’l Players Anthem (I Choose You).” But for all the triumph, there was also tragedy: his best friend and UGK rhyme partner Pimp C died suddenly in December. Bun initiated the healing process by talking about how he was coping with the loss and sharing his plans for the future in numerous candid interviews. Thankfully for fans, another UGK album is in the works, as is his second solo album, II Trill. Bun seemed to be in better spirits when Rhapsody caught up to him at his publicist’s office in New York to discuss Lil Wayne’s syrup addiction, his personal drug use and out-rapping Jay-Z.

Rhapsody: Lil Wayne recently made a lot of headlines by admitting to being addicted to syrup [prescription-strength cough syrup]. What were your thoughts?
Bun B: I wish they would just leave the kid alone. When you have 100 people telling you to not do something, that sh*t doesn’t work like that. Now me, I hadn’t sipped syrup for a while before Pimp died. Does that mean I let all my vices go? F*ck no. I’m still drinking and smoking weed. Ike Turner died of cocaine use. People haven’t stopped snorting cocaine. Thousands of people die drunk driving every year and somebody is going to drive home drunk tonight. People stop doing things whenever they sort of feel their way up to it. The kid said he would love to stop, but the withdrawal symptoms are too intense for him. Anybody going through something like that knows that’s what it is. I say this to all media, you can’t force Lil Wayne to stop sipping drank. That’s gonna be a personal choice. For all these people that love to put his sh*t on blast, I would love for them to put their vices on front street. Walk around with your proverbial white cup with you all day and see if you could handle the pressure.

When did you actually stop sipping syrup?
I stopped last summer. The sh*t f*cked with my stomach. It wasn’t like I couldn’t sh*t or [I was] throwing up or nothing like that. I don’t get hangovers from liquors, so I can drink as much as I want. When I would sip the syrup the next day, I would feel that sh*t. But that weed, I can’t let it go.

How much syrup were you sipping?
Maybe four ounces a month. I wasn’t like a serious sipper. I know people that sip four ounces per day. When I was younger, I probably sipped a little harder. And I had a lot of problems going on with management and sh*t like that, so I ran to drugs to escape from reality. Lately, I’ve been learning to deal with reality so there’s no need for me to do all the drugs that I used to do.

What would you say is the best drug you’ve ever done?
Jesus Christ, I didn’t know there were levels of good. Aren’t drugs bad? [Laughs.] Weed for me is cool. I couldn’t f*ck with the cocaine and heroin. I used to pop [Xanax and Ambien]. That sh*t can get out of hand real quick. I did some ecstasy before. We’ve been doing X [ecstasy] since ’93, ’94. You used to be able to buy ex with liquor in the clubs in Dallas. Like, give [me] two tabs and two Heinekeins. I tried shrooms.

Did you like shrooms?
Shrooms was ‘cause of the kids I was hanging out with at the time.

White boys?
Yeah, absolutely. They were like, “Try this shit, Bun.” I was like, “Aright.” You young, you wanna fit in. People do a lot of dumb sh*t trying to fit in. I ain’t used to pictures coming up off the paintings and walking around the room. I don’t like the hallucinogenic drugs. When I was smoking water [formaldehyde], that first hit feels good and it’s a nice little rush. But then you take that second hit and you get that wash-over, and you know that you’re in that world and not coming out no time soon. You’re like, “Damn, I done f*ck*d around and did this sh*t. I’m fittin to be high till six in the morning.” I don’t like drugs that you can’t stop being high when you want to. I like a rollercoaster ride, not a road trip. [Laughs].

Some people feel that you out-rapped Jay-Z on “Big Pimpin’.” Is that really the consensus down there?
That would probably be the public opinion. But anybody that knows anything knows that that’s not nothing to walk around and claim as a bragging right. “Big Pimpin’” was from a Jay-Z perspective, a dance record. So there was no need to go in and go all lyrically crazy and be in-depth. All I know is, Jay-Z calls me and wants me to do a song. So I don’t care what the content of the record it, I’m fittin’ to rap as hard and as good as I can because of the talent that I’m rapping on the record with. Now, had that been a “Renegade” or something like that we were going in to do, he would’ve came a little different I think. Had he known how hard I was gonna go, he probably would’ve came a little different. It’s not like he phoned it in. I’m just saying, had he known the intensity with which I planned to rap on the record, he probably would’ve came a little more intense.

Do you think he added the second verse to the version of “Big Pimpin’” that was commercially released because your verse was so strong?
Nah, that was to even up the publishing because, had he not done that, we would’ve owned more of the record then he would have. They would’ve split it three ways and UGK would’ve owned 66 percent of the record. So you add another verse and it’s 25 percent, 25 percent, 25 percent and 25 percent. But from a fan perspective, I could see how people would want to believe that. I remember getting the paperwork and the publishing splits had changed. I was like, “That’s what he did that other verse for.” It had nothing to do with how Bun B rapped on that song.

A lot of people talk about how much “Big Pimpin’” did for you guys, but they overlook how big your work on Three 6 Mafia’s “Sippin on Some Sizzurp” was too. Can you talk about the big impact of that song?
The way that “Big Pimpin’” aligned all the mainstream fanbase and crossover stations and all that, “Sippin on Some Sizzurp” was the antithesis to that. It basically lined us up with all the street outlets and all the underground movements.

You guys already had the underground.
But it solidified it even more because Three 6 Mafia is some other underground sh*t, too. And they represent more of the Midwest type of street flavor, which is a little bit different mentality than where we at. So it really helped to strengthen us in the Midwest. I beat up the Midwest like Chicago, Detroit and St. Louis [doing shows] just off of that. In places where we may not have been the sh*t, and they were the sh*t, it just brought all that together. Same way it did with the Jay-Z sh*t. Between two records, we were able to touch anybody [who] listened to rap music that year [1999].

Bun B’s allegiance to staying trill has never interfered with him being one of hip-hop’s most forward-thinking artists. The Houston native has collaborated with everyone from hipster rappers like Wale to backpack heroes like Little Brother, boasting a topical versatility that finds him speaking eloquently about any and everything. In his politically charged verse on M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes (Diplo Street Remix),” he opines that “being poor is a disease” and urges the underprivileged to “get your Robin Hood on, put some pressure on the man.” Rhapsody couldn’t wait to get Bun’s perspective on one of the most inspiring politicians in years, Barack Obama.

Rhapsody: The Texas primaries just happened. Have you been following the race closely so far?
Bun B: Oh, absolutely. I was waiting to see who would come to Houston and how they were gonna speak. If it was gonna be more about them pushing their national agenda or singling out issues that directly affect people in Houston, the community, and the state in general. Barack was really the only one to come. Bill was doing most of the stomping for Hillary in Texas. I think she might have done like one [rally]. But for the most part, I kept seeing Bill. I went to Barack’s. It was like a concert. It was sold out. It was at the Toyota Center where the Rockets play with 18,000 seats.

At what point did you start feeling like Obama was a viable candidate?
I think once they started listening to him. He’s got great communication skills. When he speaks, people feel his sincere. Barack is either the truth or the best liar we’ve ever seen in the history of the world. Even better than Bush. I believe him and I haven’t believed a lot of stuff that politicians have said for a long time. He’s sincere about what he wants to get accomplished. Now, will the party and the country let him get those things accomplished? That kind of remains to be seen. The John McCains of the world are like, “We know what we’re doing. Don’t ask too many questions.” With Barack, it’s more like, “It’s going to take us to change America. Not just me.” I think that’s all that people want to hear: that you’re willing to listen to us and take what we’re saying into consideration, when for the past eight years, they’ve pretty much been on their own agenda. With Barack, it’s opening up dialogue and having discussions that we really haven’t been having as a country.

A lot of his opponents have brought up his lack of experience. Does that bother you?
Not at all. We’ve had great presidents like a John F. Kennedy, who wasn’t that experienced in office. We look at people who have been in the political field a long time like the [Don] Cheneys and Strom Thurmonds of the world and they haven’t helped us. So, maybe experience is something that’s been hurting us this whole time. Maybe we need some fresh blood. People who aren’t used to solely playing by party lines.

What did you think of 50 Cent’s comment that America isn’t ready for a black president and that winning might get him killed?
I mean they’re not ready for a black president. The Ku Klux Klan have literally put out a press release saying that if Barack is elected president, we’re gonna do everything we can to try to kill him. I think people are giving 50 a lot of flack, but let’s just be real. I know a lot of people who probably would want to put their hands on George Bush if they could get close to him.

Even with the Ku Klux Klan making those statements, does the fact that Hillary and Obama are the candidates show progress to you?
It does show progress. Forty years ago, you wouldn’t have even been able to throw your hat into the race. We [are] just starting to get black senators and governors now. If you look at this country, the races are expanding. It’s not just a white country anymore. It’s time for this country to reflect the people that [it] represents.

Does it bother you that Obama admits to experimenting with drugs?
When you throw it out there yourself, there’s really no ammunition for your enemies to use against you because you’re quicker to point out your faults than they are. I think it was just smart on his part to do that because, had he not admitted it, it would’ve came up anyways. He has to put it all on the line because he’s going to be representing us all. So we need to know.