Lil B - Rain in England

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4...according to our Ant on Thu 30 Sep, 2010.

This guy's a fucking odd one.. I mean, check that amazing cover for a start. He's done the odd thing that I really think approaches some sort of genius for creating a totally unusual alliance of quite experimental, always interesting and not particularly commercial production with his lazy, drawly rhymes which don't seem to be all that much above the level of the likes of Lil' Wayne, Gucci Mane or even his chum Soulja Boy.. Misogyny, homophobia and all. It's the apparent contradiction that seems to get a hold on me.. Check 'I'm God' or 'Myspace' on Youtube for prime examples. And now he's releasing stuff on Weird Forest, which is also.. Weird. For his label debut he's taken his ambient thing to the absolute extreme, jettisoning both beats and your usual lyrical gangsta trappings in favour of full-on New Age synth soundscapes and a general tenancy towards a preachy, reflective poeticism which, as it goes on, begins to give the impression that he might actually believe that he is some sort of deity, beyond the posturing of his Based God alias. Apparently this album went down like a lead balloon when it was played in the office the other day and, at seventy minutes with little variation, it's definitely not gonna be to all tastes but I'm fully endorsing. I've never heard another record like it! THANK YOU BASED GOD.

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Just who is Lil B? The Based God has scored so many Youtube hits and crammed so many full length albums under his belt it can be hard for youngbloods to get a handle on what this rap savant is all about. Is he the internet sensation with a hundred girls on his dick? Or could he be the leading light of a new hip hop underground, one that has finally wrenched itself from the grubby backpacks and the cynicism of the mid 1990s? He's both, and with 'Rain in England' the story gets even more mysterious and far more incomprehensible. Those already up to speed on B's molasses-beats and stream-of-consciousness ('based') flow will think they got him pegged. Internet hype and heavy tunes -- battle raps and copious interviews. He's the anti-Drake - all ill-mannered, hungry and mercilessly lo-fidelity, and unafraid to make a beef over Twitter.

'Rain in England' shows an antithesis to this character, a tempered side to his ADD report card. Part new-age ambient and part hip hop, the record is uncharacteristically fluid, with B's singular rhymes falling perfectly into a bed of syrupy electronics. B never falls into the trap of allowing himself to get too abstractedly wordy, yet we always retain the sense that he's not your typical street rapper. He's young, but there are stories to be told, and those stories are heard through the frosted glass of burned synthesizer melodies and disintegrating pads.

Singular, disturbing and certain to polarize listeners, 'Rain In England' is an album destined for a new breed of rap fans. Lil B may just be the genre's brightest young hope; what exactly that genre is, only time will tell. - John Twells

2...according to Martin.

I might be ignorant and out of the loop but didn't Faithless do something very much like this ages ago just adding beats and bass to the equation...?

Rating: 2 out of 5

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