Steve 'Flash' JuonI honestly thought “Trill O.G.” was the end of thetrilogy, but it seems that Bun B had some leftover tracks he didn’t want to leave on the shelf. This “Epilogue” snuck out quietly in November of 2013 with little fanfare, with a quiet single to promote it produced by The BlackOut Movement called “Fire.” There’s nothing soft about the song itself though – the bass pounds, the air horn screams, and dancehall artist Serani could rival any chattah in the business with his chorus. If that wasn’t hot enough, consider that Bun brought in 2 Chainz and Rick Ross too, although his patois is the best of the three:
“Murder murder redrum – mami I gone dead them
Rude bwoy lick a shot and take his motherfuckin head from
his shoulders, this is Bedlam, mayhem, chaos
Competition cease and sekkle, already they lost
Thinkin they boss, like the Triple C’s C.E.O.
Fuck ’em, they’ll be D.O.A. A.S.A.P., you see me hoe (me hoe)
B-U-N B, O.G., that’s why the fuck they duckin me
Rude bwoy, now deal with the fuckery, we buckin G (G)”
Between you me and the satellite that can only see at one angle the 2 Chainz verse nearly broke the song for me, especially when he dropped the cornball like “shoot a nigga and I’ll +Dash+ like Damon.” Ewwwww. Thankfully there’s no single guest anywhere else on “The Epilogue” that’s anywhere near that whack – in fact they’re all the opposite of that. Redman and Royce Da 5’9″ float over the pulsing swagger of “Stop Playin’.” Big K.R.I.T. provides a classic laid back Texas beat for his own cameo on “Cake,” also featuring Lil Boosie and the late great Pimp C. I’m not even that big a proponent of Kirko Bangz, but using him on the hook doesn’t harm Bun none on the Big E produced “Triller.”
“Some try to hate, I don’t pay it no mind
Either get with me or get like me, that’s on the grind (grind)
Candy paint shine as I flip through the city (city)
Ridin 84’s and them hoes look pretty (pretty)
Had +Dirty Money+ way befo’ P. Diddy
I’m just tryna squeeze a little mo’ milk up out the titty
Is ya with me?”
The majority of these songs were clearly worth Bun B’s effort to save them from obscurity. “The Legendary DJ Screw” is the kind of all-star tribute track that people would have cried foul if they knew it might languish in obscurity – everybody from ESG to Trae to Z-Ro is in the mix. Who wouldn’t want to hear Bun and Raekwon collab’ over a DJ Khalil track on “No Competition?” Hopefully not anybody reading this. Even the solo tracks soar like “Eagles,” though at times this does feel more like a “Bun B and Friends” album than a solo effort. To be fair though that’s been true to some degree on all of his albums, and if Bun learned anything from his years with Pimp C, it’s how to be a team player and yet still get in memorable 16’s that show you’re a star. Bun B blew the dust off the vaults and the result is an LP you shouldn’t skip.