Too Short and Bun B
Photo: MTV News

Live from Scranton, Pennsylvania ... What it do, peoples? We're a little late today, but the Mixtape Daily family is a few hours from our secret headquarters in New York, checking out the Young Money Presents: America's Most Wanted Music Festival. We were with Weezy and Drizzy Drake for their rehearsal on Sunday night, and we're getting up with Soulja Boy and Young Jeezy (what up, Jade and B?) on Monday (July 27). For now, though, we're going to give you a real exclusive: two of our favorite legends, Too Short and Bun B. We chopped it up with the friends in Texas a while ago, when they were recording and giving up some good memories of performing at shows together. Totally unrelated: Kanye, that beat and your verse on Jay-Z's "Run This Town" are extremely ridiculous.

Cornerstone Credentials

Too Short and UGK are family as well as former labelmates. Short had a few years on Bun B and Pimp C when they started chopping it up and being cool back in the late '80s. Not only did Short Dog give the trailblazing duo game about how to deal with Jive Records, he also gave them jewels about performing. One thing that both Short and the Underground Kingz have in common is that both acts are of the people.

"Well, you know what, the one thing that I'll always remember that I got from UGK was I watched them," said Short, sitting next to Bun in the studio. "You know, I always been about keeping it simple in the studio. When you get on that stage, it's gonna be you and some other groups. Get in there, you gotta shine. So, I always say that when I was the OG and they were the youngsters, I'd always say to them, 'Come out, always do a good show.' But every time I'd see them, their show would get better and better. I just used to listen to the song selection and how they could take their fans [on a journey].

"You're talking about a group that had no singles, that had no video, and they're ripping every crowd they see," Short continued. "The crowd knows every word. And it was just amazing. I kinda came up the same way, but to just step outside and look at somebody doing it like me — these dudes have no single and they doing a 60-minute set, and the crowd is loving every second of it. UGK were not just superstars to their fans, those were my homies. You feel me? Like, you the fan, you're like, 'Oh, that's Pimp, that's my homie. That's Bun, that's my homie.' "

Bun says the same holds true today. He's such a man of the people, sometimes his fans don't recognize him even when he's right in front of their faces.

"People are always telling me I look like Bun B," Bun laughed. "People don't ever say, 'Bun B, what's up?' I went to the store to get some cigars. Girl behind the counter, she was laughing with her homegirl. I was like, 'What y'all laughing about?' She said, 'Nah, [we were] talking about how much you look like Bun B.' I was like, 'Yeah, right, like Bun B would come in here.' She said, 'Yeah, I bet people tell you that.' I said, 'Every day somebody tells me I look like Bun B.' "

"We're the kinda cats, man, we get offstage we go straight to the crowd," Short added. "I don't get bum-rushed. They just come to me like, 'Short, yo what's up, man? I just wanna shake a player's hand. I just want to take a picture.' "

For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines.

• Mixtape Daily: Lil Wayne, Tony Yayo, The Game, More

• Too Short
• Bun B
• UGK

Bun B
Photo: MTV News

AUSTIN — Bun B is determined to maintain the legacy of both his former group, UGK, and his former partner in rhyme, Pimp C. Both came to an end on December 5, 2007, when C was discovered dead in a Los Angeles hotel room.

Since the tragedy, B has soldiered on, putting the finishing touches on the "final" UGK album, 4 Life (due March 31), and — unbeknownst to pretty much everyone — a Pimp C solo album too, which he revealed to MTV News at the South By Southwest Music Conference, hours before playing a fierce set at the Austin Music Hall alongside acts like Mistah F.A.B. and B.o.B.

"There's a solo album from Pimp C that's going to be released in two months, called The Naked Soul of Sweet James Jones," he said. "That's probably the best album title I think I ever heard in my life."

The title of the new C album recalls his first solo effort, 2005's The Sweet James Jones Stories, and while B didn't reveal any additional details on the album, he did have plenty to say about his plans to tour behind 4 Life, including information about special Pimp C tribute shows in certain cities.

"They'll be probably in the top-five markets. These are shows that we're trying to put together for the core that's been supporting UGK the most — I would love to do it in every city, it's just not feasible for me to do — so it will probably be in, like, Houston, Dallas, and Atlanta, maybe Chicago, St. Louis," he said. "I don't want to get into it, 'cause there's a lot of cities that support UGK and I don't want them to be like, 'Oh man, they ain't bringing it here, they're tripping.' But it's going to be something more, where we bring other artists into the fold. Like, if we do the Houston show, I'll have other Houston artists come up and join me on different records. Same thing if we go to an Atlanta or Chicago ... try to make it an interactive experience."

The dates will serve as the final chapter in the UGK experience — after wrapping them, B will turn his focus to finishing his new solo album, Trill O.G. But, he says that for now, all of his energy is dedicated to giving his lifelong friend one final tribute, both on record and onstage.

"Yeah man, we're trying to do this with as much respect as possible, you know? It's a very unique and genuine situation in itself — I'm not really sure if it's ever really occurred as far as hip-hop goes," B said. "We're carrying this one with the kid gloves on. I made a lot of mistakes in my life — I'll probably make a lot more — I'm just praying I don't make one right now."

• UGK

UGK's Pimp C and Bun B
Photo: Ray Tamarra/ Getty Images

UGK's final studio album, 4 Life, is due out March 31, and for everyone involved it's been an emotional journey. Back in 2007, Pimp C was found dead in his hotel room, the result of an accidental overdose of codeine medication combined with a pre-existing sleep condition, according to the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office. 4 Life is both UGK's last studio album and a tribute to Pimp C.

Mike Dean, who mixed the upcoming album, said Bun B and Pimp C originally wanted their 2007 LP Underground Kingz to be a double-disc effort, so naturally there was a lot of unused material left over from the sessions. A lot of this material makes up 4 Life, which includes both Bun B and Pimp C on every track.

"It was an extremely emotional experience for me," Dean said of mixing the record. "I worked with Pimp C since he was 14 years old, and he was one of my best friends."

Dean also said that the album includes some of UGK's "nastiest raps ever." And while Bun B originally told MTV News that it wasn't likely the album would feature guest appearances, now there are quite a few, including Snoop Dogg, E-40, B Legit, Lil Boosie, Webbie, Too Short, Raheem Devaughn, Sleepy Brown, Akon and Big Gipp.

Production on the album came from Mannie Fresh, Akon, Cory Mo — who Dean says was a good friend of C's — and others, many of whom are up-and-coming producers who were protégés of Pimp C.

The first single, "Da Game Been Good to Me," has been out for a few weeks, but Dean said the next single is likely to be "Still on the Grind," featuring Raheem Devaughn. He also mentioned two of his other favorite tracks on the album, "Steel Your Mind," featuring Too Short and Snoop Dogg, and "She Luv," which features just the classic raps of Pimp C and Bun B.

The entire album includes a lot of singing by Pimp C, but without Auto-Tune — a method that has become increasingly popular (and some say abused) in the industry. Giving us Pimp C's probable reaction to applying Auto-Tune to his vocals, Dean laughed and said, "[He] would've come up from the dead and given me a bi--- slap!"

Dean is really excited about this album, even though it was an emotional challenge to finish it without Pimp C. It did, however, create a new bond between him and Bun B. "We had to make sure the album was extra super-tight because this is UGK's final album," he explained. "Pimp C was usually the one at the studio overlooking the producing and recording, so it was a whole different vibe for Bun B to be doing it — and exciting for him, in a way ... though emotional."

Now that Mike Dean is finished with 4 Life, he will be producing and mixing part of Bun B's upcoming solo album, as well as Mike Jones' new album Voice of the Streets (Dean is also shooting the video for "On Top of the Covers," a track off of Streets), Slim Thug's upcoming Boss of All Bosses, and Clipse's upcoming Till the Casket Drops.

• UGK
• Pimp C
• Mike Dean

Too Short and Bun B
Photo: MTV News

DALLAS — Bun B has simple but perfect advice for all the artists in Dallas trying to blow up and put their town on hip-hop's national radar: "Just rep for your city," the Port Arthur, Texas, rapper said from Maximedia Studio.

Bun was recently working on UGK's final LP with one of the record's guests, Too Short. Bun and Short were in town working with producers Play N Skillz on different tracks.

While Dallas' support of hip-hop has been a staple, Bun said the city's artists haven't gotten their proper shine.

"Dallas has always been a big supporter of Houston hip-hop," Bun said. "A lot of us would not have broken on a major scale if Dallas hadn't been there to be that second major market to pick up on us and help break us. A lot of artists in Houston got broken in Dallas first before they got broken in Houston in a major way. A lot of people will be surprised that Dallas has always been the number-one market for UGK. Dallas has always bought 10 to 15 more copies of every UGK album than Houston."

"I probably did more [shows] in Dallas than Houston," Short added. "You can come out here every two weeks, and you gonna sell out."

Bun said part of the reason Dallas' hip-hop scene hasn't gotten bigger is that the artists have been trying to find their identity. At times, they've tried too hard to distinguish themselves from Southern neighbors Houston and have lost a bit of focus.

"Dallas' scene and the Houston scene is really only different because [of] the geography," Bun said. "[Houston] is a little closer to the water. We're a little bit more flatland. It's a different mentality that comes with that. We get a little more sunny weather, a little bit more wind. You come up to Dallas, it gets a little colder. They got a lot of hills, so they ride a little different. It's just a different mentality. Houston people and Dallas people talk different."

"Hold up, they talk a lot different," Short corrected his friend with a smile. "It's a totally different Southern slang."

"But they sound just like St. Louis people," Bun added.

Short and Bun are pleased to see that Dallas in on the upswing, with Play N Skillz winning a Grammy at the past ceremony and Trai'D and the GS Boyz signing major-label deals recently. Both acts have been fast-tracked to drop LPs this year, especially with the GS Boyz's "Stanky Leg" looking to be this year's "Crank That."

"I'm happy to see my region is showing up for them in numbers like they showed up for us," Bun said.

Dallas has a lot to offer! In the coming days, we're bringing you details on the city's burgeoning hip-hop movement — from dances to fashion to hairstyles and, of course, the music. We got it all, so keep checking back for more during Dallas Week.

• It's Dallas Week

• UGK
• Too Short

Bun B
Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Bun B's "Free Pimp C" campaign ended after the incarcerated half of UGK was released from prison. And in the wake of Pimp's death in December of 2007, Bun is doing his best to launch an effort to lionize his late partner-in-rhyme.

The veteran rapper told MTV News on Friday (January 23) that UGK's next — and final — album is ready for release. The project, titled 4 Life, is scheduled to arrive March 31 on Jive Records. Bun hopes the album will do for Pimp C what Bob Marley's Legend did for the great Rastafarian star.

"This will be a good bookend to the legacy of myself and Pimp," Bun said. "And definitely take not just the group, but Pimp C, to true legend and iconic status."

The first single, "Da Game Been Good to Me," recently appeared online and will be serviced to radio soon. The string-laden track features just the two UGK stars. According to Bun, 4 Life isn't likely to feature any outside collaborators.

"This album is not about who I wanna work with and what kind of beats I wanna do," he explained. "This album is about what the people wanna hear, and that's Bun and Pimp. And I wanna try to give that to them in the most purest sense."

The album is expected to be pared down to roughly 12 tracks. Among them, in addition to the single, is a song tentatively titled "Marvin," for the Marvin Gaye sample used in the production. Bun said Pimp, UGK's main producer, was experimenting with music more and looking to explore new sounds before his death.

In previous interviews, Bun spoke on how difficult it would be recording a UGK album without Pimp C.

"I know people will support it, and I know that I'm strong enough to do it," Bun told Mixtape Monday last January. "Just the point of understanding from here on out, it's just [me] — I'm probably never gonna be comfortable with it in that sense. It's just a matter of coming to terms with the reality of it and the finality of the two-man situation in a physical sense."

As Bun B puts the finishing touches on 4 Life, the memories of Pimp continue to stay at the forefront of his mind. Planning a video for the album's release or impending interviews for the project don't stir emotions much for Bun. When it comes to his UGK cohort, who was more family than musical partner, being reminded of Pimp makes the pain palpable.

"That comes and goes. You don't need an album, video or songs for that to come out," he said of his friend's memory. "I try to tell people all the time: 'It's never the big things that you think, it's the little things.' Interviews and videos, that don't do it. But when you see something that you know they would have loved to do or see or buy or drive somewhere they would have loved to go ... just [being reminded of] their nature and personality makes you realize they're not around anymore."

• UGK
• Pimp C
• Marvin Gaye

Mychal Bell (file)
Photo: Kita Wright/ Associated Press

Mychal Bell, one of the "Jena 6" whose case brought national attention to racial tensions in the small Louisiana town two years ago, accidentally shot himself in the shoulder Monday evening, according to CNN.

Bell was cleaning a gun and the firearm discharged unexpectedly, his lawyer said. He was rushed to a nearby hospital in Monroe, Louisiana, where he was treated.

Bell's lawyer, Carol Powell-Lexing, told CNN her client underwent surgery on Monday night. At press time Bell was unable to speak, CNN reported, but authorities said the injury was not life threatening. Bell has not been charged with any crime.

In 2006, Bell, along with five other African-American classmates, were facing felony assault charges after an incident in which he and several others beat a white student for allegedly using a racial epithet. The fight was prompted after a noose was discovered hanging from a tree on school grounds, a gesture which created outrage in the community. Three white Jena High students placed the noose in the tree, it was later learned; the shade of the tree was traditionally off-limits to blacks in the past.

In September 2007, over 15,000 activists — including Mos Def and UGK's Bun B — descended on Jena to lend support to Bell and his classmates. Many believed the charges against the "Jena 6," as they were dubbed, were too excessive. Nelly, Nick Cannon and Jay-Z were among those who spoke out against what were thought to be racially-tinged claims. Bell eventually pleaded guilty to lesser charges. He served a few months at a juvenile detention center and then relocated to the town of Monroe, approximately 70 miles north of Jena.

• UGK
• Mos Def
• Jay-Z
• Nick Cannon
• Nelly

T.I.
Photo: Courtesy of T.I.

Artist: Max B, French Montana and Dame Grease

Representing: New York City

Independent Album: Coke Wave

411: If you've been paying attention, you know all three of these guys. Dame Grease has made some legendary tracks for a slew of guys, including DMX and the Ruff Ryders, and some recent bangers, like DJ Drama and company's "Taking Pictures." The Mixtape Monday chain gang has known Frenchie since he was going by Young French (thanks for the introduction to Papoose all those years ago). He's had a recurring role in these parts with his "Cocaine City" DVD series. No telling what gems you'll find there, like Beyoncé mimicking Jay-Z. And Max B? His intoxicated, melodic flow (singing or rapping) has a lot of the fans and media types saying he has the talent to be a star.

Unfortunately, Max and Jim Jones — whose label he's signed to — have had a well-documented falling-out. So as far as an official album goes, who knows? Max has been dropping a bunch of mixtapes to stay relevant, though. A bunch of fans even reached out to us, asking when he was going to be on Mixtape Monday. Well, he's here.

"This sh-- is so crazy for me. It's like I got an album out, and I ain't got no album out," boasted Max, a.k.a. Biggaveli, a.k.a. Wavy Crockett.

"It's all gonna work out," Wavy added of his debut LP's impending release. "It's gonna unfold. Be patient. Y'all gonna see a Max B album."

G-Unit's Tony Yayo told us recently that he would like to see Max come to the G-Unit and would even consider working some business out.

"That would have to be on Jim," Yayo said of a possible buyout. "I would love for the opportunity [to sign Max]. I would love to be a businessman just like Fif. I learned so much. So learning the business from Fif, me and Jim can come to the table. If he wanted to let him go, I would want to work something out."

"Anything is possible," Max said. "Y'all know my situation. It would be nice to get that worldwide buzz. Ain't nothing like a machine behind you."

Max's next mixtape is called Vigilante Season: PD4 Prequel. The seeds for the Coke Wave were planted months ago when Max and French met through mutual friends.

"That's my guy," French said. "We met through a few close friends, and everything was everything. Once I met him, he looked me in the eye and hasn't lied to me since. We kept it official, got with Grease. Grease has been doing it for a minute. He gave us that thang."

Dame worked in the executive producer/ project producer capacity.

"Grease has been a part of a lot of dynasties," B said. "Every movement he's a part of, for some strange reason. But he's always been the underdog. Once I break the chain, he's gonna get his due date again. Win another ring."

Coke Wave is just the start of the trio's interaction. "Max is hot in the street, I'm hot in the street, Grease is hot in the streets," French said. "We looked at it as if we came together, it would be a movement. While we got one thing out, Max is working on his project, I'm working on my project. We keep hitting them. We always got something for the people."

Joints To Check For

» "What Would You Do." "That was a joint I had in the stash," Biggaveli explained. "A little beat. French was like, 'Let's do it. Give it that street flavor.' I was like, 'Let's do it. Make it a wave.' He did a version, I did a version, we put it together. It's basically about how these n---as in the street be wolfin', calling me, beggin'. Sh-- just be crazy. [I] gotta just stay on the move, basically, keep the sh-- going. Keep a clear head in the game. Basic street tales, rider music, day-to-day sh-- you wake up and do. Average real n---as get up, smoke a cigarette, smoke a blunt, take a sh--, drink a swig from last night. Real grizzly things. That's what I'm talking about on that record."

» "Wave Gang." "Grease had [the song] in the stash," French said. "One day, we was listening to music, and I called Grease like, 'Oooh.' "

"I'mma keep it real, Max did some sh-- that was sounding crazy," Grease continued. "I switched the beat. I didn't wanna throw [the rhymes] away on a freestyle beat. These mixtapes are better than a lot of people's albums. When I heard it, I flipped the beat, and when Max came back, he was like, 'Nah, that ain't the joint.' Then he listened and was like, 'OK, hold on.' The song is like a description of us right here in the 'hood not reaching to be something else. This is what we do. Black Nike boots, hoodies. Everything we do is a Northeast type of thing. Bringing the feeling back."

» "The Business." "That was something Max had," French said. "We was going through joints that came on. I had to strong-arm my way onto that song. He already had the hook and the 16. I just jumped on it. That's just like a coming-up record. Watch your business."

Don't Sleep: Other Notable Selections This Week

» Harlem Cash - On My Way to HARLEMwood
» "Cocaine City Vol. 12" DVD
» DJ Dyce, DJ Cannon Banyon and OJ Da Juiceman - I Got the Juice
» Superstar Jay and Tha Riot Squad - Riot or Diet 4 (Ramadan Season)
» Z-Ro , Scarface and Webbie - Power Kings of the Streets
Judah, M.A.F. and Kanye West - 501's & Drumbreaks (The Remixes)
» The Clipse - Road to Till the Casket Drops
» EPMD - We Mean Business
» Charles Hamilton - The Pink Lava Lamp
» Gucci Mane - Well Damn
» Gillie Da Kid - I Am Philly
» DJ Racks and DJ Rah2K - Hands Off My Voice Box
» Demevolist Music Group - Ayo! These N---az Went Hollywood

'Hood's Heavy Rotation: Bubbling Below The Radar

» Jamie Foxx (featuring Kanye West) - "Digital Girl"
» Rick Ross - "Just Know Dat" freestyle
» Memphis Bleek - "Keep Backing Me Down"
» Ludacris (featuring Asher Roth and Mary J. Blige) - "Runaway Love" remix
» Clinton Sparks (featuring the Clipse and Pharrell Williams) - "Still Got It for Cheap"

The Streets Is Talking: News & Notes From The Underground

The King of the South is stacking the deck. Rumor has it, T.I. is interested in bringing his good friend Young Buck to the Grand Hustle fold.

"Buck is a personal partner of mine," Tip said. "We've spoken, about a month or two ago, but we didn't iron out no particulars. I would definitely be willing to speak to Buck about that, but I haven't."

50 Cent told us any offers to sign Buck would have to go through him.

"I don't know that situation," Tip said of Buck's status with the G-Unit. "That's why I would have to speak to Buck first. I haven't even begun to deliberate. I haven't even started the conversation with, 'What would it take to get you over here.' That's just the conversation that's been floating around the rumor mill. When I spoke to him, it was more, 'Hey, how you doing?' speaking as partners. We didn't speak professionally. Just him making sure I was all right. Him asking me how I'm feeling, me asking the same of him.

"Killer Mike, on the other hand, I have been speaking to about connecting and moving forward professionally together," he said. "Mike is an outstanding lyricist and phenomenal talent and very intelligent individual. We get along very well. Always have. It's a real organic fit."

Another paring that's natural to Tip is him and DJ Drama. Mr. Thanksgiving has been lobbying to get the Rubber Band Man to make more mixtapes with the PSC.

"Yeah, you know, we working on it," Tip said. "Drama is trying to get me outta mixtape retirement right now. Who knows?" ...

If you wanna get in the ring with Bun B, you better hit as hard as Mike Tyson at a 21-year-old. The Underground King wants to knock your head off — in the friendliest way, that is.

"I'm a worthy adversary," Bun said of outshining his collaborators over the years. "A lot of times, people don't really have a reason to do songs with people. With me, you wanna know where you stand against me. I've proven myself time and time again with the best ever. If you're one of these cats that consider yourself in the rankings, I'm basically your sparring partner. Once you decide you wanna make a move in the top 10, I'm the dude you have to spar with just to get considered."

Bun's toughest partner outside of Pimp C? T.I.

"Tip and I had a real tough go," he said. "We did a couple songs. 'The Reaction' remix — we went in on that. There were a couple of more songs where we went at it, and after, we were like, 'We'll just keep it casual.' You know who else? Jadakiss. Every now and then, me and 'Kiss end up on these various remixes, and he knows and I know we're on these songs.

"There's people on my side that say, 'You and 'Kiss, y'all have to do something, because y'all be going at it,'" Bun added. " 'Kiss is my dude. We talk a lot about doing something together. We just gotta do that defining song, where it's just me and him. I'd love to go in with 'Kiss. Me and Raekwon been talking about doing something together. Snoop — you can't really spar on a song with Snoop. You have to do a whole mixtape, because dude is not running out of rhymes no time soon. And you gonna see a lot of me and Royce [Da 5'9"] in the near future. I like how youngster gets down. We just put something together for his new joint. I really wanna rock with this kid, because I know he's got it in him. We gotta get that one where we getting it. That's somebody I wanna go a couple of rounds with." ...

"Right now, it's all about back-to-them-grind days," Trae Tha Truth said. "In Houston, we was real major on that independent scene. We're back to watching how these majors struggle."

In front of Houston hot spot Breakers, Trae was with a gang of his homies watching hand-to-hand combat — combat against the recession. The local mixtape courier was selling mixtapes as the cars pulled up. The item of choice was, of course, Trae's Streets Advocate.

"It's a takeover, homie," Trae said.

"With us, it's the streets, man. Everybody do what they do on a regular basis," he said about the demographic he was trying to attract.

For other artists featured in Mixtape Monday, check out Mixtape Mondays Headlines.

• Mixtape Monday Video: T.I., Bun B & More

• T.I.
• Young Buck
• G-Unit
• UGK
• Snoop Dogg

Bun B assesses damage in Texas
Photo: MTV News

Seven days after Hurricane Ike struck Texas on September 13, I finally got my power turned back on. I live in Houston, a big city that didn't even take the brunt of the storm. But for a lot of the folks living in smaller communities along the Gulf Coast, the impact of Ike was much, much worse. I wanted to show MTV News what it was like for people living in Galveston, in Beaumont, in Orange or in Port Arthur, which is where I'm from. It's easy to bring the cameras one day after the storm, two days after the storm. But what about a week after the storm? Two weeks? Some people are just getting back home, just starting to deal with the reality of what's happened. And that's what I wanted to show everyone: what it's like when the cameras leave, and these people in these smaller communities are left to deal with the devastation.

Our first day was in Beaumont. It's part of the Golden Triangle — Beaumont, Port Arthur and Orange. It's pretty much one place; when people in Orange get affected, people in Beaumont and Port Arthur feel it. A lot of the people in those towns work in the refineries, which is one of the main industries in the Golden Triangle. This whole area, the people there, they were some of UGK's first supporters. These are the first places we did shows, first places we sold music. So it was really important for me to come down here and make sure people were OK. It's not about if I know them personally — I know their struggle. We all went through the same thing. If you come from this area, everybody has pretty much lived the same way of life.

When we visited Beaumont, it was 10 days out from when the storm hit, and people were just getting back home. We went to the Beaumont Athletic Complex where the buses full of evacuees were dropping people back from all over Texas — San Antonio, Austin, Dallas and smaller places like Tyler, Sunrise, even northern Louisiana. They had to get their stuff off that main bus and then hop on a smaller bus that would take them to their neighborhood. For some people, this was the second time in a month they had to evacuate — Hurricane Gustav was expected to hit these cities too. Most of the people we met were still somewhat in a state of shock from it all. They didn't really know the extent of the damage to their homes. They hadn't seen their houses, didn't know about their cars or whether their place of employment was still standing. Can you imagine if your job wasn't there when you got back? You don't have money to start over, and you don't have a job to go back to so you can make money to start over. It can really throw you off, to say the least.

Some of the people we saw were understandably frustrated. They had been displaced for 10-14 days, and the uncertainty of it all was probably too much for anyone to handle, let alone if you're someone with children or trying to take care of your family. I don't want to discredit anyone — FEMA and a lot of the city and state agencies did a decent job getting people organized and getting people on buses out of town. A lot of lives were most likely saved. But I'm not exactly sure how far their plans extended once they did get them out of town. Maybe they were thinking they'd have evacuees for three, four days at most. I don't think they were thinking of having people for one to two weeks.

We visited Galveston the next day, the first day they were letting residents back into town. What we saw will never leave me. Galveston is a big beach town. If you were in Houston with an afternoon to kill, and the weather was nice outside, you'd drive down to Galveston. It's like a Santa Monica or a Coney Island. But coming back into Galveston that day, it was something else. There weren't any boats, and there weren't any tourists. Where there were once buildings and shopping centers and people's homes, now there was just a pile of debris. You could tell no one really knew what to make of it all.

In each city we went to, it was clear that people were coming together to take care of each other. These are the people who have the least amount to work with in the beginning, the least amount of resources with which to rebuild. If they're feeling that the city, state or FEMA aren't taking care of them during the evacuation, they definitely come together and help each other out. It's a community base in these small towns. People are very close, and you're only separated from each other by one or two people, it seems like. People are used to having to pool resources to make something happen, so when something like this hurricane hits, all they can do is rely on each other.

I hope that people understand that these issues that these people are dealing with, it lasts much longer than the news cycle. When you're sitting in your house three months later and thinking, "I wonder what happened to the people from the hurricane?" they're probably still hurting and they probably still need your help. If there's anything I can say, it's just don't forget about these people.

• Bun B's Post-Ike Tour Of Texas

• UGK

Lil Wayne and Kanye West onstage at the 2008 BET Awards
Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Are we really supposed to call them "T-Wayne"? Collaboration kings T-Pain and Lil Wayne — who have revealed plans to forge a supergroup together in the future — made a joint effort to move the crowd during last night's BET Awards in Los Angeles. Pain came out during Weezy F Baby's closing set and helped the New Orleans "Fireman" with his medley finale.

The pair started out with "Got Money" from last week's #1 album, Tha Carter III. In the midst of the mayhem, Pain showed off a T-shirt that read "T-Wayne." Weezy then went into "Lollipop," and the two shouted out the late co-star of the record, Static Major, who died in February. Pain and Wayne sent everyone home right after "A Milli," the most energetically performed number of the trio of cuts.

Of course, there were awards handed out as well. Kanye West got two big wins with Best Male Hip-Hop Artist and Best Collaboration. West brought T-Pain onstage with him for the latter, and Pain took his sweet time getting to the podium: He walked in slow motion all the way from his seat, ensuring that everyone could see his flamboyant circus-ringleader outfit, which was silver and black (with a matching top hat to boot) and had a litany of designs on it. UGK also won two awards (Best Group and Best Video, for "Int'l Players Anthem"), Lil Wayne took the Viewers Choice award, Alicia Keys nabbed Best R&B Female Artist and Chris Brown won Best R&B Male, Missy Elliott scored Best Female Hip-Hop Artist and The-Dream won Best New Artist. (Head here for a complete list of winners and nominees.) Actor/comedian D.L. Hughley was the host of the night, and Diddy and Keri Hilson hosted a live afterparty.

But as always, the highlights of the night — both good and less good — were the performances.

No doubt Usher is one of the top showmen in the game, but the famed pharaoh of performing seemed to lip-sync his way through "Love in This Club" as he opened the show. Ush did display some slick dance moves on a conveyer belt, at one point sliding through the legs of three female dancers.

Kanye West brought the audience to its feet when he joined Young Jeezy for "Put On." 'Ye went through a couple of false starts on his verse, beginning to rap "I feel like there's still n---as that still owe me checks/ I feel like there's still [women] that owe me sex" too early in the song. However, West did compensate for the errors with his undeniable presence.

Very sexy was the pairing of Chris Brown and Ciara during "Take You Down." Cici did gyrations that would make most professional strippers retire as she stood over Brown, who lay flat on the ground. The duo had the dance moves of the night when Ciara slowly fell backward from a standing position and Brown caught her with one of his feet. Only the best can do that!

Alicia Keys brought girl power — actually, grown woman power — to the stage during "Teenage Love Affair." Keys started with her hit, then transitioned into classics by top female R&B acts. SWV came out for "Weak"; En Vogue — all four members, y'all — stepped onstage for "Hold On"; and TLC came out for "Waterfalls." It's always emotional to see Chilli and T-Boz sing without Left Eye. No matter how excited you might be to see the two, there's always a sigh in the heart because the spunkiest part of the group is no longer with us.

Ne-Yo shut things down with "Closer," which was the sleeper highlight moment of the night. Ne-Yo showed off his dancing skills with a very versatile repertoire, which include frat stepping, smooth spins and some foot-gliding.

Earlier in the evening, Al Green had everyone singing "Let's Stay Together," and Keyshia Cole, Lil' Kim, Nelly, Fergie and T-Pain and friends also performed.

• Chris Brown, Rihanna, Ne-Yo, More At 2008 BET Awards

• Fergie
• Keri Hilson
• Missy Elliott
• Lil' Kim
• Diddy

Al Sharpton at his National Action Network headquarters on Friday
Photo: MTV News

Unadulterated anger, confusion but certainly not shock are some of the feelings that members of the hip-hop community have expressed about the verdict in the Sean Bell case. Three New York police detectives were acquitted Friday morning (April 25) of any wrongdoing in the Bell case. Bell was shot 50 times by the cops, who claim they thought he had gun after leaving his bachelor party in Queens. Investigations proved he was unarmed.

"This is just another example that the justice system in America views a black life as worthless," Ice Cube bluntly fumed in a statement.

"It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that shooting an innocent, unarmed man 50-plus times is an excessive use of force," Chamillionaire said. "... I'm sure a lot of people are as disappointed with this verdict as I am. It scares me to know what type of power is given to people who are supposed to be protecting us from harm. It seems like they are all just protecting themselves. The verdict sends a terrible message to people across the nation who already don't have faith in the law or our justice system. It will be hard for people to see this as anything other than a case of police protection. Our prayers go out to the family and friends of Sean Bell."

"I don't know what implications a guilty or not guilty verdict in the Sean Bell case has on our society," Russell Simmons said in a statement released to MTV News on Friday. "I only know for certain that we need more sensitivity training as part of the police curriculum. I also believe a more intimate dialogue must be promoted between police and communities. This process could change the perception by some in the 'hood who view the police presence as an occupying force when they could or should see them as a security force working for the people."

"The verdict is almost as tragic as the incident," UGK's Bun B said. "We've already lost [a] life, and now we've got a loss of justice and loss of reciprocation for what's happened. And it cuts you on so many levels."

Bun insisted that the law has to change. "Some kind of legislation that holds police more accountable [is needed]," he said. " ... I would love to see the Sean Bell bill passed, you know what I'm saying? Something in his name. Let's not mar his memory with violence. ... I feel like people should be upset. They should be mad, but that's what they expect for us to do with our anger. That's what they expect us to do with our energy, is to put it back out and to take their negative energy and turn it into something even more negative. We gotta take that sh-- and do it into something positive for this dude, because ... Sean Bell could've been anybody, literally. Sean Bell wasn't a celebrity. He wasn't an athlete. ... He was just a man trying to take care of his family, trying to do his thing, just do him. This could be anybody. Any man."

DJ Drama said the Bell case is just one more instance of injustice, and he wasn't surprised by the outcome at all. He was almost expecting it.

"I almost had a feeling of how the outcome is gonna be," Drama said Friday in Atlanta. "To wake up and see that — as much as things change, the more they stay the same. You look at this country on one hand, you have a black man and a woman running for president. Then you look at the justice system, and every cop in the Sean Bell case getting acquitted. We got a lot of work to do. The struggle never ends. It affects all of us. Anybody with a voice, you gotta use your voice and speak on it when you see injustice. That's what I think it is: injustice."

"I just got sick, man," Bun B agreed. "You can't even be surprised, 'cause it's not like this hasn't happened before. It just knocks the wind out of you. For one, I'm like, 'Jesus Christ, so the wife and family get nothing.' Of course, they get the appeal of the verdict or whatever, but it's disgusting, to be honest."

The Rev. Al Sharpton, who called the verdict an "abortion of justice," is planning a protest rally in Harlem on Saturday morning alongside Bell's fiancee, Nicole Paultre-Bell, and victims Joseph Guzman and Trent Benefield. On Friday, MTV News caught up with Sharpton and the victims' lawyers.

"I think that we need a cross-section of groups to come together," Sharpton said from his National Action Network headquarters in Harlem. "We need to sit down immediately and plan a strategy and make it international, with the goals being a structural change in policing. I believe we can get to the federal government. Then we're going to wait again for another trial. There's something wrong with the law, and we must change that."

Lawyers for the victims' families echoed Sharpton's statements. "We feel as though justice was snatched out of our hands," said attorney Michael Hardy. " ... It's just hard to believe that we can live in a city where several years ago, Amadou Diallo could be shot at 41 times and no one is responsible, and now you can be shot at 50 times with no justification and no one's held accountable for that."

Meanwhile, the hip-hop community will continue to speak out against the case as well. Some are even venting their frustrations in the studio.

"The song is called 'Get Your Issue,' " Bun B said of one of his recent recordings. "It's talking about police brutality in the 'hood and how many brothers over the past years have gone down. It's just really been ugly ... but New York police have been out of line for a long time.

"I don't really know if they're gonna wanna listen to music right now," he added about the Bell family. "But [I made the song] just so they know that people do care. I don't know Sean. I've never met him or seen him before, but he's a black man. He was a human being. He was a husband and a father. I relate to that on all levels, you know what I'm saying?"

Mobb Deep's Prodigy raps about the infamous case on his album H.N.I.C., Pt. 2, which was released Tuesday: "I only lie to the police/ On the real/ New York pricks and di--s/ Know the deal/ They wanna do the kid/ Like my n---a Sean Bell/ F--- that, it be a racist cop/ Burial with the bagpipe music."

Before ending his press conference, Sharpton told a packed room of protesters they had "lost a round, but the fight was still on."

• Sean Bell Shooting Case Ends In Acquittal

• Ice Cube
• UGK
• Chamillionaire

Remembering Pimp C: A Year Later

• UGK

Bun B, Slim Thug, Paul Wall, And More At The Los Magnificos Car Show

• Slim Thug
• Chamillionaire
• Mike Jones
• UGK
• Lil' Flip

Andre 3000, Big Boi, Slim Thug, More On The Set Of UGK's "International Players Anthem" Video

• OutKast
• Slim Thug
• Three 6 Mafia
• UGK