“I love being alive i cant wait to hug you -Lil B,” read the tweet that The Based God himself posted on January 21st. The replies section was a digital church, with various users professing allegiance to the Berkeley rapper who has been producing music for over 11 years. He had just escaped a fire in his apartment and, to his dismay, was written up in the Contra Costa Times as an “aspiring rapper.” Many have written off Lil B as a gimmick rapper and some categorize his music as meme rap, the internet-born buzzword to connote music with the sole intention of going viral.
It’s not too hard to slap the label on him; just look at any one of his music videos and you’ll be wondering how the poor production quality and overly praising video titles could be anything other than satire. After watching clip after clip of Lil B rapping everywhere from basketball courts to pet stores, one has to wonder if there isn’t a gimmick. The evidence stacks enough for me to understand Lil B as less of a cartoon character and more as a hip-hop vigilante. He’s an artist who dedicates himself to his fans and his craft through releasing new material and keeping true to the morals Based God sets out to preach.
You’d be hard pressed to find someone who wouldn’t be able to decipher the TYBG acronym as the one phrase to embody Lil B’s career: “Thank You Based God.” Lil B has assumed a deity-like role in modern internet culture, and as the phrase would entail, followers of Based God have a lot for which to be thankful.
Not only does he have over 100,000 tweets dedicated to loving his fans (and sometimes himself), but he’s also released several dozen mixtapes, with one sporting a mind-boggling 855 songs. I always felt that a gimmick was a shortcut, a multiple-use trick to put out the same material that people will still love.
Without a doubt, Lil B has a certain language and style that’s consistent throughout his songs. For most musicians, this is a natural part of developing as an artist. Even through clipping vocals and unmixed beats, Lil B is able to show us the world as he sees it, and there doesn’t seem to be anything gimmicky about that.
Perhaps it’s helpful to compare and contrast the Based God with a musician I truly believe to be a gimmick. RiFF RAFF shares many characteristics with Lil B and has even collaborated with him on a song. Both rappers are heavily tattooed and have cult-like followings. The differences begin to show when comparing lyrics side by side.
It’s more likely than not for a Lil B song to have the word “Based” in it, just as RiFF RAFF is very keen on sprinkling Aston Martin and Dolce & Gabbana throughout his verses. Based is a mode of thought that Lil B developed as his own: to be Lil B is to be Based. In comparison, RiFF RAFF’s repetitious lyrics rely on name brand products to the point that his songs have more proper nouns than improper. Whereas Lil B is dedicated to staying independent and keeping the majority of his music free and accessible, RiFF RAFF has taken his talents to Mad Decent records, who have used his image and personality to turn out a healthy profit, if the ability to meet RiFF RAFF for a price at his slew of concerts is any indication. Here, the gimmick is the bling, the jewelry and fashion accessories shining so bright that you have no choice but to gape at it. RiFF RAFF is the unholy union of consumerism, lean and the modern turn up mentality. Lil B is Based God.
Various other artists have fallen into the catch-all term of meme rap. Hip-hop artists with iconic styles like Lil Ugly Mane, Yung Lean and Le1f have the misfortune of trying to introduce their sound into a community known for excessive categorizing and pigeonholing. Songs inspired by the lightning fast data-filled atmosphere of the internet shouldn’t be mistaken as songs abusing it.
A key topic when it comes to discussing such rappers is irony. Irony has almost become a buzzword itself, due to the Internet having the tendency to favor “low effort” content based off the constant desire for new and relevant media. I would argue that artists like Yung Lean are most definitely irony-driven; music videos showing a poorly green-screened Pokémon trading card next to a hand giving the finger are clear jabs at the Internet’s tendency to overly worship outdated technology and media.
Even heavy-handed social commentary is, in the end, social commentary. Lil B has lectured at New York University, published two books and released I’m Gay (I’m Happy), a concept album that was his attempt to highlight modern social injustice. While some of his songs are intentionally hilarious with completely out of place adlibs and coughs in the middle of verses, it’s clear that Lil B, ironic or not, has a portfolio that transcends the creativity-killing genre names that are applied to it. To accept Lil B with all his flaws is the first step to creating a healthier music culture, where the norm is to listen to and understand musicians before writing off their careers based off of their symbols or style.
