bbno$
Alexander Leon Gumuchian (/ɡʊˈmuːtʃiːɛn/; born June 28, 1995), known professionally as bbno$ (pronounced "baby no money"),[5] is a Canadian rapper, singer, and songwriter. He is best known for his 2019 single "Lalala" with producer Y2K, which has reached over 800 million plays on the streaming service Spotify as well as his collaborations with rapper Yung Gravy.
bbno$ | |
|---|---|
bbno$ in 2020 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Alexander Leon Gumuchian |
| Born | June 30, 1995[1] Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada[2] |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
|
| Years active | 2014–present |
| Website | bbnomula |
Early life
Gumuchian was born in Vancouver, British Columbia,[2] into an Armenian family. He was homeschooled before he began high school.[6][7] While growing up, his mother had encouraged him to learn piano, but he had always struggled with music theory.[8] Gumuchian claims that he was good with rhythm and that he enjoyed playing the djembe, but did not listen to music for recreation until the age of 15.[8]
Career
2014–2016: Broke Boy Gang and SoundCloud
Gumuchian started working with music after experiencing a back injury which prevented him from pursuing his dream as a professional swimmer.[5][9] He became interested in rapping and music production in 2014 when experimenting on GarageBand with a group of friends.[10] Gumuchian began simply making music for enjoyment with this group of friends who later deemed themselves Broke Boy Gang.[5] After five or six months of performing live as a group and releasing multiple tracks online, the group broke up.[5] He began posting tracks on SoundCloud in September 2016 under the moniker of "bbnomula" where he quickly gained millions of streams and followers.[11][5] He gained popularity in China where he sold out his first few "back-to-back" headlining tours.[2] He credited his overseas popularity to the Chinese dance crew TFBoys, after one of the members, Jackson Yee, danced to the track "Yoyo Tokyo" at his own birthday party.[12]
2017–present
In 2017, bbno$ released his first EP, Baby Gravy, as a collaboration with Yung Gravy,[13] shortly before releasing his debut studio album, Bb Steps, and his second collaborative EP, Whatever, with So Loki in 2018.[14][15]
In late 2019, bbno$ released his second studio album, Recess, which draws inspiration from the Disney series of the same name, and includes features from Y2K and Trippy Tha Kid.[16][17] Many tracks off of Recess gained millions of streams on Spotify.[12] bbno$ and Y2K have been recognized for marketing their single "Lalala" online by using various websites and online apps, namely Tinder, Instagram, TikTok, and Craigslist.[18][12] The song was able to peak on over 20 charts around the world and gain over 400 million streams and 500,000 sales in the United States.[19][18][20]
Later in 2019, bbno$ would go on to release another album, I Don't Care at All. The album featured various pre-released singles, "Slop", "Pouch", and "Shining on My Ex", the latter of which featured frequent collaborator Yung Gravy. The album was solely produced by Y2K.[21]
On February 14, 2020, Baby Gravy 2 was released in collaboration with Yung Gravy. It serves as a sequel to the 2017 EP Baby Gravy.
The video for his single "Imma" features bbno$ in drag, travelling around Victoria with drag queen Jimbo.[22]
On January 29, 2021, "Help Herself" was released. The song, produced by Diamond Pistols, served as the first single from a new bbno$ project.[23]
Later in the year, on May 14, 2021, the five-song EP titled My Oh My was released. Three of the five songs, "Help Herself", "Bad to the Bone", and "Help Herself" (with Benee) had been released as singles prior to the EP releasing.
On July 24, 2021, "Edamame" featuring Rich Brian was released. This song was the first single from bbno$'s mixtape Eat Ya Veggies.
Shortly after the release of "Edamame", bbno$ started teasing a new album on Twitter.[24][25] Following that, bbno$ released the second single from the project, titled "I Remember", on September 22, 2021.[26]
On October 8, 2021, bbno$ released Eat Ya Veggies. The sixth track in the album, "u mad!", was included in the October 7, 2021 update of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.[27]
He released his first new single of 2022 on April 8, titled "Mathematics". The song was performed in March 2022 at his European shows,[28] and the music video was teased during the Vancouver Canucks hockey game on April 4.
"Piccolo" was also first performed in March 2022 in Europe and in May 2022 during the Canada tour. The song is also known as "Dragon Ball Z" due to the lyric in the chorus "Dragon Ball Z dick, blow me like a piccolo". The song was teased on bbno$'s TikTok account on May 18, two days before it was released.
His single "Pogo" was released on June 24, 2022, and was produced by Diplo. Various snippets were teased on social media and the song title was confirmed during a Twitch live stream in April.[29]
Bag or Die, bbno$'s most recent studio album, was released on October 21, 2022.[30] It includes the singles "Mathematics", "Piccolo", and "Sophisticated",[30] along with a collaboration with Yung Gravy, "touch grass".[31]
Artistry
bbno$ has described his own music as "oxymoronic rap" that is "ignorant but melodic".[32] bbno$ grew up listening to straight bass dubstep and house music from names like Datsik and Excision, before listening to hip hop artists, namely Tupac Shakur, Gucci Mane, and Chief Keef.[8] He has cited Yung Lean and Pouya as his main inspirations as a rapper.[10][33]
Personal life
bbno$ lives in Vancouver but has previously lived in Kelowna, where he received a degree in kinesiology at the University of British Columbia Okanagan in 2019.[33][8]
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN [34] | FIN [35] | LIT [36] | NOR [37] | US [38] | |||||||||
| Bb Steps |
| — | — | — | — | — | |||||||
| Recess |
| — | — | — | — | — | |||||||
| I Don't Care at All |
| 88 | — | — | — | — | |||||||
| Baby Gravy 2 (with Yung Gravy) |
| — | — | — | — | 188 | |||||||
| Good Luck Have Fun |
| — | — | — | — | — | |||||||
| Eat Ya Veggies |
| 36 | 19 | 17 | 32 | — | |||||||
| Bag or Die |
| — | — | 83 | — | — | |||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released. | |||||||||||||
Extended plays
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Baby Gravy |
|
| Whatever (with So Loki) |
|
| Babydrip (with SwuM) |
|
| My Oh My |
|
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN [45] | AUS [46] | FIN [35] | NOR [37] | NZ [47] | SWE [48] | UK [49] | US [50] | US R&B [51] | WW [52] | ||||
| "Money Conversation" (with Y2K)[53] | 2018 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | |
| "Thankful" (with Y2K and Lewis Grant)[54] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Recess | ||
| "Pouch" (with Y2K)[55] | 2019 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | I Don't Care At All | |
| "Cheesy" (with Warhol.SS and Dilip)[56] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles | ||
| "Lalala" (with Y2K or with Carly Rae Jepsen and Enrique Iglesias) | 10 | 16 | 16 | 23 | 16 | 58 | 32 | 55 | 22 | — | |||
| "Bad Boy" (with Yung Bae and Billy Marchiafava)[60] | 84 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Bae 5 | ||
| "Slop" | — | — | — | — | —[A] | — | — | — | — | — | I Don't Care at All | ||
| "Shining on My Ex" (with Yung Gravy)[62] | — | — | — | — | —[B] | — | — | — | — | — | I Don't Care at All and Baby Gravy 2 | ||
| "Iunno" (with Yung Gravy)[64] | — | — | — | — | —[C] | — | — | — | — | — | Baby Gravy 2 | ||
| "Welcome to Chilis" (with Yung Gravy) | 2020 | — | — | — | — | —[D] | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Off the Goop" (with Yung Gravy and Cuco)[67] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Out of Control" (with ceo@business.net and Lentra)[68] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Incentivize Unpaid Overtime | ||
| "Mememe" (with Lentra)[69] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Good Luck Have Fun | ||
| "Quarantine Freestyle" (with Lentra)[70] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles | ||
| "What Would Baby Do?" (with Lentra)[71] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Bad Boy" (with Yung Bae and Max)[72] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Astrology" (with Lentra)[73] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Good Luck Have Fun | ||
| "Jack Money Bean" (with Yung Gravy and Lentra)[74] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Good Luck Have Fun and Gasanova | ||
| "Imma" (with Lentra)[75] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Good Luck Have Fun | ||
| "Backwards" (with Lentra)[76] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "WaWaWa" (with Y2K)[77] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | ||
| "Help Herself" (with Diamond Pistols)[78] | 2021 | — | — | — | — | —[E] | — | — | — | — | — | My Oh My | |
| "Bad to the Bone" (with Lentra)[80] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Wussup" (with Yung Gravy)[81] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Eat Ya Veggies | ||
| "Edamame" (featuring Rich Brian) | 13 | 23 [82] | 8 | 24 | 21 [83] | — | 89 | —[F] | — | 165 | |||
| "Take a Trip" (with ceo@business.net and Jungle Bobby)[85] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | ||
| "Yoga" (featuring Rebecca Black)[86] | — | — | — | — | —[G] | — | — | — | — | — | Eat Ya Veggies | ||
| "Mathematics" | 2022 | — | — | — | — | —[H] | — | — | — | — | — | Bag or Die | |
| "Piccolo" | — | — | — | — | —[I] | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Sophisticated"[30] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "C'est la Vie" (with Yung Gravy and Rich Brian) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Marvelous | ||
| "Touch Grass" (with Yung Gravy) | — | — | — | — | —[J] | — | — | — | — | — | Bag or Die | ||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released. | |||||||||||||
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Juno Award | Fan Choice Award | Nominated | [91] |
| Breakthrough Artist of the Year | Nominated |
Notes
- ^ "Slop" did not enter the NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number 40 on the NZ Hot Singles Chart.[61]
- ^ "Shining on My Ex" did not enter the NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number 25 on the NZ Hot Singles Chart.[63]
- ^ "Iunno" did not enter the NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number 22 on the NZ Hot Singles Chart.[65]
- ^ "Welcome to Chilis" did not enter the NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number 40 on the NZ Hot Singles Chart.[66]
- ^ "Help Herself" did not enter the NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number 13 on the NZ Hot Singles Chart.[79]
- ^ "Edamame" did not enter the Billboard Hot 100, but peaked at number 22 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart.[84]
- ^ "Yoga" did not enter the NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number forty on the NZ Hot Singles Chart.[87]
- ^ "Mathematics" did not enter the NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number 29 on the NZ Hot Singles Chart.[88]
- ^ "Piccolo" did not enter the NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number 26 on the NZ Hot Singles Chart.[89]
- ^ "Touch Grass" did not enter the NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number 28 on the NZ Hot Singles Chart.[90]
References
- ^ "bbno$ discography". RateYourMusic.
- ^ a b c Fox, Isaac Nikolai (February 27, 2018). "This is how bbno$ got big in China – and why he's never going back to school". Good Juice Box. Retrieved September 7, 2019.
- ^ a b Lamarre, Carl (July 3, 2019). "Emerging Hip-Hop/R&B: Megan Thee Stallion, Y2K and Bbno$ Make Chart Moves". Billboard. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
- ^ Yeung, Neil Z. "bbno$ Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e Lyazov, Valentin (November 7, 2018). "Meet bbno$: The Definition of Fun Rap". Underground Underdogs. Retrieved September 7, 2019.
- ^ "Y2K, BBNO$ release official video for LALALA". Thisfunktional. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
- ^ ""Challenge yourself and move onto the next project." – bbno$ | Music of Armenia". musicofarmenia.com. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
- ^ a b c d Harvey, Brodie (September 3, 2019). "FROM MEMES TO THE MASSES: THE WILD RISE OF BBNO$". Lyrical Lemonade. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
- ^ Nazarian, Andrea (January 25, 2019). . BeatRoute. Canada. Archived from the original on October 7, 2019. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
- ^ a b Bernstein, Sarah (October 12, 2016). "bbno$ Talks about The Rap Game". The Urban (sure) Hustle. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
- ^ "bbnomula". SoundCloud.
- ^ a b c Fu, Eddie (July 11, 2019). "In Search Of: Bbno$' Y2K-Produced Hit "Lalala" Is Just His Latest Viral Success". Genius. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
- ^ a b "Baby Gravy – EP by Yung Gravy & bbno$", Apple Music
- ^ a b "Bb Steps by bbno$", Apple Music
- ^ a b "Whatever by bbno$ & So Loki", Apple Music
- ^ a b "Recess by bbno$". Apple Music.
- ^ Mike (January 28, 2019). "Bbno$ Unleashes Some Heat With New Project, "Recess"". Daily Chiefers. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
- ^ a b Leight, Elias (July 24, 2019). "How Y2k and bbno$ Turned 'Lalala' Into a Hit, One Tinder Match at a Time". Rolling Stone.
- ^ "Lalala by Y2K and Bbnos – Music Charts". ACharts.
- ^ a b c "American single certifications – bbno$ & Y2K – Lalala". Recording Industry Association of America. September 6, 2019. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
- ^ "bbno$ Releases "I Don't Care At All" Album". HotNewHipHop. November 10, 2019. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
- ^ Bryen Dunn, "Canada's Drag Race – and then there were three!". The Buzz, August 2020.
- ^ christian [@diamondpistols] (January 29, 2021). "help herself with @bbnomula out now!!! this is a really special one I hope y'all like it 🖤 t.co/TMeID1LNxe t.co/2nGBkxSAmz" (Tweet). from the original on May 17, 2021. Retrieved October 24, 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ bbno$ 👶🚫💰 [@bbnomula] (July 30, 2021). "who want album?" (Tweet). from the original on July 30, 2021. Retrieved October 24, 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ bbno$ 👶🚫💰 [@bbnomula] (August 19, 2021). "album…?" (Tweet). from the original on August 19, 2021. Retrieved October 24, 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ bbno$ 👶🚫💰 [@bbnomula] (September 22, 2021). "retweet...t.co/JL8h5c4UIW t.co/6ojhFcmdxT" (Tweet). from the original on September 23, 2021. Retrieved October 24, 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ Release Notes for 10/7/2021
- ^ "Bbno$ - mathematics (Live in Dublin, March 2022)" – via YouTube.
- ^ "Bbno$ Unreleased Tracker - Maintained by c0bb3r.XLSX".
- ^ a b c d Major, Michael (August 22, 2022). "bbno$ Announces New Upcoming Album 'bag or die'". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMwplomJygI
- ^ Nazarian, Andrea (January 25, 2019). . BeatRoute Magazine. Archived from the original on October 7, 2019. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
- ^ a b . TheHipHopGuru. July 28, 2017. Archived from the original on October 7, 2019. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
- ^ "Bbno$ Chart History: Canadian Albums". Billboard. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
- ^ a b "Discography Bbno$" (in Finnish). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
- ^ "2021 41-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. October 15, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
- Bag or Die: "2022 43-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. October 28, 2022. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
- ^ a b "Discography Bbno$". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
- ^ "Bbno$ Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
- ^ "I Don't Care At All by bbno$ on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
- ^ "Baby Gravy 2 by Yung Gravy & bbno$ on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
- ^ "Good Luck Have Fun by bbno$ on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
- ^ "Eat Ya Veggies by bbno$ on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
- ^ "Babydrip – EP by SwuM & bbno$ on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
- ^ "My Oh My – EP by bbno$ on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
- ^ "Bbno$ Chart History: Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
- ^ "Y2k & bbno$ – Lalala". australian-charts.com.
- ^ a b "The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music NZ.
- ^ "Veckolista Singlar, vecka 38". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
- ^ "UK Top 100 | Sep 27, 2019". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
- ^ "Bbno$ Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
- ^ "Bbno$ Chart History: Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
- ^ "Bbno$ Chart History: Global 200". Billboard. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
- ^ "Money Conversation – Single by bbno$ & Y2K on Apple Music" – via iTunes.
- ^ "Thankful – Single by bbno$, Y2K & Lewis Grant on Apple Music" – via iTunes.
- ^ "Pouch – Single by bbno$ & Y2K on Apple Music" – via iTunes.
- ^ "Cheesy – Single by bbno$, Warhol.SS & Dilip on Apple Music" – via iTunes.
- ^ a b "Canadian certifications – bbno$". Music Canada. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
- ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2019 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
- ^ "British single certifications – Y2K – Lalala". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
- ^ "Yung Bae Shares New Single "Bad Boy" Feat. Bbno$ and Billy Marchiafava". RESPECT. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
- ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. October 28, 2019. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
- ^ "Shining On My Ex – Single by bbno$ & Yung Gravy on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
- ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. November 18, 2019. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
- ^ "Iunno – Single by Yung Gravy & bbno$ on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
- ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. December 9, 2019. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
- ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. January 27, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
- ^ "Off The Goop – Single by Yung Gravy, bbno$ & Cuco on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
- ^ "Out of Control – Single by ceo@business.net, bbno$ & Lentra on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
- ^ "Mememe – Single by Lentra & bbno$ on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
- ^ "Quarantine Freestyle – Single by bbno$ & Lentra on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
- ^ "What Would Baby Do? - Single by bbno$ & Lentra on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
- ^ "Bad Boy – Single by Yung Bae, bbno$ & MAX on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
- ^ "Astrology – Single by bbno$ & Lentra on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
- ^ "Jack Money Bean – Single by bbno$, Yung Gravy & Lentra on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
- ^ "Imma – Single by bbno$ & Lentra on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
- ^ "Backwards – Single by bbno$ & Lentra on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
- ^ bbno$ 👶🚫💰 [@bbnomula] (December 7, 2020). "wawawa dec 11th yes yes yes 👇 👇 👇" (Tweet) (in Tagalog). from the original on August 13, 2021. Retrieved October 24, 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Help Herself – Single by bbno$ & Diamond Pistols on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
- ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. May 10, 2021. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
- ^ "Bad to the Bone – Single by bbno$ & Lentra on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
- ^ "Wussup – Single by bbno$ & Yung Gravy on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
- ^ "ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. January 31, 2022. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
- ^ "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. February 21, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
- ^ "Bbno$ Chart History: Bubbling Under Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
- ^ "Take a Trip (feat. Lentra) – Single by ceo@business.net, Jungle Bobby & bbno$ on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
- ^ "Bbno$ and Rebecca Black share new track "Yoga"". DIY. October 7, 2021. from the original on October 7, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
- ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. October 18, 2021. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
- ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. April 18, 2022. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
- ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. May 30, 2022. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
- ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. October 31, 2022. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
- ^ Mahjouri, Shakiel (June 29, 2020). "2020 Juno Awards Winners List: Find Out Who Came Out On Top". ET Canada. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
External links
- Official website