20 of the Best Lyrics From Lil B’s ‘Black Ken’ Mixtape
Lil B has been hip-hop’s closest thing to an international man of mystery ever since his XXL Freshman cover placement back in 2011. He has dazzlingly popped in and out of rap relevancy, dropping a few tracks here and there but being most noted for placing curses on NBA athletes and dropping abstract motivational tweets. In fact, until the release of his long-awaited Black Ken mixtape, many people more than likely forgot the simple genius that Lil B has the ability to deliver. Luckily, the project is finally here and the Based God translates that same timeless Twitter talk to his first release in three years.
His voice, sound and poise has matured since his last mixtape, Thugged Out Pissed Off, in 2015. For starters, Black Ken finds the BasedGod consistently rhyming in a concentrated sequence, which seems like a no-brainer but past Lil B hasn’t always been one for rhyme patterns. This delivery is definitely smoother than ever before and his blunt, life-pondering statements are as potent as ever.
Nothing appears to be off limits for Lil B on Black Ken. With over 90 minutes of music on the tape, it’s no surprise he touches on so many different subjects. There are revengeful songs filled with raw aggression and those are then followed up immediately with jazzy ballads about loving one another. Not to mention some of the deep cuts that are just three minutes of ad-libs. He truly is a Ken of all trades.
Check out the highlights of the 20 best lyrics from Black Ken in no particular order.
"Still Run It"
Lil B"2017 and I'm here to represent/And I'm the DJ, It's BasedGod in the mix/And it ain't no question if I'm down to ride/On the West Coast it's get money or die/I'ma tell you this motherfucker I ain't no punk/’Cause everything I seen I never said a word once/I come from Berkley, Waterfront to be exact"
"Still Run It"
Lil B“Rollin' five deep in a four-door Chevy/Like Pastor Troy motherfucker I'm ready/Only takes a second, and you gone/That's why I had to make this a rap song/This is for the world, I do this for y'all/I'm finna throw a party at Easmont Mall”
"Bad MF"
Lil B"I don't care if you play this on the radio/’Cause they love me from Oakland to Filmore/Yeah I'm from the ghetto/Where motherfuckers will change your whole schedule/You can meet me at the side show/I'm a rap star, bitch, I don't ride slow"
"Bad MF"
Lil B"This ain't school, so why you wanna test me?/Waterfront, motherfucker, it gets messy"
"Wasup Jojo"
Lil B"1 to the two, three to the six/Back on the mic and I'm down to represent/It's the master of disaster, not a slave master/I own my own masters so I'm a real rapper"
"Wasup Jojo"
Lil B"I could roll in the Tesla or ride in the Honda/It really don't matter, cause I'm the one driving/Bumpin' up the funk step like a wild monster/Keep your hair tied if you wanna see the youngster/Rapper and producer, now I'm gettin' used to/All the cold stares like they're looking at Medusa”
"Hip Hop"
Lil B"I've got love for so many, I wanna help so many/So I stop being friendly, ’cause there's hate and there's envy/I'm getting money now, so the fake don't offend me/Up on the Breakfast Club, but I don't know DJ Envy/Hot 97 get busy/Ebro, Funk Flex, I'm on the mic stick with me"
"Hip Hop"
Lil B"Remember I was younger, I always loved music/So now it's an honor to write and produce it/I wanna give props to everyone that's before me/I'm a real MC, no, I'm not a phony/I take pride in my craft, took two years off to perfect my pen/Now I'm back again"
"Hip Hop"
Lil B"Cyphers with Kendrick Lamar/And I ain't spittin' a bar/Unless you got 50,000 or more/To be a rapper, is an honor/Enlighten the people and you can let they mind prosper/Because ain't nothin' cool about wastin' your time/It's pressure, Charles Hamilton with compressors/A little Kanye in the message"
"Berkeley"
Lil B“I'm looking for a girl with a mind and a heart/It's not about sex, that's the lamest part/Who can I trust in this world of lies/When you want the truth, I'm a stand up guy/So we slip and slide, and we rock the boat/Rule No. 1, just make sure it float”
"Free Life"
Lil B“I wonder about my life/Twenty-seven years old but I feel five/Got $150 in my bank account/And the IRS want triple the amount/What it mean to be happy in this big old dream?”
"Free Life"
Lil B"Wonder what it feel like to be rich/Will I ever grow up, or remain a kid?/Sometimes I think what I do in a big house/With a yard and a fence and a big old couch/Until then, I'll be all I can be/And all the best things in life are free, follow me"
"Getting Hot"
Lil B“Berkeley in this bitch with my eyes red/Finna grow out my dreads and bust a head/All we do is go dumb, and shake feds/This is for international, Black Arthur/Gentrify me? I beg your pardon/I might have clip with a 30 in it/I might fuck a bitch, then smoke a sack/Tell all these hoes Lil B back”
"West Coast"
Lil B“Most of my life I've seen pain in this fucking game/I'ma keep it real sometimes it's hard being a Black man/I be crying but nobody gives a fuck about it/Who do I trust in this world where my mind is cloudy/I be feeling sometimes that I'm too cool/But how the fuck can I be cool when my family need me making moves”
"West Coast"
Lil B“And it ain't about having love it's about having dollars/Because there's a rich motherfucker that I know who never stepped foot in college/But, man, get your education that's to rule the nation/And lets shock the world, this our generation”
"The Real Is Back"
Lil B“On the cover of the XXL, with Kendrick Lamar/And I went right back to the hood/Cookin' dope like a real nigga should/I'm really that good/I'm unsigned, I'm the rawest out/Niggas take it and I'm barkin' ’em out/You bitches is fake, this is real nigga/Rest in peace to Emmett Till, nigga”
"The Real Is Back"
Lil B“I'm standing for my niggas that woke up/I bring the Terror Squad like Remy or Coca/Soulja Boy, you actin' fake as hell!/Only thing that he made was bail/How you make me?/Bitch, stay in your lane, for real”
"Rawest Rapper Alive"
Lil B“It's like Philly's most wanted with a couple clips/These niggas got maliced, I just be pushing T's bricks/Roscoe P got that dope for cheap/I got that Neptunes on the blocks for weeks”
"Da Backstreetz"
Lil B"Man I'm just trying to see a key/I cut the whole rock like JAY-Z/I took losses as a kid but I bounced back/Yeah I'm still sick and I deal with that/Yeah nigga I'm a Black man/Use to deal every car with a black hand/Everything that you not is what I am"
"Rare Art"
Lil B"Crackin' credit cards, sellin' stolen cars/Whatever I do, do it to the fullest/I'm not a rookie, survived through the bullshit/Made it through the madness, I'm not havin' it/Let's get it"
More From XXL
