Lil B
The Observatory
9/16/2016
Lil B, also known as “the BasedGod”, graced fans with his divine presence Friday night in Santa Ana. Fans hollered as soon as they saw him take the stage in his hoodie and sunglasses. Fans took turns getting their minds right before the show, flicking lighters and exhaling plumes of pot smoke as they toked up inside the Observatory. One fan screamed, “fuck my bitch, Lil B!” as loud as he could while waiting for the music to pick up and boom through the speakers. As the music fully transitioned from Clams Casino's to Lil B's, the Berkeley rapper got the crowd wild, using only two words to send fans into a dancing frenzy. “Turn up.”
Many have questioned whether Lil B is serious about his rap career or is just trolling everyone on the internet, but at the end of the day, there is no denying that he can bring in a crowd unlike any other. The Observatory was jam-packed with a diverse crowd — high school kids, 30-something-year-olds, a melting pot of ethnicities and of course, sports jerseys. Despite perhaps some vast differences among fans, they had one thing in common — their love for Lil B.
After playing a few songs, the BasedGod gave a shout out to the west coast as well as showed support for producer, Clams Casino's latest album, 32 Levels. Following that, he proclaimed his love for his fans and music. “All for the love…I love you. Real rap – I really love it. I really love it. I really love it. It's really beautiful,” he said pacing the stage and pointing upwards.
Lil B rapped “Death of Rap (D.O.R.)”, which can be interpreted as a song that represents his thoughts on the music industry and how he doesn't care about the fame that comes with it. He followed with fan favorite, “I'm God,” and continued to preach the gospel and inspire fans through his positivity: “Free your mind. Free your heart. Real love…I live to be really epic, I live to be really peaceful, I live to be really fun…I can't be mad about nothing right now because we living right now.”
As the set progressively got rowdier, a mosh pit broke out in the crowd. How? We're still not sure…but it happened. Lil B's energy was undoubtedly contagious since there was not a single moment when he was standing still or failed to emit fun energy. This encouraged fans to crowd surf, challenge each other to dance offs. We watched one fan take a straight faced selfie facing the crowd repping a baseball cap with a pink bandana beneath it, sunglasses and huge TYBG (thank you based god) kandi necklace. Respect.
Between songs, fans yelled, “I love bitches,” “swag,” or “I love you, Lil B.” A fan standing in the front row was so spiritually connected to the BasedGod that tears streamed down his face while singing along. Now that is a devoted fan.
Lil B spent a decent amount of time of his set as a DJ, and a damn good one at that. He played hits by Usher, DMX, Lil Jon and even some old school Lil B that got the entire crowd singing every word. Prior to playing his old material, he mentioned how a few were from his Myspace era and said, “I killed this one, not gonna lie.” He was not afraid to use gun shot sounds or the air horn to fade into the next song. Fans were eager to get to him as the show was coming to an end — some tried to jump on stage and failed terribly, while one successfully did so and was rushed off the stage in the midst of getting a selfie with Lil B.
“We're reaping the benefits of this beautiful life,” Lil B said before playing another track.
Although it was almost the end of the show, fans were still dancing the night away. And giving their bras to Lil B. Since it was only fitting, he closed the show with “In Love With The BasedGod” and “Like A Martian.”
The crowd pushed their way to the front and gathered to try to catch the BasedGod's water bottle, towel and high fives once the music faded out. One fan shook his hand and with a smile from ear to ear said, “my life is complete” as he approached his friends. Another Lil B lover who caught his water bottle held his hand high in air, similarly to Judd Nelson at the end of Breakfast Club, and “baptized” his friend.
Never underestimate the power of Lil B — he has the “BasedGod” title for a reason and has definitely earned it in our book. In a time where hate is prevalent, it's refreshing to see someone who has a mass following to preach nothing but positivity and love for life.
