At just 24 years old, Lil B “The BASEDGOD” has seven studio albums of solo work and three full lengths with The Pack, a hip hop group he founded in his years as a high school student. An impressive feat in of itself but a drop in the bucket compared to his mixtape releases. (he released 5 in 2013 alone)

Like many great rappers, Brandon McCartney started young. Like other greats in the genre, he was born and raised on West Coast. But what sets him apart is his philosophy on life and how he reaches out to his fans.

In the days of Myspace (when “#” meant “number” and not “hashtag”) Lil B created over a thousand pages just to upload a good portion of his discography at the time. It was not too long before that Napster’s ship sunk so releasing tracks for download and encouraging the behavior was just far fetched. He continues to release his mixtapes for free via DatPiff or iTunes. He’s also very active on Twitter and reaches out to fans more than most musicians of his caliber do.

Don’t confuse his philosophical outlooks and perception to that of other musicians and celebrities. Most will dedicate one tweet or acceptance speech with a watered down, generic citation of a previous thought, McCartney has made it his intention to lead and teach. His book (yes, BOOK) entitled Takin’ Over by Imposing The Positive! focuses on life, love and music (a “based” lifestyle) in the form of easy-to-read texts and emails. (did we mention it comes with a DVD of raps too?) He’s even taken on the role of a lifetime: curating an NYU lecture.

A pivotal part of last year’s Pitchfork Festival makes its way to an intimate Long Island venue. Lil B “The BASEDGOD” performs at Revolution Bar and Music Hall in Amityville, NY on Thursday, April 24th. Tickets are still available for the concert.