Why Is the Rawest Rapper of All Time Lecturing at MIT?
Boston #Taskforce members rejoice: the rawest rapper of all time is coming to town!
Oakland, California–based rapper/producer Lil’ B “The BasedGod’’ recently announced he’d be giving a lecture at MIT, though the university has yet to confirm or add it to their events calendar (Update, November 7: MIT’s Black Student Union confirmed the lecture via Twitter.)
Since 2010, in addition to collaborating with the likes of Chief Keef, Fredo Santana, 9th Wonder, Soulja Boy and Lil’ Wayne, he has released over 2,000 songs, two dozen mixtapes, and five studio albums. His last proper album, 2011’s I’m Gay, earned him several death threats.
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[fragment number=1][fragment number=2]Lil B has lectured before, popping up at NYU in April 2012, where he shared his stance on fracking (“Who knows about hydraulic fracking? I’m like, whodie, get that oil out the ocean!’’), stressed the need for positivity (“the people that love LiL B music and respect LiL B from the core know that we’re about positivity.’’), and ants (“With the bugs, you just be looking at them… These are people in their own way too.’’)
So why would he be lecturing at MIT?
Lil’ B and his alter-ego The BasedGod (who no one knows except Lil’ B) preach the Based lifestyle, which Lil B defined as “[having] somebody that you can trust and you don’t have to know them because you know we all have a common courtesy. It’s about having empathy now… Really caring and paying attention to someone else’s feelings.’’ (If you can understand what he’s talking about, well, you probably belong at MIT.)
Beyond that, his minimalist videos, stream-of-consciousness tweets, popularcookingdance and unpredictable (but often brilliant) lyrics have garnered a major following on social media and a dedicated fan base. His experience building such a formidable presence from the ground up could prove useful to MIT students harboring startup ideas.
Lil’ B, born Brandon McCartney, rose to prominence in 2006 as a member of The Pack, thanks to their single “Vans,’’ before striking out on his own. He may be the only rapper with an entirely realistic self-image.
You can check out a small sampling of Lil’ B’s largelyNSFW catalog below.
Again, the videos below are Not Safe For Work, as they contain a great deal of explicit language:
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