I'm Gay (I'm Happy)

I'm Gay (I'm Happy) is the fifth studio album by American rapper Lil B. The album was released digitally on June 29, 2011. On June 30, 2011, the rapper provided a free download link on his Twitter account.^[1][2] The album entered the Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart at number 56 and the Heatseekers Albums chart at number 20 for the week of July 16, 2011.^[3] The album's cover is an allusion to Marvin Gaye's 1976 album, I Want You.

I'm Gay (I'm Happy)
Studio album by Lil B
Released	June 29, 2011
Recorded	2010–11
Genre	Hip hop
Length	44:00
Label	Amalgam Digital
Producer	BigBoyTraks • Caleb Mak • Keyboard Kid • Lil B • Lou Pocus • Rick Flame • Supreme Jean Clams Casino • Talen Ted
Lil B chronology
Bitch Mob: Respect Da Bitch Vol. 1 (2011) I'm Gay (I'm Happy) (2011) I Forgive You (2011)

Background and controversy

Lil B announced the album and its title during his performance at the Coachella Festival in 2011. Shortly after the announcement, the rapper was met with backlash, even from his own fans- Lil B claimed he even received death threats: “People been hitting me up like, ‘I’m gonna bash your head in,’ ‘you faggot,’ ‘I’m gonna kill you,'” Lil B told MTV News. “A lot of my supporters have turned on me. It’s been a few supporters that’s saying, ‘I’m not gonna rock with you anymore'”.^[4]

The title was met with controversy from the media as well as figures in the hip-hop community. "I think that (announcement) was so much bigger than he was," said Terrance Dean, a former MTV executive and the openly gay author of the book "Hiding in Hip-Hop." "That it was like seeing his future before it even actually happened". Conversely, openly gay BET blogger Lloyd "Gyant" Dinwiddie perceived the album name as a publicity stunt, saying: "I don't want to take anything away from what I think he's trying to do. I really do feel that it is less about social evolution, and it's more about making a name for yourself and selling your project".^[5] GLAAD issued a statement addressing the albums title, stating: "As a lyricist, Lil B knows that words matter. Slurs have the power to fuel intolerance. We hope that Lil B's album title is not just a gimmick, and is really a sincere attempt to be an ally".^[6] In response to the statement, Lil B told MTV “I got major love for the gay and lesbian community, and I just want to push less separation and that’s why I’m doing it. I hope GLAAD sees that I’m taking initial steps to break barriers.”^[4]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	73/100^[7]
Review scores
Source	Rating
The A.V. Club	B−^[8]
The Boston Phoenix	^[9]
Consequence of Sound	^[10]
Drowned in Sound	6/10^[11]
Now	3/5^[12]
Pitchfork	8.1/10^[13]
Slant Magazine	^[14]
URB	^[15]
XXL	3/5^[16]

I'm Gay (I'm Happy) received positive reviews; fans commented on the album's wide variety of positive messages and also the unique beats and lyrical styles not common to mainstream hip-hop. Lil B rapped about many controversial issues in the album including race relations, poverty, humanity and the justice system. The album, according to many fans, shows the "true" side of Lil B, many noting the album's inspirational theme. I'm Gay received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 73, based on 10 reviews.^[7] Lil B was the subject of controversy because upon the album's release he decided to provide a free version via a download link on Facebook. Many believed this to be a publicity stunt; however, he cleared the controversy when on his Facebook page he posted: "for all my fans who don't have 10 dollars to buy my album, here it is for free."^{[17][16][10][18][19][20][21][22]}

Accolades

Publications' year-end list appearances for I'm Gay (I'm Happy)

Critic/Publication	List	Rank	Ref
Tiny Mix Tapes	Tiny Mix Tapes' Top 50 Albums of 2011	30	^[23]

Track listing

No.	Title	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Trapped in Prison"	Lou Pocus	4:00
2.	"Open Thunder Eternal Slumber"	Supreme Jean	2:47
3.	"Game"	BigBoyTraks	3:43
4.	"Unchain Me"	Clams Casino	3:54
5.	"Neva Stop Me"	Talen Ted	2:36
6.	"Gon Be Okay"	Caleb Mak	2:23
7.	"The Wilderness"	Rick Flame	3:29
8.	"I Hate Myself"	Keyboard Kid	5:45
9.	"Get It While It's Good"	Talen Ted	3:36
10.	"I Seen That Light"	BigBoyTraks	4:02
11.	"My Last Chance"	BigBoyTraks	4:04
12.	"1 Time Remix"	Clams Casino	4:00
Total length:			44:00

Samples

• "Trapped in Prison" contains a sample of "Leaving Shire" by Bo Hansson.
• "Open Thunder Eternal Slumber" contains a sample of "Catch the Breeze" by Slowdive.
• "Game" contains a sample of "Of All the Things" by Stephanie Mills
• "Unchain Me" contains a sample of "Cry Little Sister" by Gerard McMann.
• "Neva Stop Me" contains a sample of "Quasimodo's Marriage" by Alec R. Costandinos.
• "Gon Be Okay" contains a sample of "One Summer's Day" by Joe Hisaishi.
• "The Wilderness" contains a sample of "Futari Dake No Ceremony" by Yukiko Okada.
• "I Hate Myself" contains a sample of Boyz II Men's cover of "Iris" by Goo Goo Dolls.
• "Get It While It's Good" contains a sample of "Dreaming" by Bill Summers.
• "I Seen That Light" contains a sample of "Lost in Time" by Eric Benet.
• "My Last Chance" contains a sample of "Still Waiting" by Johnny Gill.

Charts

Chart performance for I'm Gay (I'm Happy)

Chart (2011)	Peak position
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)^[24]	20
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)^[25]	56

References

1. @LILBTHEBASEDGOD (July 1, 2011). "CUZ I LOVE YOU IF YOU DONT HAVE 10 DOLLERS TO BUY MY NEW PROJECT HERE IT GOES FOR FREE- Lil B" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
2. Chandler, D.L. (July 4, 2011). "Lil B Offers New 'I'm Gay' Album For Free". MTV. Archived from the original on July 4, 2011. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
3. "Lil B Album & Song Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved July 24, 2011.
4. Perpetua, Matthew (April 25, 2011). "Lil B Receives Threats For 'I'm Gay' Album Title". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
5. "Rapper Lil B on 'I'm Gay': 'We're all one people'". www.cnn.com. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
6. Pulse, Pink. "GLAAD reacts to Lil B's new album title, 'I'm Gay'". GoPride Chicago (ChicagoPride.com). Retrieved March 21, 2024.
7. "I'm Gay (I'm Happy) by Lil B". Metacritic. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
8. Harvey, Eric (July 26, 2011). "Lil B: I'm Gay (I'm Happy)". The A.V. Club. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
9. Battan, Carrie (July 19, 2011). "Lil B | I'm Gay (I'm Happy)". The Boston Phoenix. from the original on December 22, 2011. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
10. Choudhery, Möhammad (July 7, 2011). "Album Review: Lil B – I'm Gay (I'm Happy)". Consequence of Sound. from the original on July 13, 2011. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
11. Bychawski, Adam (August 23, 2011). . Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on September 23, 2018. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
12. Errett, Joshua (July 21, 2011). "Lil B – I'm Gay". Now. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
13. Greene, Jayson (July 14, 2011). "Lil B: I'm Gay (I'm Happy)". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
14. Cole, Matthew (July 11, 2011). "Lil B: I'm Gay (I'm Happy)". Slant Magazine. Retrieved July 13, 2011.
15. Shahan, James (July 4, 2011). . URB. Archived from the original on July 13, 2011. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
16. Greenfield, Henry (July 6, 2011). "Lil B, I'm Gay". XXL. from the original on July 10, 2011. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
17. Ology, James (July 6, 2011). . Archived from the original on July 10, 2011. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
18. . K1ngEljay.com. July 4, 2011. Archived from the original on July 11, 2011. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
19. Weiss, Dan. (2011-07-05) Lil B's I'm Gay: More Bashful Than Expected – San Francisco Music – All Shook Down. Blogs.sfweekly.com. Retrieved on November 12, 2011.
20. Lil B – I'm Gay (Album Review + Download) | Yung Drew's Hip Hop Music October 6, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Yungdrew.com. Retrieved on November 12, 2011.
21. Lil B – I'm Gay | Album Review. SoulCulture (July 1, 2011). Retrieved on November 12, 2011.
22. Lil B 'The Based God'-I'm Gay (Album Review) July 6, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Prolificmovementblog.com (June 30, 2011). Retrieved on November 12, 2011.
23. "Favorite 50 Albums of 2011". Tiny Mix Tapes. December 15, 2011. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
24. "Lil B Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
25. "Lil B Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 16, 2020.