It is without a doubt that the power of social media is increasing more and more each day. Social networks such as Twitter, Facebook and even YouTube make it quite easy to reach a large audience.
The Based God himself
One person who has taken advantage of the social media platform to spread a positive message is Brandon McCartney, otherwise known as Lil B or “The Based God.” Born and raised in Berkeley, California, he started rapping with a group from the San Francisco Bay Area, The Pack, at the young age of 16. It is when he began doing solo work that he became intensely involved in the social media world. It is said that he created over 100 MySpace accounts (back when MySpace was the thing) just to upload all of his music. What makes him different than many mainstream rappers/artists is that he raps about whatever comes to mind. Because of his unique style of music, Lil B has received a lot of criticism but people need to realize he is just completely being himself…something many of can’t do.
Although Lil B is widely known for his unique, eccentric, and sometimes vulgar style of hip-hop, I’d like to focus on “based” philosophy and lifestyle that he embraces and promotes. He has been known to use this term to describe his music, his lifestyle, and himself. So what exactly does it mean to be “based”? According to urbandictionary.com, it is a term to be based “Is when you dont care what people think, it’s a way of life, doing what you want, how u want, wearing what u want.” Okay so maybe
#BASED
urbandictionary.com isn’t the most scholarly source but it is pretty informative when researching today’s pop culture. A lot of people claim that they act how they want but we all know they are under some kind of constraint whether it be their peers, the law, or society. After following Lil B on Twitter and Facebook, it is very evident that he is not afraid to be himself and wants everyone else to do the same. It is clear through his music and his posts through Facebook, Twitter, Tumbr, and YouTube that is truly living a carefree lifestyle. He recently gave a lecture at New York University that focused on being true to oneself, treating others with compassion and forgiveness, and “retaining a sense of awe for the world and life itself” (http://www.mtvhive.com/2012/04/12/lil-b-nyu-lecture-photos). His tweets are my personal reminders to be positive and appreciate everyone everything little thing around you. He just has a positive vibe and that’s why he has gained such a big following.
Here are a few tweets/quotes about his “based” lifestyle and philosophy so you can get feel for what he’s all about:
“What happened to humans? Everybody’s thinking about capital gain. I’m in this for the love. I’ve been giving it to you for free. Over 2,000 songs.”
“I LOVE TO SEE PEOPLE IN LOVE AND I LOVE TO SEE OTHER HUMANS THAT HAVE AT LEAST 1 PERSON THAT LIKES THEM, EVERYONE HAS THERE MATE HAVE YOURS CAME TO YOUR DOORSTEP? BEAUTY IS IN YOUR HEART”
Just a couple of his tweets from the other day…see, you can’t help but smile. He’s all about that positivity!
Here is a link to his Facebook and Twitter if you’re interested to find out more about him!