UGK vs. Public Enemy?

Bun B's II Trill is in stores!!! Go get it now!!!

Here's some suggestive advertising.

Ahem, anyway, I don't know about the rest of the world, but Screwston Texas is enjoying the shit out of Bun B's latest triumph, and its not only because he's a hometown hero. Its because the man is undoubtedly a voice of the South, as well as for the ghost of the late great Pimp C. Its because the man is one of the forefathers of Southern Hip Hop. And its because no matter which track he's on, he's going to wreck. You can believe he's going to hold up the UGK flag for the rest of his life, and he does it in the trillest way possible. That's II Trill.
But this is not about Bun B's album, its about what it represents: The Legacy of UGK. Pimp C and Bun B were pioneers with their Southern Fried Flavor, easily distinguishable from the East Coast and West Coast music that was dominating the scene in the late nineties. They held it down for more than a decade, enduring the incarceration of Pimp C and their label situation at Jive. And then, as recently as 2007, they once again drew mass attention with the release of their album Underground Kings and Pimp C's solo effort, Pimpalation.
Their contributions to Hip Hop are rarely overlooked, but I had an epiphany the other day while listening to Bun B's "Getcha Issue", one of the most political tracks of 2008. Is it just me, or is Bun B the Southern version of Chuck D?





Think about their similarities. They are both members of two-man groups that served as pioneers for their respective fields. They're both speakers of the people, and dabble in political raps. They're both considered lyrically superior to their partners, and they were both slightly over shadowed by their partners' reputation. Shit, they even have similar (and rhyming!) names. Listen to Bun B and tell me his delivery doesn't remind you of that old Public Enemy at times; its indisputable.

Chuck D . . . Bun B . . . coincidence?

Of course, Hip Hop is a competitive genre of music, an attribute not shared with Rock, Country, Pop, or others. So the next question undoubtedly is, who's the better group? Well, I'll answer that quickly: UGK SHITS on Public Enemy. Old Schoolers, keep your pacemakers in check. I'm not speaking recklessly, and I will explain myself.
As far as legacies go, Public Enemy will be the more recognized of the two groups for making albums like "It Takes A Nation" and being a political voice in a genre criticized for its shallowness and vulgarities. Public Enemy got jipped for a Grammy . . . twice. UGK was popping in the South, but Public Enemy was nationwide. But being more recognized doesn't mean you're superior. If I say Paris Hilton's name, there won't be one person who doesn't know who I speak of, and she's famous for WHAT, exactly? Meanwhile, I'm just now getting on the poetry of Saul Williams, who not only has something useful to say, but does it in the most artistic manner. Saul Williams is clearly a more relevant person in life as far as the role he plays, but don't expect everybody to know who he is. Paris Hilton however has the whole world watching the most piece-of-shit sex tape ever made. Funny shit. No, in order to continue this conversation, we must compare the artists themselves.
Comparing Bun B and Chuck D is futile in this argument; both are exceptional MCs, and their similarities make it hard to discern who would be considered the better of the two. So this debate must be centered on the careers of their illustrious partners, Pimp C and Flavor Flav.

Fuck A Flav . . . Give it up for Pimp

At this point, you should see how I reached my conclusion. Flavor Flav is a shitty rapper. He's an alright person in life, I guess, but he sucks ass as a rapper. On top of that, dude is a clown. I'm all for originality, but I have never seen this man without a zany clock on his neck. He's never looked or acted even REMOTELY normal. So what does he do, except grab your attention with his outlandishness? Exactly. he does nothing. He's amusing, but no one is taking that "Flavalicious" shit seriously.
Pimp C, on the other hand, is the fucking MAN. We are speaking about a man who has never been afraid to say whats on his mind. As a lyricist, he was just adequate. Its his presence that grabbed us. No one has ever been able to emulate Pimp C. Plies just came out half a year ago, and he's already got carbon copies running around (2Pistols, to be specific). Young Jeezy came out 2006; now we have Rick Ross, Yung Joc, and Gucci Mane all spitting slow cocaine raps with similar flows. This will not happen to Pimp C. He is one of a kind.
I'm sure someone will bring up the fact that the same can be said for Flav. This is true, but the difference is that no one WANTS to be like Flav. He's one of those people that your parents would point out to you as something you don't want to turn into. You use him as an example of what can happen when you choose not to care about . . . well, anything.
Pimp C was THAT NIGGA. He talked so much shit to piss people off, but who had the gall to say something back? When Pimp said something, you had to shut your fucking mouth and listen. I've heard him talking shit about some of Hip Hop's biggest stars, only for those stars to sit in silence. This is because its widely known that Pimp C never said any of these things out of pure anger or because of some petty beef; he really CARED about what he was saying. You had to respect that.
Flavor Flav obviously doesn't care about what he says. He's got Hos running all over VH1, and then he got New York to do the same thing. You ever seen the Comedy Central Roast of Flavor Flav? It was pathetic. Even Chuck D ethered him. You'd be damn sure that if that was Chad, every person in the building would have been pimp-slapped without a second thought.

Uh uh . . .

Flav has damaged his reputation beyond repair. There's no coming back from that. Pimp C, on the other hand, is legendary. I'm saddened by his death to this very day, and everyone knows no one is more adored by Hip Hop Heads than a dead rapper. You take all this into account, and its obvious why UGK shits on Public Enemy. With a laxative.

Anyway, Bun B's II Trill is the shit. You're obligated to cop it, preferably the legal way. Til then, make sure you also pick up Saul Williams' Dead Emcee Scrolls from your local Barnes and Noble. Props to Grizz for making me read it.

One Time For Your Mind
ZuLou