BUN B NEW interviews (about new ugk album,syrup,internet,Obama...)

[Elano]

How many records for the album did you record after Pimp passed?

Bun B: Probably only like three of four. We were heavy into the meat of the album before Pimp passed. The dedication song-the night I wrote it, I wanted it to be one of the last records recorded for this album after what happened. As soon as I did, I felt this need to write something else, once I got that off my chest, just letting everyone know, I miss my brother, I love my brother, but at the end of the day, I’m not as vulnerable as you think I am. I was compelled to write another song about that, so we ended up with three of four after he passed.

What mindset did you have in the studio after he passed?

Bun B: Doing a solo album of course it’s me going in without him, so it wasn’t like we didn’t know we couldn’t do it. But it definitely is different, we live in an age now with Pro Tools and all of that, so a lot of times people aren’t in the studio with each other, a lot of times they’re two-tracking stuff. It feels different to a certain extent, like doing a full project. It’s probably going to feel weird from here on out. This album like I said, it being a solo album, is different but we’re still putting together this last UGK record too, because there’s a lot of music that we’ve already recorded for it. I think that album itself is going to be a little bit weird.

On Trill II, you have a broad range of guest appearances, more than any in UGK memory. What’s the reason for such a cast of characters?
Bun B: To me it’s not just a different cast of characters, it’s just letting people get involved in it more so than we would. Keep in mind that most songs that have features, have four people, so it’s not like you have a 16 song album and 10 of them have people eating up the other verses. One song I have is called “You’re Everything,” and it’s kind of a love song to the South. It’s us showing our admiration and love for the environment that created us and made us who we are. For that I wanted to pick people that when you see and hear them, they’re distinctly Southern, and that’s me, David Banner, Rick Ross, that’s 8Ball and that’s MJG. So there are four cameos on that one track, and there’s three other songs like that as well. There are really only four songs where other people are rapping on the album. All in all when people listen to the album, they’ll see there’s not really as many people taking up space on the album. I definitely wanted to incorporate other people’s creativity. There’s nothing wrong with breaking bread with other people in music.

You seem to be very in tune with the digital aspect of the game. What was your learning curve?
Bun B: It was just about hearing people talk about different things and wondering where they were getting all this information. I read the Times, I read the Houston Chronicle, I read USA Today, and Newsweek, so I take in a lot of different information. But I would keep hearing like, “Yo, I just got this new song,” or “I saw this new YouTube clip,” and I’m like, where are these people getting all this information from? And they’d be hitting up the blogs, so I entered the blogosphere and it was something to see. It’s definitely a unique way of looking at the world. People with all these different opinions, it’s just something beautiful to behold, and I thought I had to jump into this and feel what’s going on, and I’ve been moving forward with it ever since. I’m the gadget king [laughs].

How do you value the Internet as a business opportunity?
Bun B: I feel it’s promotion and marketing more than anything. There’s only so many ways that people can actually make money off the Internet. For me, it’s just a way to connect with people, and letting them know where I’m going to be at physically, so if I’m in that area they can come and see me physically, and watch the show or communicate. Really to me it’s more help than anything, the only people who get rich off the Internet are people who specialize in advertising other people’s stuff. Yahoo, Google, and people like that who help facilitate what they need. It’s killing the newspapers; it’s killing television, as we know it, so we’ll see what happens.

You’ve been a supporter of ringtone rappers. What do you think they bring to the game?
Bun B: I’ve stood up for them because I don’t really understand the mentality that goes into hating on that. I see a lot of people and they’re upset with this and they’re upset with that, but how long do you think that a person you like can be the shit? Life changes, shit evolves. The shit that you liked when you were 16-you’re 30-something right now. There’s another new age of 16-year-olds, and you can’t expect them to like the same thing you like. Our parent’s didn’t like what we liked, and we were listening to N.W.A and Poor Righteous Teachers. They thought that was “noise.” There’s always going to be some sort of disconnect between generations and you have to acknowledge that. At the end of the day, if you’re over 30 you’re not supposed to get Soulja Boy because he doesn’t make music for you. That’ll be like me sitting around and saying I can’t stand Pavarotti, or fuck Andrea Bocelli, because I don’t listen to contemporary music of that nature. If it’s not your world, then tune it out. The more time you spend criticizing something that you don’t like or hate is the less time you’ll have to show love to the things you do appreciate.

In this stage of your career is it more about re-inventing yourself of giving more the type of music that people have responded to in the past?
Bun B: The reason UGK’s legacy has lasted as long as it has is because we’re a constant in a world that’s ever-changing. People know exactly what they’re going to get when they fuck with UGK, Bun B, or Pimp C. It’s comforting to people to know that-“You know, this is different, I’m not crazy about that, I don’t know about this or that, so I’m going to just fuck with this because I know what this is.” And that’s what UGK has been for people.

What projects were you and Pimp working on before he passed?
Bun B: He was working on his solo album, he had his UGK records team he was about to put together with different artists. I think Pimp’s management was saying that he had a reality deal on the table, a cologne deal on the table, he had a lot of things he was about to venture into.

What part of your daily life does his passing affect the most?
Bun B: I think the little things. When I see families, a mother and father with their kids. Or when I walk down-like right now we’re close to the jewelry district, I walk past that and I know Pimp would’ve love all the different jewelry. New cars are about to come out, just the little things that I know personally that he loved. Also watching his little girl grow up. He was going to be excited about taking her to proms and homecoming and stuff like that. That’s the thing I really hate, that he didn’t get to experience that with his children.

People say, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” Does that hold true for you when dealing with Pimp’s death?
Bun B: Yeah, absolutely. I think to me it’s more about what doesn’t kill you makes you realize how strong you are. The family, the friends, and everybody closely associated thought that we’d be weak forever when this happened. None of us knew if we’d be 100 percent again. The reality is, we may never be 100 percent again, but the 85 percent we move with today or the 90 percent we move with tomorrow is a lot stronger than most people on their best days. We’ve got each other, we’ve got God, and we’ll be ok.

Do ever think of what you could’ve done to address Pimp’s syrup habit?
Bun B: Not really, I can’t really say Pimp had a habit like that. I know people who sip way more syrup than Pimp C. At the end of the day, any physician will tell you sleep apnea was a lot more detrimental to bringing him to death. If he hadn’t had sleep apnea and was just sipping syrup he probably could’ve lived forever. But having sleep apnea and not sipping syrup, he still could’ve died. Reggie White died from sleep apnea, there’s a lot of different people that passed away from it. It’s just a matter of respecting the time you have with everyone else in your life more than anything.

Now there’s a lot of talk of Wayne having an addiction. He’s even addressed it. Have you reached out to him about it at all?
Bun B: No, because Wayne isn’t the only person I know that maybe has addiction issues, and if I call Wayne, then I have to call everybody. I love Wayne, I respect his talent, I’ve watched him grow up, but I don’t think it’s really my place to go to him and say, hey I don’t think you need to do this. I’ll send a general message to anybody who’s maybe living a little bit unhealthy. Whether you’re having sex without condoms, you might want to think about that, if you’re smoking too much cigarettes or drinking too much alcohol, or you’re eating too much cholesterol and fatty acids, or that high-fructose corn syrup, you might want to watch that shit. All that shit is unhealthy, and at the end of the day, everybody kind of knows what they’re doing and how they’re living, but just because Ike Turner died from a cocaine overdose, I’m pretty sure all the people he snorted cocaine with didn’t stop. Everybody does what they’re going to do. I hate to say it’s just a phase, but it’s just a moment in time that people have to learn to get over themselves.

Why is Houston’s connect to syrup so strong?
Bun B: I don’t know. People like to blame it on the screwed music but you can’t blame drug use on music. That’s like saying that everyone who did acid was a hippie, and that’s not true. We do have a stronger connection with the lifestyle as far as syrup is concerned. But if you go into the inner cities of Philadelphia, Memphis, and L.A., Miami, and even Atlanta, you’ll see there’s a growing syrup habit in those cities. Most of those people don’t even rap about that in Atlanta, Georgia, but there’s a lot of people sipping. Nobody raps about the syrup in Florida, but there are a lot of people who sip syrup in Florida. Philadelphia for years has been on cough syrup and Beanie and them just really started talking about sipping syrup. Everyone doesn’t put their lifestyle on blast like that, but if you go into those communities it’s there for you to see.

What do you think the appeal is to it?
Bun B: It’s a drug, it allows you to not worry about your problems, it allows you to throw your responsibilities out the window, and it allows you to not have to care about anything. That’s with any drug, whether it’s cocaine, pills, heroin, syrup, marijuana-whatever you’re doing. It just gives you a way to turn your back on your responsibilities and not worry about what it is you have to do, but once it wears off and the clouds move away, the problems are still there and you’re still dealing with shit. It has the same appeal that any drug has-to forget reality.

What do you think can be done to stop it?
Bun B: I don’t know, there have been drugs out here that are a lot worse. You look at heroin and crank addicts and they can’t get rid of that. Syrup-I hesitate to say it-but if someone is sipping syrup in a public area, unless you knew exactly what they were doing, you would have no fucking idea. Now if someone fired up some crank in a public area, it would be instantly obvious, it would be highly offensive to people. It invades people’s personal space. It’s like a cigarette, that’s why people hate cigarettes so much, because the smoke invades your private space. Whereas syrup doesn’t even carry a scent, like a Hennessy or a beer or a wine. It’s different; I think a lot of people do it because it slips under the social radar.

Do you plan on doing anything to stop it personally?
Bun B: I stopped sipping syrup seven or eight months ago, because of the thing Wayne was saying about the stomach shit. But my thing is, my stomach was hurting anyway when I was sipping, so I was like my shit is fucked up anyway, so I might as well deal with it. It just got old for me. It got to the point where sipping a deuce or sipping a four don’t do it for you, so you’re literally going to have to start sipping eights and pints on a consistent basis and I wasn’t ready to give myself over to that shit like that. That’s just me. Now when it comes to weed, I’m ready to smoke more and more, even better, stronger, and more highly concentrated levels of THC weed. That’s what I want, so I have my own vices and flaws that somebody has to reach out and say, “Yo Bun, maybe you don’t need to smoke so much weed.” So I can’t point the finger at Wayne, because I have people that can point the finger at me.

[Elano]

 

[Elano]

Exclusive: Bun B Q&A, Part One

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]. 

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.

[Elano]

UGK is undeniably one of the most esteemed rap duos in Hip Hop history. Having a large hand in shaping the sound of today’s "trap music," UGK had finally begun to garner the well-deserved [and well-overdue] mainstream love with their Grammy-nominated self-titled album the same year that would see Pimp C pass away. Pimp’s untimely death left his millions of fans in shock, and his long-time collaborator and friend, Bun B, devastated. But not to be mistaken, Bun B is a Hip Hop mainstay on his own as well, proven by the time he spent making hits with the likes of T.I., Jay-Z, Scarface, and Young Jeezy while Pimp C completed a prison stint a few years ago.
Now with Pimp gone but hardly forgotten, Bun B continues the legacy of UGK, the unofficial ambassadors to Port Arthur, Texas, their life-long stomping grounds. He sat down with HipHopDX this week to talk about his solo project II Trill [click here to preview], and preserving the memory of Pimp C. As Bun B continues his candid interview, he takes a close look at the impact of the lyrics of his past hit “Sippin on Some Sizzurp”, why peace is better than beef, and why the media needs to leave Lil Wayne alone.
HipHopDX: You have been a pillar to the underground as well as successful veterans, so what was your thinking in bringing a newcomer like Sean Kingston onto the single?
Bun B: Sean Kingston was a youngster I'd meet at a couple of different award shows. And as I got to know him, I realized not only was he a talented artist, but he has a strong team behind him and he has a strong head on his shoulders. And that in itself is a good enough reason to work with people in this business...
DX: Now I also heard that you’re a huge Punk rock fan...
BB: Yeah, I listen to a lot of Punk rock.
DX: Who are some of your favorites right now?
BB: I tend to listen to a lot of west coast Punk like Suicidal Tendencies, Black Flag... but then I still listen to The Ramones every now and then... The Sex Pistols, or go across the water and get my Clash on every now and then... nowadays angst is all pretend and imaginary to me. Most of theses people that swear they’re suffering or have it all bad, you read their Blender article and find out that their daddy invented paperclips or some shit... like let’s be serious. [Laughs]
DX: [Laughs] So will there be any elements of that genre on the new album?
BB: Um…no, probably not. I’ve actually been talking to a publishing company that I’ve been considering doing some business with and they have a lot of different Punk music in their catalogue. So we’ve been talking about seeing if there’s a way to work that into the next project.

DX: I Also heard there is a dedication track to Pimp C—
BB: Yeah, it’s called “Angel in the Sky”

DX: How did you decide to approach such an obviously personal and painful topic?
BB: I realized at the end of the day, that when doing my song for Chad, that I shouldn’t worry about what fans and friends and family would think. I should only be beholding to myself. So I wrote the record that I needed to hear as opposed to that.
DX: How have you been coping with his loss?
BB: It’s been difficult at times. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that. But at the same time we have a really clear understanding over here about what the UGK family needs to be doing. So we get by with the grace of God and we keep moving forward.
DX: What memories of him stand out to you the most…how do you like to remember his spirit?
BB: Chad was a very silly person. He joked a lot. He always wanted people around him to have a good time. He was very adamant about that. So it was kinda like whatever it was that you enjoyed to do, if he could help facilitate that he would. 'Cause at the end of the day, he just wanted everyone to have a good time and just be the best person that they could be. He always inspired me when I wasn’t strong enough to move forward with the things I needed to do.
DX: You guys had been in the game for a long time you were making music together years before the first UGK album dropped in '92, and still managed to bang out a #1 hit this past year, plus a Grammy nomination…do you think Pimp C ever fully recognized the impact UGK had on the industry before his passing? And for that matter have you?
BB: Yeah, and I think the industry has started recognizing that as well. Slowly but surely, we started to really grasp exactly how deeply we were hitting people with our music. It’s one thing to have fans recognize it or give you accolades and lift you up, but it’s another thing to have The [Grammy] Academy. The Academy may not necessarily understand what I do or why I do it, but they understand the impact of the music we make with respect to the people we make it for…and they were willing to acknowledge us for that. And at the end of the day, I can't do nothing but accept that with open arms. Any true musician…any real producer, any true writer…they’d be lying if they said they didn’t want The Grammy’s to acknowledge them. That’s the world stage for saying "You did your thing" in music.

DX: Indeed…Now is there any possibility of another UGK project with previously unreleased recordings?
BB: Yeah, there’s one more. We were in the process of putting together the last UGK record to fulfill our deal with Jive. So that album was already in motion and there was a lot of music already done, and vocals laid down for it. It’s just a matter of making sure there’s no sampling issues, no content issues…just making it the best well-rounded album. We about to bring in some other producers, some more artists…you know, just making sure everything makes sense. You know, not just going out and doing a song with Whitney Houston or somebody just because we can. At the end of the day, we still gotta be respectful of the legacy that UGK has already put forth

DX: Do you have a time frame for when the last UGK album will be released?
BB: Um, right now like I said, we’re still getting some of the music collected and I'm not in control of all of the music Pimp C left; his wife is. So it’s a matter of seeing what she wants to do. So we’re just waiting to see. I would love to see the album come out in fourth quarter ’08, personally. I think it would be a great time to drop an album like that…but at the end of the day, it’s gotta be right, and it’s gotta be done with respect.
DX: Definitely…switching gears for a second, Lupe Fiasco spoke recently to us about your friendship. Tell us a little more about that collaboration "Swang On 'Em," and your mutual respect?
BB: Yeah, man, Lupe, to me, is one of the great up-and-coming writers in this rap genre. ..one thing very few rappers do is let other rappers know that they are tight because a lot of times those people can be a threat to them. So number one, I wanted [Lupe] to know that I liked his flow and respect his content and is there was any advice that I could impart on him; then I would try to impart it…but also he’s just a great friend and a good person to talk to on a regular basis. We have a lot of common world views—not all—but we have a lot in common. Plus he’s a fan of the Houston Hip Hop scene: Willie D and Scarface, Geto Boys and what not. And I’m a big fan of Chicago Hip Hop. I listen to a lot of Crucial Conflict, and Do Or Die, and Twista, and Psychodrama, who are very good friends of mine too. So we aren’t just fans of each other, we are fans of each others' scenes. So there’s a lot of things we have in common to build on. We were even able to record together for my album. The song is called “Swang On Em” and its probably not the record you would expect from Lupe, but he definitely drops that "Go Go Gadget" flow it and it’s crazy.
DX: I think it’s dope that you guys can speak about your friendship. It’s so unfortunate that in this industry there’s always so much talk about beef. It’s about time that two grown men can sit down and say ‘You know what? We have respect for each other."
BB: Just to be 100 about everything, I’m a street person. I come from the street and I reflect the street. And in the street, beef don’t make money. And we about makin’ money. So anytime you got beef or war or whatever, that shit stops the money flow…and it costs money to go to war too. It costs money to beef. And I’m about keeping this money right now; I’m about gettin’ this money and keepin’ it. I’m not fittin’ to let these lil' rumblings get to me. I’m not wit' these third and fourth and fifth party conversations. If somebody got something to say to me, I’m everywhere. At every awards show, album release parties, red carpet, [NBA All Star Game], Super Bowl…all that shit. I'ma probably be at the [MLB All Star Game]. All that shit. I ain't hard to find. So anybody that got a problem with me, I'm very easy to reach out to. But I’m about my money. So if you coming at me and plan on stopping my money, you better have a good reason. And you better be ready for a fight.
DX: I see…Well, with or without beef, music sales are down across the board but especially within Hip Hop. Do you think you’ll follow in the lead of other rappers and begin to venture into other artistic mediums like acting, fashion etc?
BB: I think everyone in the industry, not just rap, but I think everyone across the board is gonna have to put some type of slash after their title because a lot of these outlets…there’s not a lot of money left like there used to be. There used to be incredible artist budgets and incredible endorsement budgets and a lot of different things. But people have abused these things and taken advantage of them to the point where there’s no weight or validity to them anymore. Now people are finding it harder and harder to spend money on rap-related shit. You got these morality clause and people aren’t really living life the way they wanna live it. So with downloading and the incredible accessibility people have…we gotta cross-collateralize ourselves. We can't just expect the music industry that has been paying bills to keep paying bills. So we gotta find some other shit to get in to pay the bills.
DX: Have you been looking into anything specific?
BB: I’m talking to a lot of different people. I wouldn’t wanna say anything before its all done in paper but, yeah…my promotional tour is mainly sponsored by Microsoft and the Zune MP3 player. I’m not just promoting my album; I’m promoting the technology that Microsoft is putting out there. It’s something that I believe in as a consumer and secondly it’s a great look for me as an entertainer. It gives me a way to connect with my fan base in a way that I never would have. People get to look at my Zune tag and see what I’m listening to, they can go there and get daily updates, photos, touring info… these things were never available to me solely with a record company because there is only so much money they can devote to things like that. So with Microsoft coming through with about 90% of the promotional touring budget… it’s just a beautiful thing that probably never would have happened had it just been a music thing.

DX: Now despite a general sales decline in music, Trill did very well in 2005, without much radio or video love for that matter. Now that Asylum has found radio and video success with Boosie, Webbie and Shawty Lo, how do you think II Trill will market differently than before?
BB: Well I don’t want it to market too differently. I like the way we connect with the people, and I like the way we getting the music and the message across. So as long as we stay true to what we do and what we’ve been doing, I don’t see why we can’t benefit from [everyone’s success] incredibly. But at the end of the day, we still gotta get out her and touch people, greet people, take pictures, shake hands, answer questions. Interact with people on MySpace, and television, and Facebook, none of that replaces hand-to-hand contact with the fan-base. That’s something that I continue to do, not only during album time, but on a daily basis. I’ve never been ashamed to touch my people; I don’t have a big wall of security around me where people can’t walk up to me and shake my hand and ask me something. Ive always been accessible to people and I think that’s the way it should be as an artist.
DX: Yeah, you’re somebody who has always kept it real in this industry. What's the secret? What motivates you to always be accessible, and be yourself no matter the circumstances?
BB: I remember where I came from. And the people from where I came from will never let me forget where I came from. So no matter where I go, I know I’m representing P.A.T. and if I’m not representin’ Port Arthur, Texas to the fullest they gonna definitely let me know when I come home. And I go home. I’m back in the hood and back on the corner, I’m not just from Port Arthur, you can catch me in Port Arthur. So when I go back home I’m standing on the corner or you can catch me in the barber shop or the projects in the city…I gotta be able to walk through with my head held high because nobody else in that small town is in a position to represent them, so it really falls on me. It fell on me and Pimp. Now that Pimp is gone, it really falls all on me. I'm like a one man band, as far as the city is concerned. And I’m dedicated to makin' sure we’re represented right.

DX: You were also vocal about the syrup epidemic recently, after the passing of Pimp C. And just within the past couple weeks Lil Wayne has started to talk publicly about his addiction to it…with that being said, how do you look at a hit from your catalog like "Sippin' on Some Sizzurp" nearly 10 years later?
BB: I mean, if everyone judged themselves at 28 on what they said or did at 18 I don’t think anybody would be happy with themselves. You get older, you learn different things, you go through life experiences. If people close to me hadn’t passed away from syrup, maybe I wouldn’t feel the same way. It’s the same thing like you may be happy to have a gun in the house till maybe one day one of the kids or a family member gets a hold of that gun and shoots themselves, then you probably gonna have a different mentality about guns in the house. Everything comes with life. People change at their own rate. This is my change that I’m dealin' with. And keep in mind I had already stopped sippin' syrup. I didn’t just stop after Pimp passed. I had already made a conscious decision that I was tired of wakin' up with my stomach all twisted up. I grew older.
As far as Wayne is concerned, people can't look at my statements and expect Wayne to move off of what I say. He’s a grown man and everybody’s gotta do what they do in their own time and own speed. People have been dying from cocaine for years; doesn’t stop people from using cocaine. People have been dying from driving drunk for years and unfortunately that doesn’t stop people from driving drunk. So everybody just has to [stop their addiction] at their own pace. I kinda wish people would leave the kid alone. They're putting too much pressure on him, and you can't make anybody do anything. And if the media really wants to see Lil Wayne put his cup down, then I think they need to give him some room and time to personally figure it out for himself. You can't force people into a corner. People need to give that kid some room to figure it out for himself.
DX: You might be right on that one…now you talk about all of the personal changes you’ve gone through…so with this new chapter of life beginning, what’s next for you?
BB: Like I said, it’s still UGK for life. I’m gonna make sure people know Pimp C was here and remind them of what his contribution to the game was and remind them of what the game is lacking now that he’s not here…and just take this movement as far as I can take it. I’m here as long as the people want me here to represent. I look at the Chuck D’s and the Willie D’s of the world…the LL’s and the Ice Cube’s…these people are still impactful. These people were already making records and were already who they were when I came in the game. So why would I think with my little 15 years that my run is over when these dudes are workin' on 25? Public Enemy will be eligible for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in a minute. That’s gangsta. That’s what I’m working for.

[jeromechickenbone]

Great interview as always w/ Bun.  Easily one of the most talented MC's in the game today, real knowledgable, real humble.  Basically the complete opposite of 95% of the game.

[when it rains it pours]

i agree with bun b, the syrup thing shouldnt just be on Houston, thats like blaming all the people who curse on rappers. its just stupid 

[Elano]

"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"