In 2017, Bun B was hard at work on Bernard, his fifth solo album and the first since 2013’s Trill OG: The Epilogue. That album never materialized, but the 25-year-veteran and one of the undisputed underground kings is indeed back with a new LP, though with a different title. On August 31, he is slated to release Return of the Trill, the fifth volume in a series of albums inspired by the Texas Hip-Hop sound and lifestyle he helped conceive. For it, he’s enlisted a bevy of Southern Rap artists including 8Ball & MJG, Lil Wayne, 2 Chainz, Slim Thug and Killa Kyleon. He’s also joined by Run The Jewels, Leon Bridges, Gary Clark Jr. and UK rapper Giggs. To usher in the Return, the Rap-A-Lot Records MC is joined by two fellow members of Rap royalty (and frequent collaborators): KING T.I. and a King Remembered in Time, Big K.R.I.T.

On “Recognize,” the three are, like any interesting monarch, far from modest. “B*tch, recognize a king in your presence / Everything I touch turn to gold,” K.R.I.T. says with a nod to King Midas. Bun B’s two verses are up first and he’s bawdy: “My word play is intricate, my influence significant / Motherf*ckin’ magnificent.” For his part, T.I. celebrates his business savvy (“Hustle meticulous, so concerned with particulars / It’s hard as hell making millions and still remain inconspicuous”) but also makes it a point to address the less fortunate circumstances in his community. “Government playin’, fencin’ us in / Life in the pen for sellin’ sh*t you put in our hood / Knowin’ that’d do it / We’re desperate, starvin’ and dyin’ to eat / Dyin’ in the street for a fraction for what I get now for soundin’ fly on the beat.”

Bun B Keeps It 100 On Why America Is Not Being Made Great (Video)

Last August, Bun B spoke with Sway about what was then his album-to-be, Bernard. At the time, he said “I just want to be as vulnerable as [I can be]. I don’t want to put nobody else’s business out there. Right? I’m ready and willing to open myself up and put my sh*t out there for people to see,” a theme which could potentially find its home on Return of the Trill. In that same interview, he premiered “Know I’m Saying” featuring Slim Thug and Lil’ KeKe.

The track list for Return of the Trill (currently available for pre-order) is as follows:

1. Trill Over Everything (feat. Killa Kyleon)
2. Recognize (feat. T.I. & Big K.R.I.T.)
3. Know I’m Saying (feat. Slim Thug & Lil’ Keke)
4. Outta Season
5. Traphandz (feat. Yo Gotti & 2 Chainz)
6. Blood On the Dash (feat. Gary Clark Jr.)
7. Myself (feat. Run The Jewels)
8. Rudeboi (feat. Lil Wayne)
9. Hoes From Da Hood (feat. Zed Zilla)
10. Slow It Down
11. Never Going Back (feat. Giggs)
12. U a Bitch
13. Grow Up (feat. 8Ball & MJG)
14. Gone Away (feat. Leon Bridges)

#BonusBeat: Bun B brought in Big K.R.I.T. to shape his new sound.

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