West Coast rapper Lil B, also known as ‘The BasedGod‘ talks to Pulp about his California roots, balancing work and leisure and his next album.

The Daily Orange: What does it mean to be ‘The BasedGod?’

Lil B: Being based means accepting yourself for who you are and living your life how you want to live it. I see myself as the ultimate man to live the based mentality, so that’s where the ‘BasedGod’ name came from. It’s all about being a Good Samaritan, spreading love and serving humanity. I learned that when people are young, they make mistakes because they don’t know how to live the right way. Everyone is human, but making mistakes doesn’t make you a bad person if you learn from them. It’s all a part of being based.

What can fans expect from the new album?

It’s going to be a mainstream album, and it’s going to surprise and not surprise people at the same time. I’ve been working on it for five or six years now, and it’s going to be about 13 songs. I’m so proud of it so far, and I can’t wait for it to get out worldwide. It should come out in 2012, but I can’t tell you what it’s called yet. I’m also writing a new mixtape that I think will really touch people.

How did growing up in California influence your music?

It’s a beautiful thing. There’s not a lot of judgmental people out there, and no one sees you as ‘weird.’ It’s one of those places where I can just walk around and be myself. I have so many diverse friends in California, and it’s not a sheltered place. Everyone is so welcoming, and everyone smiles to you when you’re there. It makes you hella happy.

How do you stay motivated after writing so many songs?

I get motivated by you guys and everyone who came out tonight. Even having just one person say he likes your music is enough because he’s really saying that he likes you as a person. I don’t have a single on the radio or a music video in rotation on TV, but so many good people come out to my shows and it’s humbling. I love making music because it brings people together.

How do you balance such a heavy workload?

I just set a lot of goals for myself. I’m making history doing what I feel I was put on this earth to do, which is entertaining and spreading a positive message. I’m nowhere near done putting out music. I have enough beats to write songs for the rest of my career. My equity as an artist grows every day, so I keep that in mind, too.

ervanrhe@syr.edu

Published on November 9, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Erik: ervanrhe@syr.edu | @therealvandyman