UPDATE: 12/20/21 10:34 p.m. — Lafayette native Paul “Bunny B” Brown, widely known for his hip-hop line dance song, “Bunny Hop”, passed away overnight.

He is credited with bringing worldwide attention to South Louisiana, specifically the city of Lafayette’s unique hip-hop sound, dance styles and rhythms. He paved the way for many Louisiana artists, including Bryson “Cupid” Bernard.

“Bunny B was the pioneer of hip-hop in Lafayette,” said Cupid. “Although we had a lot of rappers who came out, Bunny B was the one who stood on his creativity.”

Brown was called a “337 legend” in a Facebook post from Cupid remembering his life. He came from a life of poverty and the streets and used his music as a way out.

“He was relentless even in his ups and down, relentless in his motivation,” said Cupid.

So inspiring to others and the younger generation, Cupid credits him with his success.

“I can honestly say there may have not been the ‘Cupid Shuffle’ without the ‘Bunny Hop,'” said Cupid. “He inspired a whole sound here and I’m just grateful for that… I remember times back in the day certain radio stations didn’t want to play our music and Bunny B was on the front line — play Lafayette music or else! And for somebody to put it on the line like that, will always be respected and loved by myself and by many others and everybody in the community.”

ORIGINAL POST: LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) — Lafayette musician Bunny B, who’s known for the hit song ‘Bunny Hop’ by his trio Da Entourage, has died at 50 years old after a long battle with a kidney illness, according to multiple social media posts.

Bunny B was called a “337 Legend” in a Facebook post from Cupid remembering his life.

Brown was a Lafayette native and graduated from Acadiana High School. He said in a Facebook live video, posted by his friend Todd Miles on Dec. 16, that he’d been battling a kidney illness for a long time.

“I’m in a good state of peace of mind, but they say my body’s deteriorating,” Paul “Bunny B” Brown said in the video.

*Viewer warning: The video below contains explicit language*

Bunny B’s trio consisted of him and his childhood friends, Toemas and Alley Cat, who are cousins, according to allmusic.com. The group is from Lafayette and grew in fame after the release of their second album that had their top hit ‘Bunny Hop’ on it.