Rating: NNN
Lil B is a Berkeley, California, rapper who receives fellatio from women based on the fact that he looks like J.K. Rowling. He also looks like Jesus, Ellen DeGeneres and Justin Bieber – all of which nets him even more oral sex.
That makes no sense, clearly, and that’s the absurdist genius of the man they call the BasedGod. He’s established that nonsensical persona over his 1,000-plus mixtape songs since 2009. I’m Gay, his debut solo album, continues to play with words, albeit in a much saner way.
Here he raps for hip-hop’s more progressive wing – notably giving shout-outs to queers in the title, which earned him death threats. More than that, I’m Gay is a rebuke to the purists who complain he can’t rap and that his out-there freestyles are basic and unintelligible.
Lil B proves them wrong, but in showcasing his more traditional rhyme skills – which are immense – he betrays the futuristic style that made him popular. Who wants to hear him rap on 90s-era soul samples when his latest free mixtape has him looking like Bill Bellamy over New Orleans bounce music?
Top track: Open Thunder Eternal Slumber
