Recommended Tracks: “hot topic,” “1-800,” “it boy,” “bing bong”
Artists you may like: Yung Gravy, Käärijä, Tommy Cash, Ashnikko
If you’re looking for an album packed with pop culture references, sexual innuendos, and oxymoronic rap atop an energetic beat, you’re in the right place. Canadian rapper and singer bbno$ has released his self-titled album, bbno$. The album is 50 minutes of never-pausing good time, with banger after banger that will have you up on your feet, bopping your head, and maybe throwing a hip-thrust in every once in a while (we’re looking at you, “boom.”).
What really ties the album together are the accompanying music videos, visualizers, and online content shared throughout the album’s cycle. bbno$ is sort of a concept album, if you think about it — consider the concept is a man taking the internet by storm for funsies (If you are online scrolling in any capacity, we can almost guarantee you’ve heard his songs or seen his face in a video or two).
While we were instantly hooked on earworm singles like “it boy,” “check,” and “two,” my emo heart was filled with joy with the release of “hot topic.” bbno$ gifted the alternative merch store and its consumers a brand new anthem with this groovy ’70s/disco-influenced track, accompanied by a humorous music video featuring the Canadian dressed up in gothic attire.
Joined by other Hot Topic regulars as they dance through the city streets, he escapes his disapproving dad (portrayed by JSchlatt) in favor of the cybergoth dance party of his dreams before he is finally embraced by his father. This video is heartwarming… in an unusual, emo sort of way.
One of the most fun aspects of this album is the community that goes into it. Between the artists who feature on a handful of tracks, internet personalities who appear in the videos, and the artists that bbno$ highlights in the music videos, it’s clear it took a village to make this album the best it could be.
bbno$ includes three standout features throughout the album, including Twitch streamer and internet personality VNLLA/Vanilla Mace on “bing bong” (“Protect them dolls!”), and Vtuber ironmouse on one of my top album tracks, “1-800.”
My personal favorite is hearing the demanding voice of Finnish rapper and singer Käärijä on “eat slay love.” bbno$ has already worked with some of the recent Eurovision greats, like Tommy Cash on “TANGO” and his feature on Joost Klein’s “Mayo, no fries!,” so watching bbno$ continue to collaborate with the group of icons made my European-rapper-filled-heart full. They match one another’s freak, and their collab gives me the energy to eat, slay, and love the day away.
In addition to the already released music videos, bbno$ includes cameos from celebrities and online personalities, including Yung Gravy (“1-800”), JIMBO (“NSFW”), Anthony Po (“hot topic”), and Ethan Nestor (“gigolo”) — just to name a few. This is only a small fraction of the online collaborations bbno$ has blessed his fanbase with, making the release of this album a true “you had to be there” experience.
bbno$ is outspoken about his disdain for artificial intelligence, especially when it’s used to generate art. He not only talks the talk, but he is true to his word, proven by the number of human artists he has commissioned to create the visual side of this album.
Five months in the making, the music video for the single “ADD” features artwork from 20 different animators commissioned by bbno$ to compile and create the full video (with proper credit, to boot).
How would the man himself describe the album? In an interview with Fantano, he said:
“When you listen to the project, you should expect fun. If you’re expecting important lyricism for 2025, don’t expect that. One of the lines says ‘balls hanging low so the pussy playin’ ping-pong,’ there’s not much going on, it’s just a good, fun listen… […] It’s really good walking music […] and then if you like doing drugs, come do some ketamine at my show, I don’t know, feel free!”
While the self-titled album already had a substantial amount of songs, I found myself feeling like something was missing: “antidepressants.” I was disappointed to realize that the February single isn’t on the tracklist, but perhaps I miss this song more because I found it to be a daily repeat throughout the first half of 2025. bbno$ has expressed that his journey through managing his depression positively impacted his daily life and his writing, and so with that in mind, the song will remain a must-play just after the album.
Luckily, we still get a little dose with the lyrics of “bing bong”: “I’m tryna eradicate the negative stigma around antidepressants / I got reasons / (What?)”.
Whether this vibe is meant for you or it’s not your cup of tea, there is no doubt that bbno$ is legit. He is there for his fans, he embraces the cringe, he travels the world meeting people and making fun videos. bbno$ is making music and working on projects that make him truly happy, and that is reflected in this album. There quite simply cannot be a bad day when his music is on, and bbno$ is a reliable friend to depend on for some cheering up (and, again, spontaneous hip thrusts).
bbno$ will embark on the third leg of his It’s Pronounced Baby No Money world tour, performing in Australia, New Zealand, Asia, and Brazil this fall, followed by his recently announced The Internet Explorer World Tour, which will begin in North America before moving to the UK/EU in spring. Remaining tickets are available here.
It’s Pronounced Baby No Money Fall 2025 Tour Dates:
10/31 – Sydney, Australia – Hordern
11/1 – Perth, Australia – Metro City
11/3 – Melbourne, Australia – Festival Hall
11/5 – Brisbane, Australia – Fortitude Music Hall
11/6 – Adelaide, Australia – Hindley Street Music Hall
11/8 – Auckland, New Zealand – Power Station
11/9 – Wellington, New Zealand – Meow Nui
11/12 – Singapore – Scape
11/14 – Taipei City, Taiwan – Clapper Studio
11/16 – Seoul, South Korea – Musinsa Garage
11/17 – Tokyo, Japan – WWWX
11/22 – São Paulo, Brazil – Cine Joia
The Internet Explorer World Tour Winter/Spring 2026 dates:
2/14 – San Francisco, CA – The Warfield
2/18 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Palladium
2/20 – Anaheim, CA – House of Blues Anaheim
2/21 – Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Financial Theatre
2/23 – San Diego, CA – SOMA
2/25 – Albuquerque, NM – Revel Entertainment Center
2/27 – Dallas, TX – The Bomb Factory
2/28 – Austin, TX – Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater
3/1 – San Antonio, TX – The Aztec Theatre
3/4 – St. Petersburg, FL – Jannus Live
3/5 – Orlando, FL – House of Blues Orlando
3/7 – Atlanta, GA – Coca-Cola Roxy
3/8 – Charlotte, NC – The Fillmore Charlotte
3/10 – Philadelphia, PA – Franklin Music Hall
3/11 – Boston, MA – MGM Music Hall at Fenway
3/12 – Washington, DC – The Anthem
3/13 – New York, NY – Terminal 5
3/16 – Detroit, MI – The Fillmore
3/17 – Chicago, IL – The Salt Shed
3/18 – Cleveland, OH – Agora Theatre and Ballroom
3/20 – Buffalo, NY – Buffalo RiverWorks
3/21 – Montreal, QC – Place Bell
3/24 – St. Louis, MO – The Pageant
3/25 – Madison, WI – The Sylvee
3/27 – Kansas City, MO – Uptown Theater
3/28 – Minneapolis, MN – The Armory
3/29 – West Des Moines, IA – Val Air Ballroom
3/31 – Omaha, NE – Steelhouse
4/2 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Union Event Center
4/4 – Seattle, WA – WAMU Theater
5/4 – Dublin, Ireland – National Stadium
5/5 – Dublin, Ireland – National Stadium
5/7 – Manchester, UK – O2 Victoria Warehouse
5/10 – Glasgow, UK – O2 Academy Glasgow
5/13 – London, UK – O2 Academy Brixton
5/17 – Cologne, Germany – Palladium
5/19 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – AFAS Live
5/20 – Paris, France – Bataclan
5/21 – Milan, Italy – Fabrique
5/24 – Prague, Czech Republic – Sasazu
5/26 – Berlin, Germany – Columbiahalle
5/28 – Bratislava, Slovakia – Majestic Music Club
6/5 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage
Keep up with bbno$: Website // Spotify // YouTube // Facebook // X // Instagram
