BIRTH OF RAP
Numerous ancient religious texts foretold the coming of a great prophet in the 3rd week of August in the year 1989 A.D. The ascension of Brandon McCartney to the top of the Western world's cultural sphere has proven these predictions to be true.
Born to a virgin in the small town of Bethlehem—err, Berkeley, Brandon showed an impeccable musical acumen from a young age. He began composing music from within the womb and continued to do so following his official birth. He sustained his musical output throughout his childhood, most of which is due to be released upon his death, as Brandon himself has said that his early material is "too real" for the world at present and will only be able to be properly understood by the generations that follow.
Despite receiving grades that broke California elementary school records and having multiple Ivy League scholarship offers in his early teens, Brandon's truest passion was for creating hip hop music. At the age of 16, he had his first major radio hit:
Vans
Lil B's only charting single and an essential component of his discography. This was my own personal introduction to Brandon's music though I didn't know it at the time. The track may seem unimpressive in the greater context of the music that would follow it, but it set the foundation for Lil B to enter the music industry and make a name for himself, foreshadowing the success he would find at the start of the following decade.
CREATING THE BASED GOD
In the years following the release of "Vans", Brandon began to hone his craft and release music at a Picasso level of productivity. From the mid-2000s through the early 2010s literally THOUSANDS of Lil B songs were released through the once-dominant social media website MySpace. Because the site would limit the number of tracks that an artist could upload to their profiles to just 5 songs, Brandon created hundreds of MySpace pages to showcase all of his material. It was also around this time that he conceived of his greatest creation: The Based God.
The Based God is a bit of an enigma in regard to who he is and what his relationship to Brandon consists of. Some believe that "The Based God" is just another name for Brandon's rap persona, similar to "Lil B", but seeing as how the Based God is normally referred to in the third person in Brandon's music this has been a point of contention among the Based community. Regardless of who the Based God truly is, he is a being that is all knowing, pure swag and boundlessly positive; these qualities are properly summed up using the adjective "based", a word that is hard to properly define but is best described as being synonymous with everything having to do with Lil B. The Based God's influence had a major impact on the music that Brandon was making, both in terms of increasing the quality of the songs and widening the scope of his popularity. This led to the creation of Lil B's next major hit:
Wonton Soup
"Wonton Soup" was many peoples' introduction to the music of Lil B and, for many, it was their exit point as well. The song seems pedestrian on the surface with a generic trap beat and non-sensical lyrics from the Based God, but underlying the more elementary aspects of the song are a flurry of pop culture references and clever wordplay, including the infamous "Bitches suck my dick because I look like J.K. Rowling", among others. The song inspired a slew of memes and skyrocketed Lil B's popularity into the stratosphere, with the original YouTube upload of the video having over 1.4 billion views before it's unfortunate removal. It also serves as an early example of Lil B projecting his confidence in his ability to have sex with your girlfriend, a common trope that would resurface frequently in his music.
COOKING MUSIC
Brandon continued to hone his craft for recording abstractly lyricized trap bangers over the following years. These songs, many of which were considered to be "Based Freestyles" or "cooking music" (named after the famous cooking dance that is meant to be performed along with the music), would come to represent one of his trademark styles of music and would help him connect with the more plebian contemporary rap crowd in a way much of his other material could not. Some of his most notable work in this vein includes:
Like a Martian
A Based Freestyle in the purest sense of the word, Lil B's raw lyricism and unbridled swag make this song what it is. "Like a Martian" describes how Brandon's sex escapades and drug abuse are comparable to that of someone who is not of this Earth, but instead of its closest cousin in the planetary system. The music video, directed by once-slightly-relevant rapper Kreayshawn, features several quick camera cuts that highlight the chaos of Lil B's raps. Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk has agreed to send Brandon on the first pedestrian spacecraft sent to the planet Mars as a result of the track.
Pretty Bitch
With 56 usages of the word "bitch", this song more than lives up to its title. A full 18 months before A$AP Rocky would first lay claim to being the prettiest rapper in the game, the Based God proved he was the one who truly held the crown. The music video also featured an early tease of the mysterious Black Ken mixtape, which would not see a proper release until 2017 due to Lil B's uninhibited perfectionism.
Justin Bieber
One of many celebrity-themed songs recorded by the Based God, wherein Lil B highlights the various ways that he is comparable to and, in some cases, is actually the person that he is writing the song about. "Justin Bieber" features Brandon claiming to be a blood relative of Mr. Bieber, substantiated by a totally not Photoshopped image of the two hanging out together at a local Bay Area library.
1000 Bitches
In early 2013, the Based God finally realized his lifelong goal of having sexual intercourse with 1000 different women. Following an illustrious award ceremony, he recorded and released "1000 Bitches" as a teaser single from his then-upcoming Pink Flame mixtape. The video game sound effects woven throughout the beat are a reference to Brandon's first sexual encounter at the age of 7, when he was fellated while simultaneously playing Super Mario 64.
Look Like Jesus
Arguably the most controversial song of the 21st century, "Look Like Jesus" took Lil B's brash and provocative rap style to a whole new level. With a music video that was recorded inside of an actual church and lyrical content referencing the fact that Jesus may have indeed looked like the Based God, the song wound up being highly influential on contemporary artists' renderings of Jesus in the early 21st century and beyond.
BASED MUSIC
While most peoples' ideas of Lil B's music stem from his more 'cooking' style tracks, true Task Force members recognize that Brandon's best tracks are the ones that come from his heart. In contrast to the more trap-flavoured feel of the aforementioned songs, the Based God's more serious material is among the most moving and inspirational hip hop music ever produced. Some believe that the "cooking" music was created by Lil B as a rouse to get media attention and publicity so that his more "based" material could be given a proper spotlight.
I'm God
The song that many consider to be the pinnacle of Lil B's career. In addition to being named one of the best produced songs of the decade by the highly respected Complex Magazine, launching the career of then-unknown producer Clams Casino and having countless rappers hop on the beat in an attempt to capture the magic of the original (though none were as graceful as the Based God's version), the song was an early indication of Brandon's ability to be more than just a meme. He states on the intro that he had always wanted to be God, and on this track he finally realizes that dream. No other words are required; simply listening to this masterpiece is enough to convince one of its greatness. It's close cousin "B.O.R. (Birth of Rap)", which is also produced by Clams, is equally impressive.
The Age of Information
Probably my all time favorite Lil B song, and my go-to for proving to others that he isn't the surface level artist that one might assume he is having only heard material like "Wonton Soup". A brutally honest assessment of contemporary culture and its overreliance on technology, "The Age of Information" was so crushingly relatable that it felt as if the Based God himself was speaking to me directly the first time I'd heard it (granted I was stoned off my ass at the time but I digress). For the millions of millennials who have grown up glued to TVs and computer screens this song almost serves as a form of therapy, with Brandon admitting that he himself spends more time living in the fantasy world of the Internet than he should, taking the real world around him for granted in the process.
Birth to Life
The only Lil B album to receive a vinyl release was Rain in England, a spoken word new age record (yes I'm being completely serious; it's literally a spoken word new age album) that featured the Based God spreading his boundless wisdom on top of ambient instrumentals, all of which Brandon created on his own. "Birth to Life", the intro to the album, is the equivalent of an entire semester-long college level philosophy class condensed into 3 minutes and 42 seconds of pure bliss. The Based God would later release an instrumental version of Rain in England entitled Choices and Flowers, correctly declaring it to be the first classical music album ever released by a hip hop artist.
I Hate Myself
2011 marked the release of Lil B's most notorious and possibly most well-known album, the controversially titled I'm Gay. This album, along with the Angels Exodus album released a few months prior, were the most consistent and serious releases of Lil B's career up to that point. "I Hate Myself" was undoubtedly the most poignant cut off of the former. Over a brilliantly utilized Goo Goo Dolls sample, the Based God laments the negative self-image of young black men in America. The track ends with Brandon recognizing that the views he previously had of himself were a lie; with this realization, he finds that he can finally and truly love himself as the person he is.
All My Life (Remix)
A personal favorite off of the legendary Angels Exodus project, the remix to Lil B's "All My Life" puts Brandon's beautiful singing voice on full display. It's often assumed that Brandon used Auto Tune or some other form of pitch correction on his vocals to get them to sound as perfect as they are on this song; on the contrary, his natural singing talents leave such studio trickery to be unnecessary.
G.O.R. (God of Rap)
The centerpiece of the Based God's 101 track mixtape 05 Fuck Em, "God of Rap" is a brilliantly sequenced Based anthem. In the span of 10 minutes Lil B takes the listener on a journey through the first three levels of the Based experience (it should be noted that there are 32 levels in total to be accessed; to date Brandon is the only person alive known to have reached the sacred 32nd level). Featuring three separate beat switches and a constant stream of knowledge from the Based God, this song alone is enough to eclipse most artists' entire careers. Eminem's "Rap God" came out one month later and was directly inspired by Lil B's track, though it failed to reach the same artistic heights as the song it was trying to imitate.
No Black Person Is Ugly
While some weak-minded fools considered the Lil B phenomenon to have mostly run its course by the end of 2012, Brandon proved his naysayers wrong by dropping this gem off the Ultimate Bitch mixtape in 2014. Showcasing one of the best flows of any Lil B song and projecting an exceptionally Based message unto the listener, "No Black Person Is Ugly" espouses the values of inner beauty and believing in oneself in the face of racism and discrimination. It famously received the illustrious "Best New Music" tag from cultural zeitgeist Pitchfork, which confirms that the song is objectively good regardless of one's subjective (and potentially wrong, if you disagree) opinion.
MISCELLANEOUS MUSIC
The following songs are notable but do not fit into either of the two aforementioned categories of Brandon's music:
Eat
A major smash off of the Pink Flame mixtape, "Eat" is an in-depth look into Lil B's impeccable cunnilingus skills. With a distinctive 80s flavor and a luxurious music video filmed at a local Olive Garden, the song is a divine showcase of the Based God's sexual prowess and impressive tolerance for rank vagina. The line "56 bitches and I look like Based God" is a subtle nod to the 56 usages of the word "bitch" in the previously discussed "Pretty Bitch". A common prank to be played on children is to blast the intro to the song at high volume from a car and watch them run out of their houses thinking it's the ice cream man.
Can I Bust Tonight
The Based God's cover of "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" from The Lion King had such an emotional impact on film director Jon Favreau that he gave Lil B a starring role in his upcoming recreation of the Disney film as a token of appreciation. This alone is all that needs to be said to attest to this song's greatness.
4 Me
In 2011, Rihanna's Calvin Harris-produced "We Found Love" became a worldwide smash, giving the pop star her 11th number one single in the United States. What most people don't know was that Calvin Harris had actually given the song to Lil B first, sending him the beat in early 2011 before Rihanna's version had been recorded. Lil B ultimately left his take of the song, "4 Me", on the cutting room floor for his Illusions of Grandeur mixtape, leading to Rihanna picking up the song later on. In early 2013, Brandon's version was leaked to the Internet, prompting its inclusion on his 100% Percent Gutta mixtape as a bonus track. Lil B receives 2% of all royalties earned from "We Found Love" as a result.
California Boy
The presumed first single from the long delayed Lil B rock album, "California Boy" more than proves that the Based God's musical talents span across multiple genres of music. Despite the music video showcasing a full backing band, Brandon actually mixed, mastered, and played all of the instruments on the song by himself. The Lil B rock album was also slated to include collaborations with Mick Jagger, Jimmy Page, Slash, Ringo Starr, Lars Ulrich, Jim Morrison, Scott Stapp and Seth Putnam, among others. Critics have long asserted that, if released, the album will be the most important rock album this side of Nevermind.
Fuck KD
A highlight from the basketball-themed Hoop Life mixtape, and possibly the most legendary of Lil B's numerous diss tracks (save, perhaps, for the David Banner career killer "I Own Swag"), this scathing critique of basketball superstar Kevin Durant was a result of Durant ignorantly dissing the Based God on Twitter and later refusing to play him in a one-on-one game of basketball after being challenged by Brandon. Lil B had previously placed a curse on Durant which would have prevented him from ever winning an NBA championship. Durant later chose to join Lil B's hometown team, the Golden State Warriors, in a blatant attempt to have the curse removed. The Based God obliged, and Durant finally won the NBA championship in his first season in Oakland.
I Love You
Capping off the manifesto is "I Love You", the closing track from Lil B's God's Father mixtape and one of the rarest songs in the Based God's catalog. Gorgeously produced and exceptionally heartfelt, "I Love You" perfectly encapsulates the Based mentality that permeates the best of Brandon's material. He himself was so moved by the track and what it represents that he can be seen crying at the end of the music video. Rest assured that all of us are crying along with him.
BONUS MATERIAL:
Noisey's 22 minute documentary on Lil B
Part 1 of Lil B's lecture at New York University
Lil B teaches how to do the cooking dance
Lil B's appearance on ESPN's "Sports Nation"
Nardwuar vs. Lil B
Guy throws his girlfriend on stage and asks Lil B to fuck her
The song Lil B recorded with his cat
Note: Some of the information presented here as fact may actually be exaggerated, misinterpreted or downright false.
