To be ‘based’ is not to care what people think. It’s a way of life. Doing what you want, how you want. Also, wearing what you want. It’s all about being and loving yourself. The leader of the based movement is Lil B The Based God. Lil B is the single most based being that has ever existed. He has released countless albums and mixtapes, all about being as based as possible.

Brandon McCarthey grew up in Berkley, California; he began rapping at the age of 16, taking the name Lil B. He later joined the hip hop group “The Pack”. After two locally successful mixtapes, the group released the surprise hit “Vans” which has become a staple at Lil B live shows. After the success of “Vans” The Pack released two albums, “Based Boys” in 2007 and “Wolfpack Party” in 2010.

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But this article isn’t about The Pack. It’s about Based God. It was 2008 when Lil B first called himself the name that he would become most well know by- Based God. Lil B released his first 2 albums, I’m Thraxx and 6 Kiss, in 2009. This would begin the trend of the massive amount of music Lil B would release in small amounts of time. These albums contain 2 of Lil B’s most important songs B.O.R (Birth Of Rap) and D.O.R. (Death Of Rap). These truly break down the entire rap industry and how Lil B’s life and how it changed due to his immense success. But Lil B was just getting started. Over the next 11 years, Lil B released 46 mixtapes and 3 studio albums.

There was a point where Lil B would release an album every month. His first Post-The Pack tape was Dior Paint which signaled a sea change in Lil B’s style, rapping about swag and all of his money. It was the first mixtape released on Lil B’s record company, BasedWorld records. Then he released his iconic collaboration with Soulja Boy (an artist deserving of his very own article), Pretty Boy Millionaires. This is important because it is my belief that without these 2 artists, modern hip-hop as we know it would not exist. Lil B is absolutely one of the most influential artists of the 21^st century. He was the first rapper to become successful through his uses of social media. Many people know him from his twitter page where he follows over 1 and a half million people. Every single rapper has, is or will steal Lil B’s swag. But what’s crazy is that Lil B doesn’t care, because he is so based that it doesn’t matter to him. All he cares about is spreading his message love and positivity to as many people as he can.

After P.B.M, Lil B released Everything Based with DJ Spinz, featuring the earliest version of “Wonton Soup” entitled “Wanton Soup”. This tape also featured Lil B’s Legendary Joe Budden diss- track, “T-shirt and Budden”. Joe Budden, broadcaster and former rapper,  spoke mockingly of Lil B and his Based movement on Twitter, and Lil B responded to Budden in 15 minutes. Lil B did what many in the hip hop community refer to as “ethering”, meaning he utterly destroyed Budden in every sense. After everything, based Lil B released the first edition to his now prolific flame series, Blue Flame. This tape of course contains the final version of “Wonton Soup” Lil B’s most famous song. The Flame series contains 8 mixtapes, Blue Flame, Red Flame, Evil Red Flame, Black Flame, Green Flame, White Flame, Pink Flame, and most recently Platinum Flame, and each one is brilliant.

Most of Lil B’s lyrics are freestyled which adds to how impressive his discography truly is. Every one of Lil B’s mixtapes shows another layer to his genius. Like his Hoop Life mixtape where he talks about his trials and tribulations as he tries to make it into the national basketball association. But in my opinion, his greatest mixtape is God’s Father. This album shows a more serious Lil B than we’ve ever really seen before, talking about his struggles trying to spread his message of love to the world. The biggest stand out on the tracklist to me is the song “I Love You” where he talks about how much he truly cares about his audience. One of the most beautiful moments in the song is when he says “even though thinks sometimes are hard, I just put it up to, in the air, sometimes I cry, but it’s ok, we’ll be alright”.

That’s what separates Lil B from other rappers. He truly does love you and me and everyone. He doesn’t care about looking tough or anything like that, he cares about us. In a world where most artists are trying their best to show how superior they are to their audience, Lil B doesn’t. He tries to show us that you can always choose love over hate, and his message spans far beyond just hip-hop. He’s the author of “Takin’ Over by Imposing the Positive!”, and visits colleges to speak about being based.

I would like to share my own personal experience with the based god. I went to his show while he was touring in promotion of his latest mixtape Platinum Flame. During his set, I was front row and center. Right in front of the Based God. He put on an amazing show, and I felt so lucky to merely be in his presence. After the show was over Lil B stayed out to talk with all of his fans. He hopped off the stage right in front of me, so I was the first person he spoke to. I told him how big of a fan I was of him, and he looked at me in my eyes and told me “Never give up on your dreams. I believe in you”. I will always hold that moment in my heart.

I’d like to leave you with Lil B’s own definition of what it means to be based. When I was younger, based was a negative term that meant like dopehead, or basehead. People used to make fun of me. They was like, “You’re based.” They’d use it as a negative. And what I did was turn that negative into a positive. I started embracing it like, “Yeah, I’m based.” I made it mine. I embedded it in my head. Based is positive.” Thank you Based God.