Lil B celebrated his 26th birthday today by appearing on MSNBC to discuss Bernie Sanders and the #BlackLivesMatter movement. That Lil B was extended such an invitation testifies to his cultural influence. Through internet savvy, self-confidence, and unrelenting positivity, he has amassed a substantial and rabid fan base that has embraced him as a free spirit and encourages him to do weird shit like knighting people and comparing himself to such luminaries as Jesus and J.K. Rowling.
Today we pay homage to The Based God by looking back at a few of his most based moments over the years.
Vans
Lil B drops "Vans" with The Pack
Lil B was but a wee lad, 17 years old, when The Pack's 2006 song "Vans" caught the hyphy wave at its crest and took the Bay Area by storm.
The lo-fi sonic aesthetic of "Vans," the presentation of Vans kicks as a challenge to the cultural dominance of sneakers, and Lil B's simple, unadorned flow had a certain mass appeal. It was with "Vans" that he first championed himself as a man of the people. It wouldn't be long before he established himself as the leader of The Pack and then embarked on a fruitful solo career that still has several chapters yet to be written.
Lil B drops "I'm Gay"
We knew Lil B wasn't fucking around in 2011 when he dropped his 5th studio album I'm Gay. After receiving death threats, he clarified that he meant gay as an old-fashioned synonym for happy, not gay as in homosexual.
Lil B may seem like a troll, but he's actually quite the activist compared to industry standards, and he took I'm Gay as an opportunity to address race relations, poverty, and the prison-industrial complex.
Later that year he dropped AIDS-awareness track "I’ve Got AIDS." Definitely worth a listen, condolences to all those who've been afflicted with the terrible disease.
Lil B makes the rounds on the collegiate lecture circuit
Lil B made his initial splash on the lucrative college lecture circuit in April 2012 at NYU. With students screaming "fuck my bitch," the Based God delivered an inspired 80-minute speech covering such topics as fracking, Mitt Romney, self-love, existentialism, & compassion. “Nobody in this building asked to be born," he sermonized. "You didn't ask to be you, bro. I didn't ask to be me. I didn't ask to have this skin. I didn't ask to be who I was, bro. Nobody in here asked that... So when you see people, forgive them and accept, you feel me?”
That speech was a catalyst, as B went on to speak on GMOs, ethics in the workplace, and the KD curse at MIT in 2014 in addition to delivering lectures at Carnegie Mellon, UCLA, UC Riverside.
Watch the NYU lecture below.
fuck kd
Lil B drops Kevin Durant diss “Fuck KD”
Kevin Durant incurred the Based God's wrath in 2011 when he uttered the words, “Lil B is a wack rapper." Lil B responded by hitting Durant with the Based God Curse and dropped a ferocious diss track called "Fuck KD." With triumphant strings 'n guitar, it sounds like the sort of inspirational song that gets played at the end of sports movies, except with Lil B singing, "fuck Kevin Duraaaaaannttt…. fuck Kevin DURRAAAAAAANT!!!"
Earlier this year during the NBA playoffs, he hit James Harden with the Based God Curse for swaggerjacking his patented cooking dance. (He even posted a "how-to" video for the cooking dance back in 2010. Check it out if you're trying to get your technique up.) Harden's Rockets ended up losing the series and Durant has been plagued by foot injuries since 2011, proving once and for all that the Based God Curse is to be feared and respected.
KEVIN DURANT WILL NEVER WIN THE TITLE AFTER HE SAID "LIL B" IS A WACK RAPPER, "THE BASEDGODS CURSE" #THEBASEDGODSCURSE ON DURANT - Lil B
People that steal from Lil B will pay now or later all you have to do is pay respect to the original and the leader blind ones will - Lil B
Lil B drops a mixtape with Chance the Rapper
Making headlines for his curses of prominent NBA players more than for his music in the last year, Lil B joined forces with Chance the Rapper to drop Free Based Freestyles Mixtape just earlier this month, reminding everyone that he could still rap with the best of 'em.
Hopefully Lil B can continue to put out quality raps without forgetting to engage in the wacky shenanigans that have made him into a folk legend.
