''Choices and Flowers'' is the first instrumental studio album by American rapper

Lil B Brandon Christopher McCartney (born August 17, 1989), known professionally as Lil B and Lil B The BasedGod, is an American rapper. He began his career as a member of the Berkeley, California-based hip hop group the Pack in 2005, who signed wi ...

, released under the moniker The BasedGod. It was digitally released on May 17, 2012, through Lil B's own record label, BasedWorld Records. The album consists of instrumental versions of songs from his previous releases '' Rain in England'', ''Dior Paint'' and ''Roses Exodus''. Lil B has described the album as his "classical music debut", although most critics have instead classified it as a

New Age New Age is a range of Spirituality, spiritual or Religion, religious practices and beliefs that rapidly grew in Western world, Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclecticism, eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise d ...

album. It was followed later in 2012 by a second "classical" album released under the BasedGod name, ''Tears 4 God''. The album charted at ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' New Age Albums chart, peaking at number 6.

Background

Despite being labeled as "classical music" by Lil B, the album features new-age instrumental tracks, recorded on a multitracked synthesizer. The songs are

improvised Improvisation, often shortened to improv, is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. The origin of the word itself is in the Latin "improvisus", which literally means un-foreseen. Improvis ...

and feature descending patterns and varied

rhythm Rhythm (from Greek , ''rhythmos'', "any regular recurring motion, symmetry") generally means a " movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions". This general meaning of regular r ...

s, without any "recognizable meter." All songs, except the last track "Welcome to America", are pitched to C- B- A- G notes. The compositions feature various keyboard patches and

pads Pads (also called leg guards) are a type of protective equipment used in a number of sports and serve to protect the legs from the impact of a hard ball, puck, or other object of play travelling at high speed which could otherwise cause injuries t ...

to produce

string String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...

electric piano An electric piano is a musical instrument that has a piano-style musical keyboard, where sound is produced by means of mechanical hammers striking metal strings or reeds or wire tines, which leads to vibrations which are then converted into ele ...

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double-reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common type of oboe, the soprano oboe pitched in C, ...

clarinet The clarinet is a Single-reed instrument, single-reed musical instrument in the woodwind family, with a nearly cylindrical bore (wind instruments), bore and a flared bell. Clarinets comprise a Family (musical instruments), family of instrume ...

sitar The sitar ( or ; ) is a plucked stringed instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in Hindustani classical music. The instrument was invented in the 18th century, and arrived at its present form in 19th-century India. Khusrau K ...

and koto sounds. Lil B credited himself as the executive producer of the album, echoing the imitation of two different personas. The cover art of the album was painted by artist Roberta Stewart and was compared to the works of painter

Marlene Dumas Marlene Dumas (born 3 August 1953) is a South African artist and painter based in the Netherlands. Early life and education Dumas was born in 1953 in Cape Town, South Africa and grew up in Kuils River in the Western Cape, where her father ha ...

Critical reception

The album received mixed reviews, with many critics questioning the authenticity of the "classical tag" and focusing on the song titles. Christian Hertzog, the classical music critic of ''

LA Weekly ''LA Weekly'' is a free weekly alternative newspaper in Los Angeles, California. The paper covers music, arts, film, theater, culture, and other local news in the Los Angeles area. ''LA Weekly'' was founded in 1978 by Jay Levin (among others), ...

'' criticized Lil B's use of the tag, citing "the extensive use of synthesizers, uninteresting" improvisation and the limited melodies. Nevertheless, he also noted that "Lil B has will and the musical curiosity" and urged him to learn to play an instrument and take

theory A theory is a systematic and rational form of abstract thinking about a phenomenon, or the conclusions derived from such thinking. It involves contemplative and logical reasoning, often supported by processes such as observation, experimentation, ...

and

composition Composition or Compositions may refer to: Arts and literature *Composition (dance), practice and teaching of choreography * Composition (language), in literature and rhetoric, producing a work in spoken tradition and written discourse, to include ...

lessons. Duncan Cooper of ''

The Fader ''The Fader'' is a magazine established in 1999 as an outlet for Cornerstone Agency, a marketing and public relations firm established by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The magazine covers music, style and culture. History and work It is owned by T ...

'' described the album as "95 minutes of

atonal Atonality in its broadest sense is music that lacks a tonal center, or key. ''Atonality'', in this sense, usually describes compositions written from about the early 20th-century to the present day, where a hierarchy of harmonies focusing on ...

synth noodling" and compared it to Lil B's previous ambient hip hop album, '' Rain in England'' (2010). Miles Raymer of ''

Chicago Reader The ''Chicago Reader'', or ''Reader'' (stylized as ЯEADER), is an American alternative newspaper in Chicago, Illinois, noted for its literary style of journalism and coverage of the arts, particularly film and theater. The ''Reader'' has been ...

'' wrote that "the album sounds like Lil B loaded up some strings and pads in a synth program, did about a hundred bong rips, and just let the music flow out of him, despite the fact that he maybe doesn't technically know how to play the keyboard."

Track listing

All tracks composed by The BasedGod. # "I Made the Right Choice" – 5:44 # "Lessons from the Wind" – 7:12 # "Walking Through Berkeley" – 6:06 # "My Mistakes" – 4:17 # "New York I'm Home" – 6:24 # "Where Are You Going" – 3:37 # "Lost in the Sky of Love" – 4:47 # "Save the Animals" – 5:22 # "Happy to Live" – 7:21 # "What Came First Are We Alive" – 8:05 # "Tokyo" – 3:03 # "Tribute to Lil B" – 4:54 # "At the Zoo With Mom" – 4:49 # "Dreams Are Real" – 5:10 # "Exhale With Love in Your Chest" – 3:29 # "Wooden Hotel" – 5:42 # "Welcome to America" – 12:27

Chart positions

References

External links

Choices and Flowers
on

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{{Authority control 2012 albums Self-released albums New-age albums by American artists Ambient albums by American artists Lil B albums Experimental music albums by American artists