Review Summary: Weirdest rap you'll ever hear.
Weed is a form of drug that many rappers claim to use while they rap. Now, Imagine if these rappers smoked so much weed, that their brains wires are almost completely fried because of it, and they sound absolutely deranged on the mic, as opposed to chill, stillness that weed rap usually evokes. To the point that the music they make could be considered psychedelic. Lil’ B, a member of the jerkin Californian group The Pack, has managed to do that, and his music could actually be considered psychedelic rap, and with Cocaineblunts, presents one of the most inaccessible rap projects yet with a
Based Blunts Vol.1, Twista albums be damned.
Based Blunts Vol.1, as an album, fits together unusually well. Other than occasional popping moments of musical jolts (the guitar driven opener “Theater”), the album is mostly planted with slow mo, synthesizer clogged, half ambient half rap concoctions. Trippy to the point of falling on their own feet, dizzy electronics fog up things, meshed together with random glitchiness, and indie/soul samples that fill the open spaces between Lil B’s words and closing off silence. Shifting between stoned sheets of synthesizers and bouncier concoctions made just to show off TheBased God’s production flair (the insanity-fueled, wobbling sounds of “Listen To The Beat”),
Based Blunts Vol.1 finds a way to collect enough pieces of B to create a somewhat coherent collection of the most unusual rap production out there.
But as weird as things might get on the production side might get, they are still relatively sane and coherent compared to Lil B’s rapping. Lil B’s stuffy, nasally snarl is spaced out, words are pushed away from each other. In a sense of normal rap, his lyrics would be considered absolutely wack, using the most common words of rap and just throwing them around. Lyrically, the nonsensical freestyling is sort of an appeal, switching from a stream of consciousness tumbling of words to just making up pure crap, as it gives the album an even more unique feeling. He’s stopped trying to punchline, do normal rap ideals, and instead, it’s more like a conversation with someone who’s lost their mind. It’s thoroughly intriguing, really.
Through the burned out brain of Lil B’, we see where and why
Based Blunts Vol.1 would appeal to someone. It’s barren, simple, and minimalistic to the point of desperation. The generic echo effect that normally would drive the listener insane brings an atmosphere here, like Lil B is just giving you a piece of his mind and needs silence to provide it. Not many will appreciate Lil B’s real talk, but this is as real as it gets.
Based Blunts Vol.1 could use a trim, but Lil B filling up the album to the brim with imperfections is essentially why it’s such an essential listen. “I’m In Space Now” will certainly catch even a Lil B listener off a bit.
