Matson on Music
Music news, concert reviews, analysis and opinion by music writer Andrew Matson.
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Cough syrup, homophobia, the Internet, and Lil B
Posted by Andrew Matson
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Image from the video for Lil B's "I'm a Martian." Audio NSFW.
What does it mean when a rapper accepts that he will be called "faggot" for wearing tiny pants, wears the pants anyways, and calls himself a pretty b_tch?
It means the rapper is taunting baggy jeans evangelists and homophobes in contemporary hiphop.
That's what Lil B is doing in "I'm a Martian." His homophobia flouting isn't so much an advancement for human rights as it is a sign that tomorrow's rapper won't live by yesterday's rap rules.
With his billion Myspace pages and YouTube deluge of "I'm so weird" freestyles, Bay Area MC Lil B slashes back at the status quo with a rebel attitude, iPhone, and strikingly inconsistent musical quality, confounding lyrics snobs with his LOL/WTF rap style.
To date, Lil B has the best turn-of-the-decade I'm-on-drugs rap song, "I'm God." It sounds like pink clouds and has Lil B calling himself a goon.
"I'm God"
His recent "I'm Thraxx" album has flashes like "Victory 2010," another perfect balance of smart/unhinged rapping over a backwards beat.
More significant to me than whether or not I like his music, and whether or not he's a goon or a pretty b_tch or both, is the fact that, based on the transitive law of enemies' enemies, Lil B is my friend. And what a troubling friend to have.
I mean, seriously. On "I'm a Martian," toasting rappers killed in part by what's in his hand? Troubling.
Dec 31 - 6:30 AM Premiere: 'Seattle Party' by Chastity Belt
Dec 31 - 6:00 AM 'Stop Biting' night at Lo-Fi now an album, mini doc
Dec 29 - 11:52 AM Were you there? 'The Rolling Stones' and Shabazz/THEESat
Dec 28 - 6:00 AM Top 40 of 2012, Seattle and beyond
Dec 27 - 6:00 AM Shabazz / THEESat: a history of high-concept Seattle shows


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