By this point, the story of how Jay-Z and UGK’s “Big Pimpin’” came together is the stuff of rap legend, and it turns out Hov knew that at the time, according to Bun B.
During an interview with B High ATL, Bun B broke down the story of the song from recording it to shooting the iconic video. As he’s explained before, it took quite a while before the artists were able to collaborate, with Jay and UGK refusing to travel from their respective states due to the tense atmosphere in hip-hop at the time. Bun said he gave the “best bars I got” to the record, while Pimp C famously delivered an 8-bar verse “and nothing more,” which Bun called “8 of the most iconic bars in history.”
“That’s the genius of him, he tried to be the least involved in the record, and became the most important part of the record,” he continued, before divulging the situation with the video. Originally, it was to be shot in Trinidad and Tobago, but Pimp said, “I’m not going to no motherfuckin’ Trinidad to shoot no goddamn video.” After they failed to get him on the plane, they decided to go to Miami for reshoots so that they could include Pimp in the video.
“He showed up in the Benz,” he said of Pimp when they were filming in Miami, noting that he turned up with his girlfriend at the time and he was sporting a Mink coat in 90+ weather. “They’re like, ‘Pimp, you’re really gonna wear this coat?’ Jay-Z was like, ‘My n***a you know it’s hot out here,” he continued. “Pimp looked at him and said, ‘TV ain’t got no temperature.’ And walked off. Jay-Z looked at me and said, ‘Your brother’s a motherfucking star.’”
He also noted that the crew behind the video and Jay’s team expected Pimp to turn up like Bun B, admitting that he’s not very flashy despite his wealth. “Pimp show up with the chains and watch, so they’re thinking Pimp’s gonna show up like me. Pimp showed up like Pimp,.” Bun B said. “I’m wearing regular shit.”
Watch the interview above.
