Bun B is basically synonymous with Texas. The Port Arthur rapper is celebrating his neighborhood, his state and his region every chance he gets – both on and off wax. He reps so hard he might even run for mayor one day.
“Port Arthur, Texas, is a very small refinery town in South East Texas,” Bun told Red Bull in 2008. “The town next to it is where the largest oil drilling in the world has ever happened, at its peak it was releasing 100.000 gallons of oil a day. The whole area of the city I come from was all built off of the refinery so if you don’t work in the refinery, you don’t have a good job in that area. There is only 50.000 people in the whole town, only two high schools, three elementary, everybody knows everybody. Not many rich people in Port Arthur, Texas.”
At the time, Bun explained just how much pride he had in his home, but also why he is so proud of it.
“We loved being where we’re from and it made us the people that we are, and I think we’re pretty good people. For us, we knew that a lot of the people in that small town would probably never leave that town,” he said. “They would never go out in the world, they would never be able to go and see things. Most of the people I know that I grew up with never left Texas, much less the US. So, for us it is important to let them know that no matter where we went in the world we represented for them, for the people who couldn’t go out into the world.”
So, for Professor Bun’s birthday, we gathered some of his greatest Texas anthems. Put these tracks on a playlist and ride, pretending you’re an Underground King.
1. “I’m From Texas” ft. Z-Ro, Slim Thug, Paul Wall and Kirko Bangz
“I’m from Port Arthur, Texas / Let’s get that straight off the top / That’s where the hustlin’ and the grindin’ and the hatin’ don’t stop.” – Bun B
2. Bun B – My Block (Feat. Jazze Pha)
“It’s a code in these streets, you better learn it / And we don’t just give out respect, you gotta earn it.” – Bun B
3. “Rep Yo City” ft. Lil Jon, E-40, Petey Pablo, 8Ball
Bun B is “from the land of the trill” where there’s “more horror than Amityville.”
4. Bun B – City Of The Swang (feat. Mike Jones & Slim Thug)
“This is H-Town baby, the rockets, the Texans.” – Bun B
5. “Ridin’ Dirty” UGK
“I use to ride them Port Arthur city streets / With a chick with pretty feets / And a box of Philly Sweets / They tried to finish me / but couldn’t get it done.” – Bun B
6. "P.A.Nigga" UGK
“It’s the loudest and the clearest, the closest and the freshest / This is that underground shit from Port Arthur, Texas.” – Bun B
7. Bun B Ft Lil' Keke – Draped Up
“Now if you never been to Texas, there’s a picture to paint / ‘Cause we doing it real big, in case you thinking we ain’t / It’s lots of money on these streets, being spent and being made / All it take is one look to see these boys getting paid.” – Bun B
8. Texas Takeova ft. Big Tuck
“It’s Big Bun, king of the trill, woodgrain grippin’ / From the land of candy paint, where them boys ain’t trippin’ / See, Texas is the home of Screw music and drank.” – Bun B
9. “Ridin’ Slow” ft. Play-N-Skillz, Slim Thug
“Texas, land of the swang / where boys pop trunk and bang / Come down in a candy thang / Hittin’ that switch, lettin’ ’em hang.” – Bun B
10. Pitbull – Dirty (feat. Bun B)
“Straight up outta Texas, the reckless, P.A. to be exact / Where the streets is cutthroat and fiends kill you for a G of crack.” – Bun B
11. “That Candy Paint” ft. E-40, Slim Thug
“It’s Screwston, Texas / That’s the city where we ride the greatest.” – Bun B
