Lil B

Who's the All-Time Champion of Rap Beef on Twitter?

Twenty years ago, rap animosity was expressed via diss songs. Like, if someone pissed you off you went home, thought about it, went to a recording studio, pressed up your album, and sent it around. The object of your diss might not find out until six months later. More recently the rise of the mix ... More >>

Lil B Is the Most Important Rapper of the Decade So Far

Lil B, the heavily tattooed Berkeley, California rapper with a gleaming grill and oversized earrings, entered the hip-hop game in 2006 as part of Bay Area rap group The Pack. Over the last three years he's garnered a tremendous Internet following, popularizing the words "swag" and "based," the lat ... More >>

Why This Songs Sucks: The Worst Rap Tracks of 2012

Welcome to another installment of the worst rap songs of the year, brought to you by Why This Song Sucks. See also: Why This Song Sucks: The Worst Rap Tracks of 2011 They are all here this year: The all-the-way aged king, the suddenly mortal demigod, the former darling, the current darling, the m ... More >>

Miguel Atwood-Ferguson Has Classic Training and Modern Sensibilities

Tucked away in the heart of Koreatown lives Miguel Atwood-Ferguson. One of L.A.'s most revered instrumentalists, he picked up the violin at age 4, and 28 years later has collaborated with a diverse list of artists -- including Kobe Bryant, of all people, with whom he played on his very first profess ... More >>

Long Beach Symphony Orchestra Tries to Be Hip -- And Fails

How do you get millennials into classical music concerts? Without young ticket buyers, who will patronize classical when the current generation of donors and attendees (most born in the mid-20th century) pass away? Organizations have responded by trying to make the classical music experience more l ... More >>

The Best Classical Concerts to See in L.A. This Fall

Sat. Oct. 20 Jacaranda: Different Islands First Presbyterian Santa Monica Herman Melville's prose is nearly impossible to transmute into music (George Rochberg and Jake Heggie failed the challenge), but in The Encantadas, Tobias Picker conjures an appropriate accompaniment to depict "the special cu ... More >>

The Freaks Come Out At Night

But are their parties legal? Under-the-radar Hollywood dance venue Freak City tests the limits

Rigoletto - Hollywood Bowl - August 12, 2012

Rigoletto The Hollywood Bowl 8/12/12 Better than... the guy outside the Bowl with a dog puppet doing a one-man a capella version of Handel's Hallelujah chorus. Most American orchestras coast during their summer season with puffery such as symphonic arrangements of Pink Floyd, Broadway show tunes, ... More >>

The Cataracs Are Not Like a G6

It's a Friday morning, and David Singer-Vine and Niles Hollowell-Dhar sit on the sun-dappled patio of their favorite taco stand, Silver Lake's El Siete Mares. But they don't order food. "It's too early for tacos," Singer-Vine, 24, says as he shakes his head, his eyes still a little sleepy. Just in ... More >>

Mac Miller May Have a "Very Punchable Face," But He Is Kind of Awesome.

[Editor's Note: Fuck Guilty Pleasures celebrates the over-produced, commercial, artless, lowbrow music that we believe is genuinely worthwhile. Like, among the best music ever.] In March, Mac Miller put out a mixtape. It is called Macadelic. It features "Ignorant," a collaboration between Miller an ... More >>

Lil B's "Classical" Album: Our Classical Music Critic Reviews It

[Editor's note: Oddball Berkeley rapper Lil B suddenly released a classical music album under his "The Basedgod" moniker last week, called Choices and Flowers. Since no one in rap really knows what to make of it, we assigned West Coast Sound classical music critic Christian Hertzog to review it.] ... More >>

Is Riff Raff Serious?

One thing's for certain: This maddeningly inscrutable white rapper is more entertaining than you are

Odd Future, Dipset, Ab-Soul - Paid Dues 2012 - 4/7/2012

Paid Dues 2012 NOS Events Center, San Bernardino 4/7/2012 Posted by the Paid Dues media check-in, the announcement, "ATTENTION: Photo Pit Closed for Odd Future Performance," seemed an ominous sign. Though it likely was just to ward off further lawsuits, it felt a little pretentious -- and Murs' ind ... More >>

Conan O'Brien's Workout Mixtape: Stuff White People Like

Last week, we received the following press release: "Curious on how Conan O'Brien maintains his lean physique? It takes hours and hours in the gym -- and to keep his energy up, Conan needs the right kind of music. We we cornered Coco and got him to reveal what's thumping in his headphones while he ... More >>

Music Picks: Lila Downs, Merle Haggard, I See Hawks in L.A., Die Antwoord

Also, Das Racist, Gonjasufi, Roky Erickson and others

Danny Brown: Hip-Hop's Cormac McCarthy

See Also: Das Racist, Danny Brown - The Roxy - 11-3-11 Despite a troubled past topped off by a year-long jail stint, Danny Brown maintains a strikingly serene and friendly disposition. Over the past several years, the Detroit rapper released a handful of well-crafted mixtapes, his most recent XXX ... More >>

Why This Song Sucks: The Worst Rap Tracks Of 2011

​I still don't understand why more people didn't like Unbreakable. It was suspenseful, smart enough, featured an attractive color palette, and it had a horribly creepy opening. (Remember the baby who was born with all of his bones broken?) And the most clever part -- the crux of the entire mov ... More >>

Meet Speak, Who Co-Wrote Kreayshawn's "Gucci Gucci"

BrassSpeak​It's an August afternoon in Hollywood, and the shaggy-bearded rapper Speak is snacking on mac 'n' cheese in a recording studio at Atlantic Records. He doesn't seem like he belongs here. For starters, he's wearing beach bum attire: sun-bleached peach board shorts and Sperry Top-Sid ... More >>

Lupe Fiasco - Hollywood Palladium - October 10, 2011

Lainna FaderLupe Fiasco​Lupe Fiasco and Chiddy Bang Hollywood Palladium October 10, 2011 Better than... hip-hop shows without electric fiddle. Lupe Fiasco's "Generation Laser" show last night at the Palladium did not seem like it was going to go well. A couple hours after the doors opened, t ... More >>

Murs On Why He Moved To Arizona: "I wouldn't feel comfortable living here without owning a firearm"

Nobody is more L.A. than Murs. But he doesn't even live here anymore. He's now based out of Tucson, Arizona, where he says he doesn't stand out. That's for a few reasons. For one, gone are the thick ropes of dreadlocks that formerly sprouted from his head. Also, he drives a Prius. And he likes watc ... More >>

Lil B Discusses His Career Strategy: "Every day, there's something new for me. I have to be very picky and choosy what I do."

​Last week we profiled Lil B's charming and super-relaxed manager, Sebastian Demian. He and B share a zen-like philosophy when it comes to wacky stuff like peace and love, and are also of like-minds about the rapper's career; they're content to let his popularity build organically, and not sig ... More >>

Tyler's Alter Ego "Young Nigga" Had Us Fooled

​By Dan Hyman Early Friday morning Tyler, The Creator took to Twitter to inform his followers that -- despite his crew's 'no outsiders' policy -- Odd Future's new label under the Sony/Red Distribution umbrella had signed a rapper. The first artist off of Odd Future Records? Someone called You ... More >>

Kreayshawn's Impromptu Birthday Party - Freak City - September 25, 2011

David BallThe birthday girl ​Kreayshawn's Birthday Party Freak City September 25, 2011 Around 9:30 last night, just as I was settling in for the evening, I got a message from Freak City's Rick Ross. "Krea just decided to have her birthday party at Freak City tonight. Wanna come by?" Well, du ... More >>

Why This Song Sucks: Birdman's "Y.U. Mad," featuring Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne

​By Shea Serrano Welcome to Why This Song Sucks, a new column from West Coast Sound. Unlike Fuck Guilty Pleasures, we're not arguing that something everyone hates on is actually good, we're arguing that certain songs blow. See, here's the thing: This existence, this music writer thing, is p ... More >>

Lil B's Manager Sebastian Demian Is Calmer Than You Are

Nanette Gonzales Sebastian Demian with Lee "Scratch" Perry painting​Sebastian Demian is the director of Dem Passwords, an oddly-named art gallery-cum-music venue that is difficult to find. It's located beneath a West Hollywood hydroponics store, but it's not accessible from the street, so you ... More >>

Blu Interview: We Chop It Up With ​L.A.'s Patron Saint of Lyricism

Blu ​Blu soundlessly materializes in Silverlake's La Mill coffee boutique. The rapper's aura is so serene it forms a barrier against the sounds of jittery fingertips flitting across keyboards and conversations that seem to be in fast forward. I think of a line from "Down to Earth," a song from ... More >>

Sirah: Your New Favorite Female Rapper Indie Pop Princess

​A couple of years ago, Sirah, a young, white, female California rapper, was on the rise. She was in talks with major labels. She was about to release an album. She stitched together her outfits with two-dollar thrift store finds and no Fendi. Sound familiar? But unlike Kreayshawn, the white ... More >>

Music Picks: Janet Jackson, John Escreet Quartet, DJ Quik, Charles Bradley

Also, Charlie Haden Quartet West, John Williams, Philip Glass and others

Compton Rapper Game Returns to an Industry That's Gone Soft

Will his old tricks still work?

Top Five Rappers Who Are Worse Then Lil B

The Game​For all of the disses and shots Game is throwing out lately, you'd almost think he had a new album due next week or something. (Well, he does, and he's going to be on our cover, too.) The latest to find themselves on Jayceon's shit list is Bay Area phenomenon Lil B, whom Game this we ... More >>

Music Picks: Los Lobos, Lord Huron, Calculator, Exmortus

Also, Yes, Styx, the Naked and Famous and others

MTV VMA Best New Artist Nominees: A Field Guide to Kreayshawn, Big Sean, Foster the People, Tyler the Creator, and Wiz Khalifa

Kreayshawn​Article by Shea Serrano On Sunday, August 28th, MTV's Video Music Awards will wander into town. MTV, by the way, is a television station. They play music and whatnot, but more importantly, they allow a handsome troglodyte named CT to exist. Also, younger readers: A television s ... More >>

Theophilus London at Troubadour 7/18/11

Rebecca HaithcoatTheophilus London​WHO: Theophilus London WHERE: Troubadour WHEN: 7/18/11 Better than ... the Molly Ringwald dance. Theophilus London has a flight instinct. Just browse his song titles--"Humdrum Town," "Flying Overseas," "Departure," "All Around the World"--or his lyrics, lik ... More >>

Lil B "Bill Bellamy" Video: Watch Because It Is "DOPE!PLUS FUN"

​We want to live as Lil B for just one day- any longer and we're not sure reentry into the real world would be possible. Dropping an album called I'm Gay (which is, to the surprise of many a hater, pretty damn good) with absolutely no fanfare at all, sending Tweets of peace and love (like, "S ... More >>

Lil B Releases I'm Gay Album Out of the Blue

Lil B​If you love Lil B, this is why. Skimming our Twitter feed, one of the Based God's posts caught our eye: "Lil B 'IM GAY' BUY NOW ON ITUNES ONLY! HISTORICAL PROJECT." Wait, when did this happen? The Bay Area rapper shook up the blogosphere like a snow globe when he announced at Coachel ... More >>

Live Review: Friends of Friends' Second Anniversary Party Saturday Night with JonWayne, Anenon, Groundislava, Baths, Shlohmo, Salva, and Mexicans with Guns

​​The Friends of Friends Music second anniversary party at the Echoplex Saturday night showed that label head Leeor Brown has tapped some of the most talented young producers working in Los Angeles right now. With the FoF Network, he knits together the rapidly-expanding corners of the beat ... More >>

Kreayshawn: Overnight Sensation

The Long Tail Of Lil B: Why The Based God Is A Genius

Some people say quantity is not quality ... but what if someone came along and rewrote all the rules? It's no secret that rap's resident weirdo, Berkeley's Lil B The Based God is a new media powerhouse.  Until recently, he existed almost more online than in the real life. That's because the ... More >>

Spaceghostpurrp on Being Compared to Odd Future, Not Dissing the Taylor Gang, and Why Miami is Satan's Playground

Spaceghostpurrp's spaceship just dropped him off​Two months ago, Miami rapper and producer Spaceghostpurrp's YouTube channel registered a few hundred views. But one dip into the then-nineteen-year-old's world of viscous sound waves had us hooked: It sounds as though he's sunk a creaky, abando ... More >>

Music Picks: Coachella, Girls in Trouble, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Paul Simon

Also, Mary Anne Hobbs, Yoni Wolf, Emmylou Harris and others

Music Picks: Talib Kweli, Pete Yorn, Lucy Schwartz

Also Rise Against, Piney Gir, Deradoorian and others

Music Picks: SWANS, Sebadoh, Arbouretum, Cass McCombs

Also Meshell Ndegeocello, Kaki King, Local Natives and others