In Focus: Lil B

For better or for worse, Lil B, the "Based God", who rose to prominence in the late 2000s through early viral internet hits like "Wonton Soup", is partly responsible for the sensibilities of terminally online rap's current young stars, and has become an almost mythical living figure in internet culture more broadly. Born Brandon McCartney, Lil B was an enigma in the literalist and hypermasculine world of late 2000s hip hop. His music was provactive: seemingly intentional out of time flows and banal commercialist lyrical content were presented alongside moments of bleeding heart earnestness and peeks of genius lyricism, suggesting B was toying with his audience, never revealing the true story. The nascent meme culture of the internet embraced him as a hero, with his "based" movement soon extending beyond the strictures of his fan base, becoming an everyday word in the English lexicon.