Bun B Praises Too Short, Pays Hip Hop Honor Tribute

On this evening's airing of Vh1's Hip Hop Honors, viewers will see Too Short honored, among Slick Rick, Cypress Hill, De La Soul and Naughty By Nature. Speaking with HYPEREPORT late last week, Bun B spoke about the significance of his longtime musical brother in Hip Hop.

"For a person like Too Short, who has been around since I started listening to rap, to finally get his just due...there's so many others in this industry that don't get our proper respect and our proper appreciation. I don't think there's one emcee who's rapping today who hasn't been able to express his freedom, and express himself and his opinions, that doesn't get that directly from a person like Too Short," Bun said. In 2007, UGK did "Life Is 2009", a song paying tribute to a Too Short classic, and his unique delivery.

Bun went on to defend Short's lyrics and legacy in the mainstream. "People think it's just all about bitches and hoes and shit like that. But anybody who really listens to a Too Short record knows, he's really one of the first people to show you what it's really like living in that Oakland, Bay area. With songs like 'The Ghetto' [click to read] showing you the poverty and what people were going through, you'll see there's more to the man than you thought."

The man who helped make Texas tangible to many listeners added, "When you look at the De La Souls and the Slick Ricks, it's important that you look at the Too Shorts too, because a Too Short in Oakland has just as much significance as a Slick Rick in New York or a Naughty By Nature in New Jersey."

Hip Hop Honors airs tonight at 10pm EST on Vh1. Bun will join a cast of others in paying tribute to Too Short.