This story’s kind of sprawled out, well I guess that I should warn ya 
Lil B’s my favorite rapper, he’s from Berkeley, California
 I heard him first in ’06, he was in a group called The Pack
 They were just a bunch of teenagers, real hungry to rap 
And their single “Vans” got famous, all the skaters really loved it
 “Got my Vans on but they look like sneakers,” they preached from their pulpits
 But MTV wouldn’t play their song, they called it a commercial
 They missed something entirely when they made it controversial
 Cause rap and skating culture are both socially rejected 
It might have been a silly song but it was still about being different So a record label signed them on the strength of that 1 song
 Two years went by, the label dropped them, things had all went wrong 
Lil B was shattered so he came up with a plan
 To find a more direct way to connect with all his fans 
As soon as he found MySpace, that’s where the madness started at 
A hundred fifty pages, he made seven hundred tracks 
And a lot were recorded poorly with a lo-fi punk aesthetic
 He talked about his life, got high, and came off schizophrenic 
Psychedelic, funny; most important, he was honest
 His gift was letting words, unfiltered, flow from his subconscious 
He called this being BASED; at first I did not understand it 
It was sloppy and unnerving, sometimes lost and heavy handed
 I know rappers always claim they can find words right on the spot
 But no one shares unstructured thoughts quite like Lil B the Based God 
His music is a diary, one long transcript of his mind
 Spaced out, existential, sometimes he won’t even rhyme
 He talks about his thrift store clothes, how he loves everyone 
How people should be positive before reaching for their guns 
It comes off kind of like a deconstructive science project
 Where he can pick apart cliches and forms within his genre He’s got songs about celebrities, he’s even made up his own dance 
It’s humorous and ludicrous, but it’s all part of his plan
 Cause he’s got other songs that reach unmediated truths
 Experimental hip hop, poignant vantage points on youth The Based World is a product of a strong grass roots persistence His life is a defense of the world wide web's mere existence Sure there’s mediocrity, people will misuse it 
But the digital community is the subtext to his music 
He responds to every screen name out there as much as he can
 Appreciates support, he keeps his music free for fans
 I remember when his MySpace pages took so long to load Girls sent him tattoed half-clothed photos, he posted them in droves
 He’s got videos filmed in his hometown blowing up on YouTube 
Lives his life on Twitter, if you follow, he’d retweet you 
And his fans sometimes might seem a little crazed in their devotion 
But something in his music brings out complex strong emotions So you can call him terrible, you can say he sucks 
But hatred looks so petty next to all the lives he’s touched 
Reaching out to us in ways that never happen often
 He dedicates his life to making hip hop’s hard shell soften 
Ambient and soulful, he’s got one disc on a noise label
 Spoken word insanity, I heard it when I had no cable
 He’s a role model for kids much more than popes or politicians
 Cause he lives for positivity and the power of ambition It’s clear he’s just a young man out there doing what he loves
 Not scared or shy to be himself when push comes to shove So Based God, I recorded this hoping one day you would listen 
A token of my thanks for all the music you have given 
You know that if the blogs and critics someday forget about you
 I’ll be among the millions who are glad that they have found you 
Accomplished as an artist, you’ve earned fans and many friends
 You stand for something special always worth time to defend So thank you Based God 
For staying honest and staying Based 
When the world won’t fit you in
 You have to make your own space

We were listening to Regulate Both of us were in a fragile state Paper-thin and you were using then Every day I thought you’d leave again But I guess you found a middle ground Between a lover and an underground I knew I was just your stepping-stone I was happy just to jump your bones We were listening to Regulate Windows down in your old Chevrolet Bass that shook us both right out our seats I was Nate Dogg, you were Warren G You said you had a thing for DJ Screw The way he chopped it up just worked on you Made you have all kinds of naughty thoughts You slowed it down until he got you off We were listening to Regulate I was trying to compensate For being just a bit too far gone Flickin' filters on my neighbor’s lawn I know you hate that sentimental shit Slurred your words well you were way too ripped Always tryin' hard to act so tough Tellin’ me how you had liked it rough We were listening to Regulate Before you turned it down and touched my face And told me that I had your brother's eyes Last time you saw him you had watched him die You said you never really knew him well Time has taught you that this world is hell I hit the buttons, brought our car seats down And held you tight until the sun came out We were still listening to Regulate We were listening to Regulate