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LilB

Lil B

Brandon McCartney (born August 17, 1989), better known as Lil B "The BasedGod", is a rapper from Berkeley, California. Formerly a member of Bay Area rap group The Pack, his career has now spanned innumerable mixtapes and several studio albums.

Rapping Style[]

Many reviewers find it difficult to identify a unifying style for McCartney, due to his high level of musical output. Lil B is well known for having a style that is considered half-completed freestyle, or "stream of consciousness." The "based" style that he subscribes to makes for simple music without a high amount of effort or refinement, in high volumes.

Reviewers also view lyrics from much of his mixtapes to be half-completed, less focused on lyrical perfection than a holistic approach of accompanying voice with sample.[1] A significant portion of Lil B's work is intended to be insightful or enlightened, while a roughly equal amount is the DJ Scream / Hoodrich style of heavy club music with a high amount of ad-libs and gangster bravado. and

Career with The Pack[]

Lil B originally rose to popularity with the hyphy group The Pack. This is where the concept of "Based" music was originally created, and where Lil B attained his moniker of "BasedGod". The group gained notoriety in the late '00s with hit songs such as "Vans" and "I'm Shinin'", as well as their connection to popular Bay Area rapper Too $hort.

McCartney released 2 albums with The Pack, with a 2007 release of Based Boys and in 2010 releasing Wolfpack Party.

Social Media Engagement[]

Lil B is known for communicating with his fans through Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.

Social Media Accounts[]

Early in Lil B's career, McCartney created over 2000 Myspace pages dedicated to promoting his music. Since then, his internet presence has grown tremendously.

Lil B has two seperate Facebook accounts, one serving as a Lil B fan page, and another as Brandon McCartney. Much of the content provided in one account is duplicated in the other. He has over 1.3 Million followers on his Twitter account, in which he retweets praise towards Lil B and the Based lifestyle. McCartney also tweets positive messages to his followers, including moral support and positive mindset. McCartney also expresses his support for the LGBTQIA+ community, though claiming he himself is a heterosexual.

Beat the Cancer[]

PuMgn

A message from a fan with cancer


Lil_B_-_Beat_The_Cancer

Lil B - Beat The Cancer

Beat The Cancer, a song written in tribute to a YouTube comment


In response to a cancer patient's YouTube comment, Lil B released a song entitled "Beat the Cancer" on his 2011 mixtape The Silent President. This gesture shows McCartney's dedication and care for his fanbase.


Lil_B_-_Ellen_Degeneres_(VIDEO)COOKING_MUSIC!!!

Lil B - Ellen Degeneres (VIDEO)COOKING MUSIC!!!

Lil B doing the cooking dance to the song "Ellen Degeneres"

Cooking Dance[]

Lil B is also famous for bringing popularity to the "Cooking Dance" through YouTube. The Cooking Dance involves pantomiming actions that would be done during the preparation of food as you are dancing.

McCartney has provided an instructional video on YouTube, and notified his fans that submitted videos that he has seen would be featured in his social media accounts. He claims the ability to deem particular dancers "Master Chefs." This has resulted in a groundswell of YouTube users filiming themselves performing the dance in hopes of being featured by Lil B and given the title of Master Chef.

References to Social Media[]

McCartney also leverages the power of the Internet as a marketing platform by writing songs about celebrities, such as Ellen Degeneres, Paris Hilton, Justin Beiber, Charlie Sheen, and Bill Bellamy. The usual template for such songs usually involves stating that he is the celebrity in question, and using references to what makes them popular to back up his claims. These do not necessarily have to be factual to the topical celebrity. For example, the following lyrics from the song "Bill Bellamy":

I got one felony. I got two felonies. I got three felonies. I got four felonies. I got five felonies. I got six felonies. I got seven felonies. Bitch, I'm Bill Bellamy

There is no evidence that Bellamy has any criminal record. However, no charges have been filed against McCartney for defamation. In fact, an interview with Bellamy suggests that he's actually very happy with the nod. [2]

List of Lil B social media accounts[]

Feuds[]

Lil B is also well known for having beef with many public figures, including other rappers and athletes.

YouTube Punch-Out[]

*FULL_VIDEO*_Lil_B_Gets_Punched_In_The_Face

*FULL VIDEO* Lil B Gets Punched In The Face

Video interview where Lil B is punched in the face by his interviewer

In 2010 Lil B was punched in the face during a taped interview with fellow Bay Area rapper Lil Nico. Nico was engaging the rapper to pay respect to the Berkeley hip hop scene and send a positive message to rappers from his home town. When prompted about Berkeley, McCartney, who is more focused on telling viewers to stay positive in the interview, simply replies, "You already know. You already know what it is with Berkeley. You already know." The dialogue then moves on to asking Lil B to call up his collaborate Soulja Boy to tell them about other Berkeley rappers. However, Lil B had recently lost his phone. The standing Lil Nico, assuming Lil B is just refusing to cooperate, punches Lil B, who is seated, several times before McCartney stands to his feet, only to be punched in the face hard enough to be knocked back into his seat. A later interview with McCartney confirms that it was not staged by him for publicity, but it may have been planned in advance by the interviewers. [3]

Controversy[]

Lil B's controversy is partially attributed to his ostentatious demeanor, and partially due to his social media engagement.

Sexuality[]

McCartney has raised many questions regarding his sexuality by wearing tight clothes, pendant earrings, lipstick, women's gardening hats, and eyeliner. He is rumored to be publicly disclosing his sexuality at an upcoming speaking engagement at NYU. [4]

This is not the first time his style as a performer has raised questions regarding his sexual preference. In the Summer of 2011, Lil B released the album "I'm Gay (I'm Happy)", which featured themes of self-destruction and inner-city frustration, with an ultimately uplifting message for the urban poor. Initial rumors stated that this was McCartney publicizing his preferences through the album title. He ultimately confessed to using the controversy to "break down barriers" and cause the hip hop community to rethink how it regards and values homophobia.[5] A recent Facebook update[6] from Lil B suggests otherwise:

ITS TRU SOME PEOPLE ARE BORN GAY AND I WAS BORN LIKEING WOMEN THAT DONT LOOK LIKE ME DIFFRENT SKIN PIGMENTATIONS YA HERD ME - Lil B

Lil B has showed support of the LGBT community and claims to be a heterosexual. Regardless of Lil B's actual preferences, his message of acceptance and self-love is compelling. An interview with CNN[7] provides the following quote:

I hope that I can turn some of my fans that might be homophobic or supporters that might be homophobic and say, "You know what, we're all one people. This is love." It's just respect, and I did that to bring people together and bring more love and to spark the minds of people and not let words and judgments and stereotypes stop you from loving.

Promiscuity[]

Lil B heavily features the sharing of sexual partners in his music. "You can fuck my bitch, Basedgod," is a line featured in many songs. "BasedGod fucked my bitch" is a popular internet meme.[8] This seems to be part of his own personal fusion of hyphy hip hop style and Berkeley hippie values. While very open about his promiscuity in his music, he does espouse a belief in responsibility and safety. McCartney released the song "I've Got AIDS" on his BasedGod Velli mixtape as a way of drawing awareness to HIV and the measures that can be taken to prevent it.[9]

List of Collaborators[]

  • The Pack
  • Young L
  • Soulja Boy
  • A$AP Rocky
  • Lil Wayne
  • Chance the Rapper
  • Chief Keef
  • Mac Miller
  • Thundercat
  • Clams Casino

Lil B Discography[]

Lil B is known for his mass production of music. Through social media, McCartney claims he has not released any studio albums, yet has released over 50 solo mixtapes, each of which including 30+ tracks.

Mixtape Chronology[]

  • 2009: I'm Thraxx
  • 2009: 6 Kiss
  • 2010: Blue Flame
  • 2010: Everything Based
  • 2010: Roses Exodus
  • 2010: Paint
  • 2010: MF Based
  • 2010: Gold Dust
  • 2010: Where Did The Sun Go?
  • 2010: Red Flame
  • 2010: Red Flame: Evil Edition
  • 2010: Rain In England (Produced by The BasedGod)
  • 2010: MM... Christmas
  • 2011: Red Flame: Devil Music Edition
  • 2011: Illusions of Grandeur
  • 2011: Bitch Mob Respect Da Bitch Vol. 1
  • 2011: Black Flame
  • 2011: The Silent President
  • 2011: BasedGod Velli
  • 2011: Blue Eyes
  • 2011: Goldhouse
  • 2011: Angels Exodus
  • 2011: I'm Gay (I'm Happy) [though percieved as an album, Lil B claims this was a mixtape]
  • 2012: White Flame
  • 2012: God's Father
  • 2012: #1 Bitch
  • 2012: The Basedprint 2
  • 2012: Trapped In Basedworld
  • 2012: Water Is D.M.G.
  • 2012: Green Flame
  • 2012: Rich After Taxes
  • 2012: 855 Song Based Freestyle Mixtape
  • 2012: Task Force
  • 2012: Obama Basedgod
  • 2012: Based Jam
  • 2012: Frozen
  • 2012: Illusions of Grandeur 2
  • 2012: Halloween H20
  • 2012: Crime Fetish
  • 2012: Glassface
  • 2013: Pink Flame
  • 2013: P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thug)
  • 2013: 100% Percent Gutta
  • 2013: 05 Fuck Em
  • 2014: Basedworld Paradise
  • 2014: Hoop Life
  • 2014: Ultimate Bitch
  • 2015: Thugged Out Pissed Off
  • 2017: Black Ken
  • 2018: Platinum Flame
  • 2018: Options
  • 2019: 28 Wit a Ladder
  • 2019: The Hunchback of BasedGod
  • 2019: Loyalty Casket
  • 2020: 30 Wit A Hammer
  • 2020: Trap Oz
  • 2020: Gutta Dealership
  • 2020: Bruno Wit da Pruno
  • 2020: Hoop Life 2
  • 2021: Santa

Album Chronology (under the alias "The BasedGod")[]

  • 2012: Choices and Flowers
  • 2012: Tears 4 God

McCartney has not released any albums under the alias "Lil B" in which he claims is seperate from "The BasedGod."

References[]

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