Shakur (73)
Texas rapper Bun-B has been keeping it trill for almost two decades. As 1/2 of the legendary rap duo UGK along with the late Pimp C, Bun started dropping gems when a lot of these younger rapper were still in diapers.
On his third solo album, Trill O.G. Bun has received the highest honor The Source magazine can hand out by earning the coveted 5 mics for the perfect album.
The Source writes:
"Trill O.G. scored high enough to receive 5 mics, the holy grail of Hip-Hop ratings, granting it admission into an elite club of timeless musical compositions that span over 20 years. The album rating system has been a staple for the magazine in announcing which artists have put together the best album from start to finish. Bun B is the first artist to receive this honor in over 5 years."
The album has features from Drake, Young Jeezy, Pimp-C, 2Pac, Slim Thug, Gucci Mane and Yo Gotti.
Bun issued a statement regarding the 5 mic rating:
When I started rapping, the highest honor a real MC could aspire to was the coveted 5 mics from Source Magazine. It was only given to the best of the best in hip hop, the cream of the crop so to speak. Those that received the honor were sometimes but not always contested, but what WAS always contested were those that DIDN’t receive the honor. If you’ve ever argued about your favorite MC on a corner, in a barbershop or on the comment section of a blog, then you know what I’m talking about.
For every album labeled a classic, there are dozens of others that people feel deserve the honor. So I realize that people now feel they have to place my album next to others that they feel were more impactful, and argue their case. With social networking being as prevalent as it is in our society, these arguments now take place in a very public arena, which in order to be heard, you often have to be very opinionated and abrasive to stand out. So people, while having no personal hate or malice towards me, will make very loud arguments about The Source’s decision, and the loudest ones will probably get the most attention.
Having been in the music industry almost 20 years, I have learned to receive my accolades with honor and respect, and hold my head high when the hate rains down. I love hip hop just as much or even more than the next person, so I understand the passion behind the argument. At the end of the day, we all want this thing we love to be as real and pure as the day we fell in love with it.
Having said all this, it is with great honor and admiration that I humbly accept this esteemed declaration from the Source Magazine and it’s staff for my album Trill OG, and for those that feel they need to shit on me to argue for another artist or album, don’t worry. The Trill OG can take it! UGK for life!
Bun B
Bun B ft Yo Gotti & Gucci Mane "Counting Money"
Video After The Jump
NEW YORK (Billboard) – Rappers have a propensity for christening themselves with royal titles to promote their standing in hip-hop (e.g., King of the South, Prince of Rap). But for Bun B, the less-regal handle Trill OG was the most fitting.
"My plan is just to ignite the fire that speaks to the issues that go on in the streets," Bun B (born Bernard Freeman) says about the moniker, which stands for "true and real original gangster."
To do so, the 37-year-old rapper joined forces with Young Jeezy, the late Pimp C (partner to Bun B in the duo UGK), Yo Gotti and Gucci Mane, among others, for "Trill OG" the album, out Tuesday (August 3) on Rap-a-Lot/Fontana. J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, Drumma Boy and Boi-1da are among the set's producers.
Billboard: You have a song with 2Pac (deceased rapper Tupac Shakur), Pimp C and Trey Songz on "Trill OG" called "Right Now." How did that come together?
Bun B: We had these verses that Pimp and I had already recorded for a 2Pac tribute album. We had submitted the music but it wasn't accepted, for some reason. But it recently came out of the archives and I was able to put a new verse on there and some new sounds and voices to really bring new life out of it. The ... subject matter is something that Pimp C and 2Pac were known for: the ladies. So it made sense to bring in Trey Songz to tie it all together.
Billboard: There are a lot of Texas-bred artists on the album, including Slim Thug, LeToya and Play-N-Skillz. How important is it still to rep your hometown?
Bun B: Texas has had incredible moments in the history of hip-hop. But there is a misconception that because we aren't at the forefront that we aren't here at all. But we're still making music, going on tour and getting in front of and connecting with the people.
Billboard: How was recording this album different from your last one, especially considering this is your first solo release since Pimp C's death?
Bun B: There was no anxiety behind this one, actually. There was no dealing with Pimp C being locked up, or Pimp C passing away. There wasn't that kind of pressure. We took up to a year to record this album and allowed everyone working on it to put their best foot forward. No one had to rush. If we didn't like something, we scrapped it and tried it again. Because of that, this is a really strong album.
Billboard: What is the goal you want to achieve with "Trill OG?"
Bun B: It's time for Texas to move back to the top, and in order for that to happen, someone has to take charge. Since I call myself the Trill OG, the first thing I have to do is round up the troops.
That's what this album is -- to show that Texas is back. I'm just taking the lead and bringing everyone else with me.
Thirteen years ago Tuesday (March 9), hip-hop lost one of its most beloved, charismatic and talented MCs to ever put rhymes to a beat.
The Notorious B.I.G. was senselessly gunned down in Los Angeles on March 9, 1997, as he left a Soul Train Music Awards afterparty. To date, the assailants remain at large.
Investigations into the murder of the Brooklyn rapper are ongoing, and a wrongful-death lawsuit filed by Biggie's mother, Voletta Wallace, and others against the city of Los Angeles and other defendants is also pending.
The ongoing quest to punish the people behind Biggie's death, however, continues to leave those involved frustrated.
Ms. Wallace declined to comment on the status of her lawsuit but issued a brief statement to MTV News: "I thank you for the opportunity to touch [my son's] fans and for the network's continued support of me and the family, but it's been 13 years, I miss my son, his children miss their father, and the murderer is still at large."
Theories abound about the murder of the iconic rapper, which occurred only a short distance from the Petersen Automotive Museum where Biggie, Diddy and their entourage were celebrating just moments before. According to author Randall Sullivan's book "LAbyrinth," associates of Death Row Records CEO Suge Knight, who was embroiled in a feud with Diddy's Bad Boy Records, conspired to kill Biggie. The book, based on extensive research conducted by Sullivan and interviews the writer held with former Los Angeles Police Department detective Russell Poole, an investigator into Biggie's murder, those involved in the hit on Biggie were dirty cops.
"They say some cops become gangbangers; well, these guys were essentially gangbangers who became cops," Poole told MTV News.
Rafael Perez and David Mack, Poole alleged, were just two of the many LAPD officers who were on the payroll of Death Row Records. According to Poole, the officers' primary sense of duty and allegiance to the police force was tainted by their involvement with Death Row. The two eventually went to prison but on charges unrelated to the investigation into the Notorious B.I.G. murder.
Poole maintains there were clues that pointed to each man that should have been looked into further. "I've put away guys for life with less evidence [than I had on Perez and Mack]," Poole said.
Through a complex web of deceit intended to shield the LAPD from a controversial scandal, Poole said, members of the force, including the chief at the time, suppressed efforts to look into policemen who were connected to Suge Knight and Death Row.
Poole eventually resigned in protest, amid his frustrations that the investigation was being sabotaged.
A representative for the LAPD declined to comment when contacted by MTV News about the status of the rapper's murder investigation. At one point, the FBI picked up the investigation but later announced it had stopped its pursuit. A representative for the FBI also declined to comment when contacted by MTV News.
Ms. Wallace's wrongful-death lawsuit remains open. The case was brought to trial at one point, but days later it was declared a mistrial after it was discovered the detective who took over as lead investigator in Biggie's murder hid evidence. The mistrial was announced July 7, 2005, however, no further advancements have been made since in pushing the case to trial again.
Poole alleged that police initially sought to slow down the investigation into Biggie's murder in order to keep the lid on possible LAPD involvement in the crime. Now, he said, the new administration and Los Angeles' power players are striving to keep the truth buried for fear that civil-lawsuit payouts could bankrupt the economically challenged city. In any event, the former detective said he's ready to be a witness in Ms. Wallace's case and will testify whenever he is called upon.
For now, Poole waits, haunted by a puzzling case in which he seems to have too many pieces gathered to not complete the full picture.
"I want this thing solved before I die," he said. "Every detective has a case that they think about each and every day, and this is the case right there. This is the case I think about every single day before I go to bed. It never goes away. It'll haunt me for the rest of my life. The day it's solved, I'll be able to relax."
MTV
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Marion "Suge" Knight has seen the best of times, but right now he seems to be on the opposite end of that stick.
The man who once ruled the music industry with an iron fist has fallen on hard times.
In recent months Suge has been knocked out cold by a barber, been hospitalized after a scuffle at a night club. He's been filed on by two different women for failing to pay child support and now he can't pay his storage bills.
Conejo Valley Moving & Storage auctioned off Suge's personal belongings Saturday (February 20) to recoup a seven month old bill.
Items such as sppliances and gym equipment were sold as well as a large photo of Knight and the late Tupac Shakur that sold for only $100.
Total amount raised from the auction was $4500.
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