In the dog-eat-dog world of the music industry, there is no better kept secret than Lil B. The Bay Area rapper has been releasing music since early 2007 as a solo artist and with his rap collective, The Pack. Lil B, also known as his alter ego The Based God, has one of the most extensive discographies ever, covering everything from hip hop to choir music, and even indie rock over the 60+ mixtapes and 7 studio albums he’s released over the years. While not a mainstream sensation, Lil B has an immense cult following over social media that has garnered him attention from high profile artists such as Chance the Rapper, with whom he released a six-track joint mixtape in 2015.
Why is Lil B held in such high regard in the hip hop community?” Lil B fan and Middle Creek freshman Alexa Bure said, “Because he created Soundcloud rap, and he didn't sign to a label.” I agree with her that Lil B pioneered the sound of Cloud Rap with his 2010 mixtape Everything Based, which is a staple in indie music due to him never signing to a major label.
He is known as the father of Internet Rap, a microgenre of rap that consists of an upbeat tempo and comedic lyrics, and is a key figure in the re-emergence of mixtape culture. The rapper isn't always loved, though, as he’s clashed with multiple prominent figures in the world of rap and basketball, including The Game, Joey Bada$$, A boogie wit da hoodie, Odd Future, Freddie Gibbs, A$AP Rocky, James Harden, and two of his most famous beefs being with rapper-turned-podcaster Joe Budden and NBA star Kevin Durant.
Lil B’s now famous beef with Joe Budden is one of the most revisited conflicts in the underground. This all started when Joe Budden sent out multiple tweets making fun of Lil B’s catchphrase, “based,” a term coined by Lil B as a word used to describe something you like and enjoy or to recognize someone for being themselves. After seeing Joe Budden mock the usage of the word “based,” Lil B would respond, saying, "It was crazy ’cause I felt like he was making a mockery of me over Twitter, so [I tweeted], ‘Joe follow me. I’m a supporter of you. Check me out. Let’s do some work.’ He didn’t follow me. I’m like, ‘Okay, Joe, I’m getting very emotional right now. I feel like you’re making fun of me. Follow me.’ He didn’t follow me, I said, ‘Fine, Joe, I’m a better lyricist than you. You cannot see me lyrically.’ Then he started tweeting, like, ‘Ooh, really,’ he’s like, ‘I wouldn’t wanna be dissed by somebody that looked like Jesus,’ and really making fun of me. And you know, I’m thinking in my head Joe Budden is really a worthy opponent ’cause a lot of people aren’t worthy of me to address them. He’s worthy of me to address and so, I destroyed him and you know, it’s done now."
This would escalate with Lil B releasing the now infamous diss track entitled “T-Shirt and Buddens.” I personally enjoy the diss track and its comedic use of child-like insults which all paint a good picture of the charectiture of Joe Budden that Lil B wants to present. Joe Budden himself later tweeted, “That Lil B diss still hard all these years later tho lol”.
By far his most infamous beef is with NBA superstar Kevin Durant. Yet again this beef stems from twitter when Kevin Durant tweeted, “I tried to listen to Lil B and my mind wouldn't let me do it… can’t believe this guy is relevant.” In response to the tweet, Lil B tweeted, “KEVIN DURANT WILL NEVER WIN THE TITLE AFTER HE SAID ‘LIL B’ IS A WACK RAPPER, ’THE BASEDGODS CURSE’ #THEBASEDGODSCURSE ON DURANT - Lil B.”
The conflict would calm down until three years later when Lil B released a diss track called “F*#% KD” and made a commercial calling out Kevin Durant. This would be the end of this mostly one-sided brawl until it picked up again with Kevin Durant and The Oklahoma City Thunder playing the Bay-Area rapper’s beloved Golden State Warriors in the NBA Western Conference Finals. The rapper would make the bold prediction that the Thunder would not beat the Warriors in the playoffs and stayed with his prediction through the whole series, even when the Warriors were down three games to one.
To the shock of many, the Warriors would come back, winning three straight games to send them to the NBA Finals, prompting Lil B to tweet, “And they said the curse was not real. ’The BasedGod’ has never lied to me and like he told us. The Warriors are going to the finals - Lil B.”
I once again asked Alexa if she thought the curse was real. She responded by laughing and saying, “No, I don't think so, because curses aren't real.” The beef would eventually end when Kevin Durant was traded to the Warriors and Lil B lifted the curse. Durant then won the championship and the MVP in that year's NBA Finals.
There are so many accolades involving Lil B that it would be impossible for me to cover them all, but here are some fun facts about the man:
LIl B’s apartment caught on fire in 2015 and had his life saved by a 15-year-old boy who ran through his apartment complex screaming for people to wake up.
Lil B edited a photo of him hanging out with Tupac and is selling it as a t-shirt for $100 on his website.
While in the middle of his beef with Kevin Durant, he appeared on ESPN’s SportsNation in a dress, sun hat, and earrings.
He was sent hundreds of death threats after naming his third studio album I’m Gay.
In 2010 Lil B dropped a 27-track mixtape entitled P.B.M Pretty Boy Millionaires with long-time collaborator Soulja Boy. The mixtape invented the famous “Cooking dance” that has been done by everybody from Drake to James Harden.
He was sucker-punched and knocked out midway through an interview by the interviewer. After, Lil B laughed at the interviewer for asking to work with Soulja Boy.
Overall, Lil B is a polarizing figure in the rap game, but he is still loved by so many, from Tyler, The Creator to Kendrick Lamar. Hip hop and music in general wouldn't be the same without Lil B’s constant devotion to his work and his strong fanbase that constantly supports him.