bbo$ didn’t expect ‘Lalala’, his fun-filled track with producer Y2K, to be the monster hit it is today. It took over the terrains of TikTok, becoming the soundtrack for a litany of videos, pushing the song to now have over 800 million streams on Spotify alone. While the Vancouver rapper was taken by surprise by this eruption, fans around the world have seen the writing on the wall for a while. After all, his knack for creating boisterous hooks and undeniable bangers at a consistent rate was bound to result in this underground favourite blowing up.
This is what bbno$’s latest single ‘Sophistication’ represents. It’s the rapper raising his glass in vibrant audio form, toasting to the effects of his talent. The song features a soul sample-laced trap beat, serving as a luxurious backdrop for the rapper’s commentary on the fame he cultivated. As he joins me on a Zoom call, dialling in from a European airport amid his hectic 2022 touring schedule, he assures me that this is one of the many highlights slated to appear on his next, and self-proclaimed best album. It’s a bold statement considering his jam-packed discography, featuring the witty frenzy of his 2021 album eat ya veggies and the Yung Gravy-assisted rollercoaster that was 2020’s Baby Gravy 2. But judging by the fast-moving dance of ‘Mathematics’, and the crowd-raising potential of this latest cut, it’s hard to argue with the future bbno$ foreshadows.
Throughout our discussion, bbno$ walks me through the creation of his new single, his urge to constantly push himself, and what makes his next body of work his greatest.
Congratulations on the release of ‘Sophisticated’. How were you feeling leading up to the release of this one?
You never really know until it’s out, but I think this whole album I’ve been working on is my greatest work to date. However, the last few singles I’ve put out haven’t done too great. But at the end of the day, I like it, so I might as well put it out and see what happens.
How do you determine if a song is doing well?
If a song continues to grow after the 14th day of release, and it can be correlated to the marketing you’ve done around it, you know it’s doing well. But 9 times out of like 71 it doesn’t work like that, so who knows [Laughs].
Do you think the highs you’ve experienced in your career so far have altered your definition of something doing well?
100%. It’s a blessing and a curse. I can put out a song that I think is better than another and it might not connect because there are so many small intricacies that go into something doing well. I remember one of my first managers hated my song ‘nursery’, but it ended up popping off, so it’s hard to tell what is going to happen.
We often see a song go viral, and then the artist struggles to reach those heights again. You’re in a unique position where virality came after you built a dedicated fanbase. How do you sustain that?
As you mentioned, I think it all comes down to the fact that a significant portion of creating a fanbase was done before going viral. I think if I had come out the gate with a popular song, it would have been a more difficult process. But because I had songs like ‘nursery’ and a bunch of others doing the rounds, it has fortunately worked really well.
In past interviews, you’ve talked about being no stranger to the feeling of burnout. Has reaching these new heights in your career motivated you more, or encouraged you to rest on your laurels?
I’m chasing the dragon every day. There’s no doubt in my mind that I am exhausted, and sometimes I can’t even get to sleep. Touring can be a grind, having to travel to places like Germany and Romania in such a small window. But I feel like I do this because I always want to push myself; it’s not even about money or things like that. I kind of pride myself on the ability to get shit done, even when I’ve had no sleep. Also, the fans that are along for the ride motivate me. They made my life what it is, so I want to pay them back. To this day, I have not cancelled a show, and I have around 100 left this year. I don’t know if I’ll ever do over 100 shows in a year again, but I’m going to know by the end of this.
On ‘mathematics’ you rap “Nic Cage, how I act.” I think that represents how you approach this stuff, putting 100% into any role you have to play on this journey. Do you find comfort in the chaos of business?
I’ve always been good at focused firing, and I’m somewhat blinded by being driven. Honestly, if people ask why I worked so hard, it’s because I have nothing better to do. Of course, I am exhausted right now; I’m tired and my voice is beginning to strain, but there are people out there who learn the words to my music and shit. It’s crazy because this is just stuff I make in my room, that people hear in countries like Germany. There’s nothing better than this, and it’s a wholesome, heartwarming experience.
Nicholas Cage once said, “There’s a fine line between the method actor and the schizophrenic”. How do you feel you handle that balance in music?
I’ve gotten better at figuring out a work-life balance, so that’s contributed to my health and the lowering of stress levels. My brand, however, is 100% me, so it can be hard to switch off at times. It also allows for me to just be myself all of the time, so there’s no role I have to assume. The turning off part is hard, but I’ve started going to therapy, doing yoga meditation, and I always eat clean.
What defines your forthcoming album as your best work yet?
Usually with an album, because I’m a scumbag, I have 3 great singles, and the rest of the project is just laced with the stuff I have lying around. But with this new body of work, every song I think could stand alone as a single release. I’ve never done it like this before, and I even cut a song from the project that, in my opinion, is a solid 8 in quality, just because everything else is a 10. I wholeheartedly believe this is my best work and that it’s filled with genuinely good bangers. I hope it does well, but not even for the sake of revenue, just because I want to see how the people consume it.
Do you think the pressure of your music doing well increases with your fame?
Yes and no, because I don’t know if there is a better feeling than having a hit. Like, I try not to buy into this desire, but that validation feels really damn good. It reminds you that your success isn’t just a fluke and that this product you created out of thin fucking air is being consumed by people all around the world. But at the same time, I don’t know if I would want to get any bigger, because I don’t want my quality of life to be affected. Right now only 1 person recognises me at an airport, which is nice because I don’t know how I’d feel with a hundred people recognising me. All I want is for my music to be heard, and to be considered a decent songwriter. That’s all I can hope for from this crazy journey.
Follow bbno$ here, stream the new single ‘sophisticated’ here.
bbno$ 2022 Australian shows:
Melbourne | Thurs 22nd September @ PRINCE BANDROOM
Listen Out MELBOURNE | Fri 23rd September
Listen Out PERTH | Sun 25th September
Sydney | Tue 27 SEP @ FACTORY THEATRE
Listen Out SYDNEY | Sat 1st October
Listen Out BRISBANE| Sun 2nd October