With his UGK partner Pimp C in jail and his hometown of Houston taking over the radio, 2005 was the perfect moment for Bun B to step up and show the world what he could do on his own. Though one can’t help but miss the grits-and-gravy sound of Pimp’s production, Trill attracted an all-star line-up of veteran producers from Houston (Mike Dean, Mr. Lee, Salih Williams) and all over the South (KLC, Jazze Pha, Mannie Fresh, Lil Jon). Clearly, there isn’t a beatmaker alive who doesn’t want to hear Bun put a verse on their track. “Get Throwed,” a posse cut with a perfectly woozy disposition, is an instant Texas classic, while “What I Represent,” “Pushin’” and “Draped Up” epitomize the strongarm sound of crunk in its golden age. Though Bun’s baritone can lend the average club song an air of utter authority, “The Story” is the one song that he had no choice but to write. An extended narrative that details the trials and tribulations of Bun B and Pimp C through their years as the South’s most respected rap duo, “The Story” operates with a disarming candor that can only come from an individual whose heart and soul run as deep as his rhyme skills.