Last Monday night, when I should have been taking advantage of my reading break by doing some much-needed studying, I instead decided to go see legendary Lil B: the BasedGod. Lil B is a “rapper” best known for his social media presence and his unique brand of “troll rap,” which is most recognizable by the obscene subject matter of each song, the amount of times he says “swag,” and, of course, his lazy, monotone, and seemingly freestyled delivery. With over 50 mixtapes and studio albums (most of which clock in the multiple-hour-long range) it was hard for me to anticipate what I was in for.
For reading break Monday, the show was pretty packed. A lot of Odd Future-branded clothing (including my very own GOLF sweater) and Yung Lean costumes could be spotted in the crowd. Although doors opened at 10 p.m., the man everybody paid to see did not make his grand dash to the stage until well after 11:30. Needless to say, the crowd was exuberant.
To open his set, Lil B came out of the gates with “Child Support Me” from his upcoming project Thugged Out Pissed Off. The main point he makes in “Child Support Me” is he will kill any woman that tries to get child support from him. After restarting the song partway through because he messed up, Lil B made a speech that his ultimate goal through his music is to spread positivity and love. With the last line in the hook, “Child support me / I’ll casket a bitch,” it’s easy to see how someone can get some mixed messages. However, we must remember this is Lil B.
Lil B’s set was about 50 per cent rapping and 50 per cent dancing. In most songs he’d do the first chorus and verse, then just foolishly dance for the following one-two minutes. By the end of the show he had thrown his peacoat, do-rag, and t-shirt into the crowd, and ended up wearing a hat that somebody had thrown on stage. The rapping portion of his set included what he proclaimed as hits,“I’m Tupac,” and “Eat,” a soul-inspired tune about cunnilingus. All throughout his set, Lil B maintained his message that he only intends to spread positivity and love.
Partway through his set, Lil B decided to remind us all that he actually can rap by performing his verse from “Vans,” a song by his former rap group, The Pack. To close off, he ended the set with “No Black Person Is Ugly,” once named Best New Track by Pitchfork, and his heartfelt thank-you to the fans called “I Love You”. Lastly, Lil B gave everybody the opportunity to get a picture with him, ending the night with a true sense of positivity.
Although I wasn’t sure what to anticipate going to this show, I can honestly say I got what I expected. Lil B is hip-hop’s biggest troll, and when it comes down to it, he is just a guy pretending to take himself very seriously, but is really just a mere parody. Going into the show, I was not expecting to be wowed, but rather to be entertained. The night was full of laughs, whether it be at his music or his dance moves, and therefore, I feel like I got what I paid for. The show was a blast and I got an awesome selfie out of it. #TYBG
