I recently had the opportunity to see a God, live in concert. Hip hop has a long history of rappers and MCs claiming to be God, the logical final stage of hip hop’s tradition of braggadocio. However, only one has managed to cultivate a devoted religious following from his philosophy and overwhelming charisma.
Lil B the BasedGod, a California artist, first gained widespread recognition in 2009 with a series of free mixtapes recorded in his ‘based’ style of free verse rapping about his ‘based’ style of living. According to him, Based, a term once used negatively against Lil B, has come to mean “being yourself. Not being scared of what people think about you. Not being afraid to do what you wanna do. Being positive.” While you may be thinking he sounds like your sad, middle aged, high school guidance counselor—and you may be right—but Lil B does not go home alone to watch reruns of Sex in the City and cry into a cat fur–covered Pillow Pet. This life advice seems much more viable coming from a successful, muscular man with the temperament and following of a benevolent god.
Lil B’s fans, known as “Baseworld” or affectionately “Bitch–Mob Task Force,” are extremely devoted to the BasedGod and his teachings. Clad in their pink bandannas, the uniform of BMTF, Lil B’s fans crowded the concert venue, waiting to see the BasedGod in person. Brimming with charisma, Lil B demanded my full attention from the moment he set foot on stage. Moments after performing his first song, “Witness,” he told us the BasedGod doesn’t want violence, this is “not a place for negativity.” Switching seamlessly between his prepared material, his based freestyles, and snippets the least conventional motivational speech, Lil B kept the audience enthralled by his presence and aura of confident positivity even when experiencing technical difficulties while DJing. Shooing the concert venue’s staff member who was sent to see what was wrong with the computer, Lil B turned the malfunctioning computer into an opportunity to preach about overcoming the unexpected while he fixed it himself.
While he teaches positivity, even a benevolent god can turn violent when insulted, and Lil B is no different. Aside from his religion of based thought and rapping, the BasedGod is know for placing curses on the NBA basketball players Kevin Durant and most recently James Harden. A brief twitter feud ensued after Durant questioned how Lil B could have any following at all. This culminated in Lil B leveling a curse on Durant, and while not scientifically proven, the BasedGod curse of the 2011 season may have played a role in the Warriors’ failure to make the playoffs. The curse returned in 2014 when Lil B released a diss track entitled FKD or “Fuck Kevin Durant.” Lil B has written and recorded an obscene number of diss tracks against other rappers and pop culture figures including Joey Bada$$ and The Game. Not all controversy around Lil B has involved twitter feuds and curses.
Also in 2011, Lil B released the album I’m Gay causing a stir in the hip hop community. In a genre where most mainstream rappers must maintain a facade of testosterone fueled heterosexuality, he called his album something that could damage his reputation. Later in an interview he said he meant “gay” to mean happy, but he chose the word “gay” in support of the LGBTQ+ community. Containing the positive messages that made him famous, I’m Gay is a prime example of Lil B’s philosophy and progressive beliefs in regards to feminism, homosexuality, and racial issues. He is comfortable addressing difficult issues with optimism and often tells his fans and collaborators that he loves them, in a way that seems more genuine than it has rights to be. Lil B has been criticized for being too soft for the rap industry, but it is his ability to inspire positivity in others that has earned him his massive following.
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