Lil B's I'm Gay (I'm Happy): a rap revolution? | reviews, news & interviews
Lil B's I'm Gay (I'm Happy): a rap revolution?
Lil B's I'm Gay (I'm Happy): a rap revolution?
The strangest rapper in the US makes a sudden break for the mainstream
![](https://theartsdesk.com/sites/default/files/styles/mast_image_landscape/public/mastimages/6531b8388fa2ad0f5c5aba34b81863bb.jpg?itok=UzuHjkGz)
It's not often you can call pop music revolutionary, but this record is - in more ways than one. Bringing together techniques of engagement that have been honed by Radiohead, Lady Gaga, Lil Wayne and... um... Justin Bieber, the 21-year-old Berkley, California rapper Lil B appears to be on the verge of becoming the first bona fide internet-birthed superstar. I'm Gay (I'm Happy) appeared on iTunes yesterday, announced with a single tweet, with no prior warning whatsoever bar an announcement of its provocative title a couple of months back. It has seemingly no standard record company support behind it, yet it is instantly huge news.
It's not often you can call pop music revolutionary, but this record is - in more ways than one. Bringing together techniques of engagement that have been honed by Radiohead, Lady Gaga, Lil Wayne and... um... Justin Bieber, the 21-year-old Berkley, California rapper Lil B appears to be on the verge of becoming the first bona fide internet-birthed superstar. I'm Gay (I'm Happy) appeared on iTunes yesterday, announced with a single tweet, with no prior warning whatsoever bar an announcement of its provocative title a couple of months back. It has seemingly no standard record company support behind it, yet it is instantly huge news.
Share this article
Add comment
Subscribe to theartsdesk.com
Thank you for continuing to read our work on theartsdesk.com. For unlimited access to every article in its entirety, including our archive of more than 15,000 pieces, we're asking for £5 per month or £40 per year. We feel it's a very good deal, and hope you do too.
To take a subscription now simply click here.
And if you're looking for that extra gift for a friend or family member, why not treat them to a theartsdesk.com gift subscription?
more New music
![Taylor Swift, Wembley Stadium, Saturday 22nd June 2024](https://theartsdesk.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/mastimages/tay%20header.jpeg?itok=X6Ly0O0S)
![Chillin' with them old blues](https://theartsdesk.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/mastimages/Peyroux_LetsWalk_Cover_03_3600x3600%20%281%29.jpg?itok=F2jUDM0f)
![The Cryin’ Shames, c. September 1966 in their final incarnation as Paul & Ritchie & The Crying Shames](https://theartsdesk.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/mastimages/The%20Cryin%E2%80%99%20Shames%20Do%20The%20Strum_the%20cryin%20shames_Header_1000.jpg?itok=Y75fI_xH)
![](https://theartsdesk.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/mastimages/Zara%20McFarlane%20Album%20Cover%20resize.jpg?itok=bOwUNyAa)
![Rain Parade’s Steven Roback, caught as the musical mist engulfs him](https://theartsdesk.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/mastimages/Rain%20Parade%20229_header_1000_simon%20godley.jpg?itok=sjprkj6w)
![Cover art, for once, pretty much summing up the album's contents](https://theartsdesk.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/mastimages/lost035dd%20cover.jpg?itok=OiYwT3cZ)
![Comix Sonix: soulful and enchanting strangeness](https://theartsdesk.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/mastimages/PEPE%20DELUXE%CC%81_Comix%20Sonix_TAD.jpg?itok=C34lNop2)
![Bedford and Simmonds: beautifully crafted](https://theartsdesk.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/mastimages/Strange%20News%20cover%2014%20x%2012.5%20cm%20300%20res.jpg?itok=LD1S9YHy)
!['Weird, funny, exploratory, articulate, pansexual and gender-blending, the full package'](https://theartsdesk.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/mastimages/Kehlani.jpg?itok=5v5kR7im)
![Margo Guryan: she saw herself as a songwriter, a figure with no public profile](https://theartsdesk.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/mastimages/Margo%20Guryan%20Words%20and%20Music_header_1000.jpg?itok=CobbX4dG)
![John Moreland’s Visitor: Haunting, haunted, hard to get your head around, let alone the heart](https://theartsdesk.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/mastimages/John%20Moreland%20-%20Visitor.jpg?itok=XcFs5ccZ)
Comments
...
...