Lafayette Rapper Bunny B of Da Entourage Passes Away

Lafayette's music community is mourning the loss of a founding member of Da Entourage, Bunny B.

Bunny B, real name Paul Brown, passed away after battling what he described as a longtime illness in a video that was posted to Facebook just days ago. On December 16, Brown addressed fans and loved ones via Facebook Live from a hospital bed where he says he had entered Hospice care.

The video, posted by Brown's close friend Todd Miles, shows a very frail Bunny B revealing that he had been battling a kidney-related illness for quite some time now. Brown said his doctors had informed him that his condition was deteriorating and he didn't have much time to live. Even with the grim diagnosis, Brown said he was in a good state of mind and "at peace" with his situation as God would have the last say so.

Brown also mentioned that he lived a "good and blessed life," including his work in the music business. His legacy as one of the few artists to put Lafayette, LA on a global map will live on through his music, including his timeless 2003 smash hit "Bunny Hop."

It's a song and a line dance from Brown's group (Da Entourage) that bears his name as one of the popular singles to come out of the Hub City.

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In addition to fans and supporters of his music over the last two decades, Brown thanked local DJs and artists including DJ Dolby D, DJ Chill, DJ Troy D, and Cupid who all shared tributes to Bunny B on social media after hearing the news of their passing.

DJ Troy D shared a few words with me about Bunny B, including the night he remembers breaking what would become the "Bunny Hop" to a crowd at The Keg on the McKinley Street strip in Lafayette.

He was the true meaning of an artist that ate, slept & breathed music. Bunny B dedicated everything he had in him to making music. His drive & determination was unmatched!!!
All he ever wanted was to be recognized and given his flowers for his talent not to mention his role in creating one of the world's greatest line dance record "The Bunny Hop".How much bigger can a song get when you have one of the BIGGEST icons in the world Beyoncé reference your song in her very own song (The Before I Let Go remake)
Me & Dolby single-handedly broke the Bunny Hop in The Keg...I made Dolby stop the music..I introduced the group and the song and had them come out on stage and perform it...they showed everyone that night how to do The Bunny Hop. We ran that song about 10xs straight in a row and after that night...the rest was HISTORY!!!!!
Nothing else needed to be said or done...the world had its new line dance craze!!!

National recording artist and Lafayette native Cupid told me that without "Bunny Hop" there may have been no "Cupid Shuffle."

Got a lot of respect for them because they were the first to do it. I didn’t know he was this sick but I was able to get him on stage one last time at the state fair last year. One of the hardest working Innovative artist of all time in our city! It may not have been a shuffle without the Hop

Cupid shared the video of one of Bunny B's last performances on his Facebook page this morning.

More tributes poured in from artists like DJ Chill and DJ Dolby D who were also a part of Bunny B's music career since the beginning.

In the end, Bunny B wants his fans to remind him as a "grinder and a soldier" who "never gave up until the end." Close friend Todd Miles said that Bunny B may be gone, but he will see to it that he lives on through new music set to be released soon.

Bunny loved music. he loved Lafayette and he asked us Friday nite to put out records we did with him. he didn't want his name to die.

HOT 107.9 is sending out prayers and condolences to the family of Brown—who was not only a figure in the music scene but a father who is leaving behind three daughters and two sons.

Brown was 50 years old.