Lil B
Thanks to thousands of Hulkshared mp3s, homemade YouTubes, and a never ending barrage of stream-of-consciousness Twitter updates, Berkeley’s Lil B has turned himself into one of the most unlikely heroes in rap. It’s a continually twisting journey that started with his teenage hit “Vans” as a member of The Pack, and has since zigged and zagged everywhere from collaborations with Soulja Boy and Tony Yayo to a self-help book, an ambient spoken word album, and a Fader cover story. Through it all, the Based God has proved that he’s no novelty act, but instead one of the most compelling and polarizing figures on the mic today, with an ear for beats and approach to the world that is solely his own. Check his Young L collaboration “Freeze” on Fool’s Gold Vol. 1, and a crazy Tony Senghore remix on the Fool’s Gold 4 Deep Serato pressing.