Lil B sporadically emerges, dumps a hefty projects on us and skitters off. He is a figure that resides at the periphery of the rap game, observing from a distance, but understanding its mechanics and his ability to disrupt them. He has always operated at his own pace, on his own terms and in his own lane. Perhaps this is where a connection can be made between the BasedGod and the mythic figure of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Lil B's new 50-track mixtape, The Hunchback of BasedGod, takes inspiration from the 1996 Disney movie for its title, cover art and, at times, lyrical content.
The mixtape has song titles that are so straightforward and specific that the tracklist can read like scenes of a script. They can banally chronicle his day-to-day affairs, like "Wake Up Get High And Go Back To Sleep" or "Taxi Around Town", but also his deepest struggles, like "I'm Depressed Again" and "The Sound of Being Bullied". The sprawling epic features many instrumental interludes - including some from his old collaborator, Clams Casino - and others from the BasedGod himself. The beats range from trippy to jazzy and everything in between. The Hunchback of BasedGod shows that no matter how many projects of whatever length he drops on us, Lil B will remain a genius creature beyond our full comprehension.