100. Lil B - “Berkeley”

Black Ken was a huge statement by Lil B. It took an artist that was more or less a joke and nothing more than a fading relic of the Internet age and gave him a renewed sense of relevance. It’s a fun album that actually possesses a sense of substance. It hearkens back to Hip-Hop’s heyday, but does so in a way that’s not excessively kitschy or overplayed, but authentic and inspirational, almost as if Lil B went back to his roots and found a newborn sense of purpose motivated by a raw and piercing vulnerability.

In my opinion this jam is the pinnacle of that purpose. It’s a chill yet grounded display of art that shows a Lil B free of all facades. However, its not unkempt like much of his previous work. Its polished, genuine yet honed, as if there was actual effort put into it, and with that effort comes a newfound vulnerability. There’s been a trend in music to be more direct, to remove the fourth wall and create a direct conversation with the listener, or rather a front row seat to an artist’s thoughts – a shore where the listener can wade within the artist’s passing stream of consciousness. Lil B hasn’t fully embraced such a sense of vulnerability, but he has created an environment of intimacy and immediacy with his listeners. He’s the narrator, and he’s telling a story that’s personal yet relatable, universal in its simple yet textured display of humanity.