By Daniel macadangdang & maria vanderbilt | june 18, 2025
When it comes to modern music, few artists embrace the chaos quite like BBNO$. Equal parts internet mischief-maker and independent music trailblazer, he thrives in the unpredictable. From humble SoundCloud beginnings to commanding international festival stages, BBNO$ has carved out a space in the music world that’s entirely his own — and he’s done it without compromise. Known for his offbeat humor, unpredictable sound, and hyper-engaged online presence, the Canadian rapper continues to push boundaries sonically and visually. He’s just as likely to drop a banger as he is to show up in full cosplay, and in his world, that unpredictability is the point.
We caught up with BBNO$ fresh off a major North American run (our team also had the pleasure to lead the photo direction for his cosplay photoshoot and also covered his Tampa show!) to chat about his evolving sound, mental health in the industry, building community online, and where he’ll go next with his cosplay adventures.
For clarity, interview initials are as follows:
DM – Daniel Macadangdang
MV – Maria Vanderbilt
BB – BBNO$
DM: Your music blends various genres and styles. How do you describe your unique sound, and what influences have shaped it?
BB: I think now that it’s taking quite an electronic route a lot of my influences come from Europe/UK. I feel like the primary development of where my music has gone is because I want my live show to be insane and it is slowly becoming more and more of a rave. Eventually I will put out a ballad project so people have both sides of the cookie.
MV: Can you walk us through your creative process when crafting a new track? How do you approach songwriting and production?
BB: I mean, it’s pretty simple, quite frankly. I just get in the studio and the producer starts playing melodies and then I hum or mumble words over the music and we decide simultaneously at the same time what we enjoy most and put the pieces of the puzzle together to make the record as enjoyable and entertaining as we possibly can.
DM: On “Check,” you pulled from “Low Rider” by War. What drew you to that sample, and how did you flip it into something new?
BB: dwilly (producer/friend I work with) sat me down one day and was very enthused about trying to sample this song. Specifically, I said, ‘why the hell not’ and that was it basically — wasn’t that deep. We didn’t really expect it to be that big of a song, but people like sampled music. I mean if you make a song that was already a hit, I’m sure it’ll do pretty well, right?
MV: You recently performed at this year’s JUNO Awards — how has your journey evolved from 2022 to now in 2025?
BB: I feel that not much has really changed fundamentally in the business, but I’m now surrounded by a management team that understands what I am trying to do. Historically I was trying to convince management to proceed in a manner that they typically did not agree with which, in turn, ruffled everybody’s feathers. So the primary change is that I am in a collective of creative individuals seeing out my endeavors together more logistically than historically.
DM: What challenges have you faced in the music industry, and how have you overcome them?
BB: Staying independent has given me the ability to do what I want, and I think I experience less moguls than most artists do specifically in this day and age. I do think that the most difficult thing is the psychological effect social media has on individuals and how all-consuming the business is. It’s very much a business that you get out of it what you put in, but other than that, I don’t really have any direct challenges. I think staying inclined even through the more commercialized/music industry type of ordeals has been a little bit of a struggle for me, but at the end of the day, my parents are proud, so I don’t really have anything to worry about!
MV: How has the internet and social media impacted your career and the way you connect with your audience?
BB: I think that, without social media, I would not have a career. It’s an easy tool that is free and offered to anyone who wants to use it, and I think I use it more than most people do. One of the most effective uses of it is creating a community with your fan base and diehards to service the people who make it possible to be able to tour and do shows.
DM: Congrats on several sold-out shows across your North American tour! What does that kind of reception mean to you?
BB: It means so much to see that kind of response. It’s incredibly motivating and makes all the hard work worth it. I’m already excited for the next tour, which will be two or three times bigger. With that being said, I’m definitely looking forward to some time to rest and recharge.
MV: What’s been the most surprising or memorable moment from this tour so far?
BB: I did my first Italian show and one of the largest shows I’ve personally ever sold tickets to in Vienna. Both of those were pretty memorable. I’m just kind of blown away by how much Slavic people like me. I love the Slavs!
DM: Let’s talk about the Tampa show — What made you decide to go all-in with Sonic for this show? How long did it take to plan out that entire project? (who to work with, etc) Yung Gravy made a surprise appearance with you during your Tampa show — Are there any upcoming projects or plans in the works for Baby Gravy?
BB: I proposed the cosplay with moist critical and Yung Gravy a couple weeks beforehand and I told stella chuuuuu to basically ready it up. We decided to either do serious or very slutty cosplayers and we obviously chose the latter. Then on 1 March we met up, did two hours of make-up and posted 42 TikTok‘s in a singular day before my Tampa show. It was a very daunting experience, but we ended up printing 200 million views across all social media platforms, and I think we are starting to pave the way for new types of marketing and displaying that you can utilize social media to market your music more effectively than traditional marketing tactics presented via labels and the more traditional methods.
MV: You’ve been leaning into cosplay on stage, if you had no limits, what’s your dream cosplay and how would you bring it to life?
BB: Dream cosplay? Shrek. I love Shrek. Shrek is love. Shrek is life.
Whether he’s riffing on social media strategy, crafting crowd-hyping setlists, or fully committing to a chaotic costume, BBNO$ continues to show that the future of music might not follow the rules we’re used to. And that’s exactly what makes it exciting.
What’s next? A ballad project. A bigger tour. Possibly Shrek. Whatever it is, one thing is certain: BBNO$ is staying true to his full authentic self, staying independent, and staying ahead of the curve.
Daniel Macadangdang and Maria Vanderbilt are freelance Photojournalists and Editors for Majestic Music Magazine.
