You may or may not know who Lil B the Based God is. Or, according to his legend, you can know who Lil B is, but you may never know who the Based God is, or you may not want to know, for your own sanity. Some have tried to explain his mystique, but to little resolution.
My buddy Eric Tullis, hip hop expert and music contributor for the alt-weekly Indy Week, calls Lil B “an accidental eclectic who’s made a career out of being an idiot savant rapper.” He’s revealed so much on his Myspace, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, and Youtube pages, and yet we know so little. The little we know:
- He was or is part of the Bay Area rap group “The Pack,” popularly known for their hip hop ode to Vans footwear.
- It seems that he has a mouth full of gold teeth.
- He appears to have a large, faithful following as a solo rapper based purely on social networks.
- His Youtube music video hits reach into the millions, including this one named after Ellen DeGeneres (4.8 million+ views to date).
- He’s been in a number of high-profile Twitter feuds with badass rappers like Joe Budden and Joey Bada$$.
- He’s also involved in a long-standing feud with NBA MVP Kevin Durant (a guide to which you can read about in Grantland.)
- He’s a motivational speaker who once gave a lecture at NYU.
- He’s a misogynist.
And his latest reveal: He’s an environmentalist.
Yes, if the messages he’s sent out over the last three weeks from his Twitter and Instagram accounts can be believed, he is the next coming of Van Jones. Behold:
He gets climate change and has probably already saved the polar bears.
Not only that, but he knows who’s most responsible for climate change and is not afraid to name them.
He’s anti-oil and an advocate for the victims of environmental injustices.
… As are his well-informed followers
He understands climate storm mitigation and disaster preparedness.
He’s a locavore.
He’s also a food justice advocate.
He’s a conservationist of food, water, energy and … general things to conserve.
He believes in solar power.
He probably saw Blackfish.
He believes in animal rights, but more importantly, animals believe in him.
He defies the stereotype that black people are afraid of the outdoors.
