Review Summary: God’s Father is here to prove what many already think impossible: the Based God can actually produce godly music.
Lil B is a man of rebellion. Bullies called him “based” as a kid, so he declared himself the Based God. As his fame grew, the usual internet insults were hurled at him, and in defiance Lil B released an album named “I’m Gay” and a mixtape centered around Lil B’s so-called “Bitch Mob.”
It’s safe to say Lil B’s been breaking down rap barriers for a while now. He raps about prostitutes and money and fame, etc., but he also spins innocent declarations of goodness, friendship, and the like. He released a spoken-word ambient album (Roses Exodus). He’s got almost 250,000 facebook fans and he’s not even signed to a label. He can rap decently (look at some of his work with The Pack), but purposely opts for a slow, wandering, often confusing flow, often abandoning his rhymes altogether. But instead of weakening his verses, this style allows Lil B’s raps to seem very immediate and personal, fresh out of his mind and his vocal chords. It’s this intimacy which has given rise to Lil B’s adamant fan base and makes him continually relevant. Instead of bragging from an unreachable mansion in Hollywood, it feels like Lil B is sitting next to you speaking his mind.
But on God’s Father, Lil B crushes precedent to the ground. Coupling Lil B’s humble-by-nature flow with consistently brilliant and gigantic beats, God’s Father stands in an impossible limbo between heaven and earth. “The BasedGods Layer” opens the album and succeeds wonderfully in creating a heavenly-encounter atmosphere- the execution is so expertly done that it serves a possible conversion track for Lil-B haters. Then we are dumped into one of the dirtiest and craziest beats on the album, “I Own Swag.” Lil B’s is so much faster than usual that a Lil B fan might do a double take. Straight out the gate, we have a glimpse at the true rapping potential:
I'mma star like I'm in SAG
I'm so fab like I'm in Sac
I tote that Tec and I hold that Mac
Run a few scratches up on that gun
I straight spit like I ain't got no tongue
Bitch came asking me questions
"Where's my car?”
Bitch which one?!
Yet Lil B’s flow is so simultaneously self-consciously silly and intense that it pulls downright stupid lines into the realm of brilliant hilarity, such as “Call me Obama Based God, call me Obama Based God...A-Rod!” and “Unsigned but run this mother***er like it's the mother***ing futbol.”
And God’s Father just keeps running far after it hits the ground. There are so many highlights and amusing lines that it would take a thirty two paragraphs to sum everything up. Suffice it to say that if you are at all interested by the first two tracks, you’ll find something in the Millie Jackson- sampling “Tropics,” the hauntingly beautiful “God Help Me,” and the calm videogame glide of “Flowers Rise.” While there are certainly duds among the gems, the mixtape provides an incredible amount of these highlights, each uniquely prepared to catch an unconvinced ear. And at this moment in his career, that’s precisely what Lil B needs- a fair chance to stand up and convince people that while there are comic aspects to his persona and even his music, there’s something great to be found under the façade. God’s Father is here to prove what many already think impossible: the Based God can actually produce godly music.
