This week on The Almanac of Rap, Donwill is joined by hip-hop legend Bun B for a deep conversation on the evolution of Southern rap, the cultural impact of UGK, and how Texas carved out its own lane in hip-hop history. From Port Arthur to global stages, Bun B reflects on building UGK alongside Pimp C, navigating regional bias in the early days of hip-hop, and the slow but undeniable rise of the South to dominance. The conversation explores how independent hustle, local scenes, and sonic innovation helped Southern artists shift the industry’s center of gravity. Bun B breaks down:
- How UGK helped define the Southern rap sound
- The South’s fight for respect in early hip-hop
- Texas rap culture and independent grind
0:00 – Intro 1:41– Kick the Ballistics / Food & Hip Hop 4:52 – OkayShop 5:02 – Before UGK 11:10 – Moving to Houston & recording 15:17 – Signing first deal with Jive 22:32 – Origin of the word Trill 24:37 – Pimp C 28:04 – International Player’s Anthem video shoot 36:15 – Texas Hip Hop Photo Shoot 40:07 – What would Pimp C do? 43:13 – Going solo 54:56 – Sneakers 58:58 – Trill Burger 1:07:14 – Gametime 1:11:52 – The Houston Rodeo Show 1:18:58 – The Big Playback 1:21:42 – Texas freestyling 1:24:56 – Outro/Credits 1:26:13 – Bonus Content/Pimp C Freestyle
Speak On It!