With his partner Pimp C gone, Bun B carries on

IT’S Bun B’s 35th birthday and he says he isn’t doing anything to celebrate. The Houston rap legend has a rare day off at home before heading to Oklahoma for the next leg of the promotional tour he’s been doing with Zune. It’s all building up to the release of his second solo record, “II Trill” (out May 20 on Jive), his first to be released after the December death of his longtime partner in UGK, Pimp C.

Tragically, Pimp’s sudden death (from sleep apnea coupled with an overdose of cough syrup) came at a time when the group’s career was at a high ebb, only two days before their first Grammy nomination and only three months after the release of their most commercially successful record, the chart-topping “Underground Kingz.”

Understandably, the loss of his best friend still hangs heavily over the man born Bernard Freeman.

“Death and grieving are a weird place. Death -- it’s something I’m always dealing with. It’s a very real thing,” the 16-year rap veteran says. “Not a day goes by where I don’t miss having him around to talk to. But I’m a Baptist, I believe that he’s in heaven and I’ll meet him and we’ll be together again.”

The majority of “II Trill” was finished before Pimp’s death; however, it will include a tribute called “Angel in Heaven.” Additionally, the group had nearly another album’s worth of material left over from the “Underground Kingz” session, songs that Bun claims are as good as anything the duo did. But in the course of conversation, Bun seems less interested in promoting his music than he does honoring the legacy of his fallen friend. Not to say that he isn’t proud of “II Trill,” but what comes across most saliently is his dedication to his friend’s memory.

“When someone’s personality is so dynamic and alive, you feel their physical absence, yet in a way their spirit is always around you,” the rapper says between fielding birthday calls from well-wishers. “In the future, my definite goal is to spread the message that Pimp was a great person and great artist. I want his memory to live on.”

Fated to carry on solo, Bun’s own star continues to burn brighter than ever, with Pimp’s death putting the final stamp on a critical revisionism that has lifted UGK to the same rarefied Southern rap pedestal occupied by Scarface and the Geto Boys.

“It just comes down to being real with the people,” Bun says of his longevity. “You can’t lie to the people, they’ll always find out the truth eventually.”

--

theguide@latimes.com

--

BUN B

WITH: Too Short

WHERE: House of Blues, 8430 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood

WHEN: 9 p.m. Friday

PRICE: $37.50-$40

INFO: (323) 848-5100; www.hob.com/sunsetstrip