BasedGod: A Post Modern Revolutionary

The internet has given birth to many phenomenas; from chain letters to "Charlie Bit My Finger," few movements have gained as much attention as that of a certain Bay- area rapper. Brandon McCartney, known as Lil B, has become a cult icon of the internet age. Lil B is no one- trick- pony; he is known not only for his wacky ad-libs and absurd rhymes but also for his promotion of love and positivity. His removal from the fundamentals of hip hop and contradictory identity render "Lil B, the BasedGod" a postmodern icon who reshaped music to his liking.

Deconstruction is a principal of postmodernism. Deconstruction refers to the recognition, and cognizant disregard, of broadly accepted "norms." In modern hip hop, a mainstream sound consists of many elements; seamless production, catchy hooks, and cadence filled verses are all present in most of the music. Lil B takes a separate approach. Throwing conventional rhyme schemes to the wind, substituting home- brew production for professional mastering present in the rest of the industry, Lil B makes some funky music. His offbeat, rambunctious work simply cannot be evaluated by the criteria of the rest of the industry; Lil B, also known as The BasedGod, represents postmodernism with his complete deviation from the accepted pillars of hip hop music.

The hip hop industry is widely recognized as violent, crime-filled story telling. Many of the largest, most successful acts today came from poverty stricken neighborhoods, producing songs full of drug dealing and gang activity. Lil B is not opposed to this music. Many of his songs hold similar stories, conveying a mainstream topic through his relentlessly unconventional delivery. These songs, however, hold no weight in contributing to his identity. In fact, BasedGod's fan base embraces these songs, stating that while they may pose a stark contrast to the identity everyone cherishes, Lil B's mainstream songs are satire. Lil B is not just putting his own spin on common themes, he is making fun of them, proving that it is not hard to craft music around these ideas. In postmodern fashion, Lil B challenges the mainstream perceptions of hip hop.

The most attractive aspect to BasedGod's aesthetic is his positivity. Looking past all the satirical songs, Lil B conveys very positive ideas. He stresses the necessity for self acceptance and acceptance of others and he urges his audience to pursue optimism. Lil B's identity exhibits a rare duality. On a superficial level, he comes across as a violent, drug selling rapper with no ability to create pleasurable music. With further analysis, the true character of the BasedGod is revealed, looking past his unconventional quirks and embracing the values he projects. By create this dual image, Lil B represents identity in the postmodern cannon, defying evaluation as a single, uniform character.

Postmodern art often receives flack for its governing concepts. Such abstract, nonuniform expression can be easily overlooked as garbage, perhaps as a lack of effort in creating an "actual" piece of art. Lil B has avoided the pitfalls of many postmodern artists. Creating the BasedGod identity, he has developed a fan base known as "Task Force," highly devoted connoisseurs of #based music. Lil B has taken the internet by storm, carving his own unique path to fame with such unorthodox music. Lil B is a postmodern icon and a great human being.

Join the Task Force in #BasedWorld today by downloading Lil B's freshly released masterpiece, "Ultimate B****," here.

(This is being reposted as it seems to have been deleted. As this is a thoughtful and analytic post, I feel that I am completely justified in sharing it again. Hopefully, its deletion was accidental.)