By Grant Baker (@grantbaker)

California rapper Brandon McCarthy, aka “Lil B The BasedGod,” has been a polarizing and influential character in music since he first entered the scene in 2006, with “Vans.” Many fans of hip hop claim Lil B isn’t all he’s cracked up to be, saying “most of his music is terrible,” and “he doesn’t make serious songs.” I’m here to convince you why Lil B is actually one of the greatest artists of our generation.

THE BASEDGOD’S BACKSTORY

The first place we can truly pinpoint as Basedgod’s start is on the opener to 6 Kiss, B.O.R.(Birth of Rap). The Basedgod is the prime example of living “based,” which is staying positive, true to yourself and not letting others affect your way of life. According to Lil B, himself and the Basedgod are two separate entities. Lil B is only used as a vessel to occasionally transmit the Basedgod’s messages, and although he is not perfect, Lil B is attempting to become the Basedgod by being perfect. We may never know if he’ll get there, but until then, we do have confirmation that his upcoming mixtape, Black Ken, will be 100% produced by the Basedgod.

THE FANS

Lil B has the most rabid fanbase in music, whether it’s ironic or not. His main fan group, the Bitch Mob, loves Lil B and makes sure they’re always living based. While they may not know all of his songs, they still respect and love him. The second group is the Task Force, a covert team of the most devoted fans who are willing to protect Lil B at all costs. Not only have they collected almost all of Lil B’s art, but they exude based wherever they are.

THE INFLUENCE

Lil B has a hand in almost every modern rapper’s career. Don’t believe me? Look at these tweets:

THE MIXTAPES

The man has over 50 mixtapes since 2009. Some have 11 songs and others have 855 songs, but almost all of them have at least a handful of good tracks. For those looking for a place to start with Lil B, here are a few of his most consistent mixtapes:

6 Kiss (2009) – Features “I’m God,” which is arguably his best and most iconic song. It helped put Lil B as well as producer Clams Casino on the map. The two laid the foundation for what would later be known as cloud rap, as well as introduce the Basedgod.

God’s Father (2012) – The 34 song mixtape is Lil B’s “Basedgod” character fully realized and at its full potential. The Basedgod’s mythos is fleshed out through songs like “The Basedgod’s Layer,” and “I Own Swag” is one of Lil B’s biggest bangers of all time. “I Love You” provides the best closer to any of his mixtapes.

Ultimate Bitch (2014) – This mixtape gave us “No Black Person is Ugly,” which was ranked as Pitchfork.com’s 15th best track of 2014. Pretty good for a “meme rapper” right?

THE SOCIAL MEDIA

Lil B’s best tweets, provided with no comment:

THE CURSES

Lil B has been undefeated when it comes to cursing sports players and teams. His longest curse is directed toward Houston Rockets basketball player James Harden, who didn’t credit Lil B after he stole his signature cooking dance. Just from this year alone, we know that the curse is still going very strong. His most famous curse, however, has to be on former Oklahoma City Thunder player Kevin Durant. After Durant tweeted that Lil B was a wack rapper, the Basedgod cursed him. Despite making it to the playoffs almost every year, Durant didn’t manage to win a single NBA Championship during the curse. Lil B released the now-infamous diss track, “F*ck KD,” which would become a rallying cry for any and all Kevin Durant haters. With Durant’s departure from OKC during the summer, signing with Lil B’s hometown team, the Golden State Warriors, the Basedgod has lifted KD’s curse, meaning he’ll surely win a championship this year.

THE IMOGEN HEAP SONG

One of my favorite qualities of Lil B’s music is the random samples that he and other producers pull from almost anywhere. This is never more apparent than his sampling of Imogen Heap’s “Just For Now” not once, not twice, but SEVEN TIMES. Although you’d think it would get boring, each song takes different parts of “Just For Now” and makes it new and refreshing each time. Among these songs are “B.O.R.(Birth of Rap)” and “I’m God” which are the first two tracks on the 6 Kiss mixtape and two of Lil B’s best songs ever.

Welcome to the mob my friend. There are so many other things to talk about when it comes to this man, but some things are better explored on your own. Hopefully, this analysis will bring you into the expansive world of Lil B. Who knows, maybe you’ll become a little more based in the process.