Lil B

Brandon Christopher McCartney, known professionally as Lil B and Lil B The BasedGod, is an American rapper and record producer. He began his career as a member of the Berkeley, California-based hip hop group the Pack in 2005, who signed with Too Short's Up All Nite Records, an imprint of Jive Records the following year.

The BasedGod's prolific output and internet-native approach fundamentally shifted how rappers could build careers outside traditional industry gatekeeping, even if critics like Kendrick Lamar dismissed him on "Control." Operating from Berkeley, Lil B established the based freestyle movement as both aesthetic and philosophy, releasing dozens of projects and thousands of songs across SoundCloud, YouTube, and mixtape sites when such platforms were still considered illegitimate by the mainstream. His collaborative reach extended through Task Force affiliations and the broader internet rap community, though his relatively isolated connection ranking reflects how his influence operated through cultural saturation rather than traditional industry bridges. Whether cursing NBA players or freestyling over chopped instrumentals, Lil B proved that rap's commercial hierarchy meant less than absolute creative freedom and fanbase devotion—a lesson that would shape underground hip-hop's subsequent evolution.