Man, the Based God just doesn't stop innovating. "Gotta Make The NBA," off of the upcoming Hoop Life mixtape that so far has given us such instant classics as "Fuck KD," sees Lil B making his most directly narrative song and video in his illustrious career.
It starts off with the Based One rapping as a Division I basketball player who just got injured in a game. Lest you think the reenactment depicted in the video is but a poor imitation of his vision, Lil Boss reveals the truth: It was a daydream. Our narrator is a blacktop hopeful whose only path to realize his dream of making the big league is maybe through impressing scouts in the Drew League, or maybe playing overseas. Still, he trains with the singular drive of a man determined.
After one day at the gym, Lil B runs into the owner of the Memphis Grizzlies. After working up some courage, he opens up to him about his NBA dreams. Robert Pera (or maybe Justin Timberlake?) gives him some words of wisdom, tells him if he improves on his defense and leadership he might have a shot. As a parting word, he says if he plays 100 games and wins 50, he'll give him a chance in the league.
The video is everything that makes Lil B such a great artist. He perfectly couples a great beat with an emotionally affecting tale about the hopes of everyday people, tells it with a surprising and fairly uncharacteristic narrative coherence, and all with a tongue-in-cheek humor that yes, he fully intends. More Hoop Life coverage as it comes. Swag swag.