II Trill is the second solo studio album by American rapper Bun B. It was released on May 20, 2008, through Rap-A-Lot Records with distribution via Asylum Records and Atlantic Records, serving as a sequel to his successful debut 2005 album Trill.
The album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 and topped both the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Top Rap Albums charts in the United States, with 98,000 copies sold in the first week of release.[3][4] It was supported with singles "That's Gangsta" and "You're Everything", as well as the song "Pop It 4 Pimp" has also received radio airplay.
Background
The album was originally set to be released on April 29, 2008,[1] but was pushed back to May 20.[5]
It was mentioned that after the death of his lifelong friend and companion Pimp C, due in part to an accidental overdose, he is likely to "ban the syrup talk on his new CD".[1] The album features lyrics pertaining to political and social issues, as well as a tribute track to his UGK cohort.[6]
The album also spent three weeks at the top of the Billboard Rap Albums chart in a row.[7][8][9] The album has since sold 300,000 copies.
II Trill was met with generally favourable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 82 based on seventeen reviews.[10]
Steve 'Flash' Juon of RapReviews praised the album, saying "with II Trill Bun B's ensured the legacy of U.G.K. will exist for decades to come, but more importantly he's created the album that every hip-hop head from North to South with have rattling out of their trunk all summer long".[18] Jeff Weiss of the Los Angeles Times stated: "Bun B's second solo record is an impressive late-career triumph, one with a poignancy and resonance worthy of his dedication and devotion to the memory of his departed friend".[14] Jordan Sargent of PopMatters concluded: "II Trill is obviously not Bun B's defining musical statement; UGK has way too many classics in the bank for that. What it is, though, is a consistently great rap album by a consistently great emcee".[17] Tom Breihan of Pitchfork called it "a solid and occasionally great record, an album more directed toward car-stereo utility than bedroom contemplation".[16] Clayton Purdom of Cokemachineglow found "the record attempts nothing: it doesn't stretch or break a sweat but celebrates its easy victory ecstatically, like some asshole Olympic sprinter racing against a middle school track team".[12]AllMusic's David Jeffries claimed: "this time out, he's a single short and couple songs too long, but his back is strong enough to carry the weight, proving once again he's one of the Dirty South's most reliable voices".[11] Will Dukes of Spin resumed: "Bun combines swagger with substance without losing a step".[19]
