bbno$

Irreverent Canadian singer/songwriter bbno$ (“baby no money”) blends hip-hop, R&B, and electronic influences into a catchy and hypnotic mix. Emerging in the late 2010s, he scored a viral hit in 2019 with the Y2K-produced single “Lalala,” which was certified platinum and charted across Europe, Australasia, and the U.S. A frequent collaborator with kindred spirit Yung Gravy, as on 2020′s Baby Gravy 2, bbno$ has continued to release inventive albums like 2020′s Goodluck, Have Fun and 2023′s Bag or Die.
Born Alexander Gumuchian in Vancouver, he dabbled with piano and percussion as a child, but favored swimming over music. That changed when he injured his back in high school, dashing his professional dreams. He studied college-level kinesiology to gain a better understanding of pain, which inspired him to try his hand at music. Gumuchian’s early songwriting involved the Broke Boy Gang, a local crew who performed and recorded together for a brief period before splitting up. On his own, he started composing tracks in earnest, uploading them online in 2016 as “bbnomula.” With a heavy trap influence and clever sense of humor, Gumuchian built an underground audience across the globe, from the U.S. to China, and soon other rappers came calling for collaborations, including Minnesota’s Yung Gravy. The pair issued one of their first singles, “Run This Shit,” in 2017. Later that year, a full EP, Baby Gravy, arrived.
The following year, bbno$ released his debut solo effort, Bb Steps, and a joint project with So Loki, Whatever. While these were well-received by his fans, another year would pass before he could break into the mainstream. In early 2019, his sophomore LP, Recess, arrived. Featuring contributions by Lentra, Y2K, and TrippyThaKid, the album was soon eclipsed by the single “Lalala.” Appearing across various social media platforms, the song went viral, surpassing 500 million streams and charting around the world. Months after its initial release, famous fans Carly Rae Jepsen and Enrique Iglesias hopped onto a remix that helped push the track to platinum status. Gumuchian closed his breakout year with another album, i don't care at all. In addition to features from Lewis Grant and Lil Mayo, the LP was home to another Yung Gravy collaboration, the bouncy “shining on my ex.” The track wound up on the pair’s sequel album, Baby Gravy 2, which they released on Valentine’s Day 2020. The set was their first to chart on the Billboard 200 and included contributions from Y2K, Spark Master Tape, Cuco, and TrippyThaKid. He returned that October with another full-length, Good Luck, Have Fun. Two more EPs arrived in 2021 with My Oh My and Eat Ya Veggies, the latter of which included the Top 30 Canadian single “Edamame” featuring Rich Brian. The single “Mathematics” and album Bag or Die appeared in 2022. “Still” was released in 2023. ~ Neil Z. Yeung