Bbno$
{{Short description|Canadian musician (born 1995)}}
{{pp-protected|small=yes}}
{{Lowercase title}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2022}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = bbno$
| image = Bbno$ Twitchcon 2024.jpg
| caption = bbno$ in 2024
| birth_name = Alexander Leon Gumuchian
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1995|06|30}}
| birth_place = Vancouver, Canada
| genre = {{flatlist|
- Hip hop{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/8518697/megan-thee-stallion-y2k-bbno-chart-success|title=Emerging Hip-Hop/R&B: Megan Thee Stallion, Y2K and Bbno$ Make Chart Moves|last=Lamarre|first=Carl|date=July 3, 2019|magazine=Billboard|access-date=October 13, 2019}}
- R&B
- electronic{{cite web |last1=Yeung |first1=Neil Z. |title=bbno$ Biography, Songs, & Albums |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/bbno-mn0003847096/biography |website=AllMusic |access-date=1 January 2023}}
}}
| occupation = {{flatlist|
- Rapper
- singer
- songwriter
}}
| years_active = 2014–present
| label = {{hlist|IMPERIAL|Republic}}
| website = {{URL|bbnomula.com}}
}}
Alexander Leon Gumuchian ({{IPAc-en|g|ə|ˈ|m|uː|tʃ|i|ə|n}} {{respell|gə|MOO|chee|ən}};{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=1Hh97lMmfGATwIWT&t=392&v=JjgfkJJTRLA&feature=youtu.be |title=Nardwuar vs. bbno$ |date=2022-12-23 |last=NardwuarServiette |access-date=2025-03-13 |via=YouTube}} born June 30, 1995), known professionally as bbno$ (pronounced "baby no money"),{{Cite web|url=https://undergroundunderdogs.com/2018/11/07/bbnos-interview-profile-yung-gravy-china/|title=Meet bbno$: The Definition of Fun Rap|last=Lyazov|first=Valentin|date=November 7, 2018|website=Underground Underdogs|language=en-US|access-date=September 7, 2019}}{{Cite tweet|number=1885339432741724174|user=bbnomula|author=bbno$ 👶🚫💰|title=it's baby no money NOT BEEBEENOS
it's baby no money NOT BUHBUHNOS
it's baby no money NOT BONOBOS
it's baby no money PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!|date=2025-01-31|access-date=2025-01-31}} is a Canadian rapper, singer, and songwriter. He became widely known for his 2019 single "Lalala" (with record producer and songwriter Y2K), which peaked at No. 10 on the Canadian Hot 100. He achieved wider attention for his 2021 track "Edamame" (which was used in several film trailers and soundtracks) and for his collaborations with American rapper Yung Gravy. In 2025, he won the Juno Fan Choice Award.
Early life
Alexander Leon Gumuchian{{Cite web |last=Jolley |first=Ben |date=2022-10-21 |title=bbno$ on new album 'Bag Or Die': "Everyone's too serious and there's too much negativity in the world" |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/bbno-on-new-album-bag-or-die-everyones-too-serious-and-theres-too-much-negativity-in-the-world-3332913 |access-date=2025-03-22 |website=NME |language=en-GB}} was born in Vancouver{{Cite web|url=https://www.goodjuicebox.com/this-is-how-bbnos-got-big/|title=This is how bbno$ got big in China – and why he's never going back to school|last=Fox|first=Isaac Nikolai|date=February 27, 2018|website=Good Juice Box|language=en-US|access-date=September 7, 2019|archive-date=July 23, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210723083850/https://www.goodjuicebox.com/this-is-how-bbnos-got-big/|url-status=dead}} on June 30, 1995,{{Cite tweet |number=1807472386700124383 |user=bbnomula |title=it's my birthday lol |first=Alexander Leon |last=Gumuchian |date=2024-06-30 |access-date=2025-03-22}}{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbT9vNgyVXM |title=bbno$ - That Library Show |date=2023-09-19 |last=That Library Show |type=Video |time=19:24–19:27 |access-date=2025-04-29 |via=YouTube}} the son of an Armenian father and Danish-Swiss mother.{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbT9vNgyVXM | title=Bbno$ - That Library Show | website=YouTube | date=September 19, 2023 }} He was homeschooled before he began high school.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thisfunktional.com/2019/08/y2k-bbno-release-official-video-for.html|title=Y2K, BBNO$ release official video for LALALA|website=Thisfunktional|access-date=September 10, 2019}}{{Cite web|title="Challenge yourself and move onto the next project." – bbno$ {{!}} Music of Armenia|url=http://musicofarmenia.com/challenge-yourself-and-move-onto-the-next-project|access-date=2022-02-09|website=musicofarmenia.com|language=en|archive-date=February 9, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220209132912/http://musicofarmenia.com/challenge-yourself-and-move-onto-the-next-project|url-status=dead}} He was a competitive swimmer during high school.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjgfkJJTRLA |title=Nardwuar vs. bbno$ |date=Dec 23, 2022 |last=the Human Serviette |first=Nardwuar |author-link=Nardwuar |type=Video |access-date=April 2, 2025}} While growing up, his mother had encouraged him to learn piano, but he struggled with music theory.{{Cite web|url=https://lyricallemonade.com/p/from-memes-to-the-masses-the-wild-rise-of-bbno|title=From memes to the masses: the wild rise of bbno$|last=Harvey|first=Brodie|date=September 3, 2019|website=Lyrical Lemonade|access-date=September 10, 2019}} He has said that he was good with rhythm and enjoyed playing the djembe, but did not listen to music for fun until the age of 15. In 2019, he received a degree in kinesiology from the University of British Columbia Okanagan in Kelowna.
Career
Gumuchian started working with music after experiencing a back injury which prevented him from pursuing his dream as a professional swimmer.{{cite journal |last1=Nazarian |first1=Andrea |title=Bbno$ Is Having More Fun Than You |journal=BeatRoute |date=January 25, 2019 |url=https://beatroute.ca/2019/01/25/bbno-is-having-more-fun-than-you/ |access-date=October 31, 2019 |location=Canada |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191007024701/https://beatroute.ca/2019/01/25/bbno-is-having-more-fun-than-you/ |archive-date=October 7, 2019}} He became interested in rapping and music production in 2014 when experimenting on GarageBand with a group of friends.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theurbanhustle.com/single-post/2016/10/11/bbno-Talks-about-The-Rap-Game|title=bbno$ Talks about The Rap Game|last=Bernstein|first=Sarah|date=October 12, 2016|website=The Urban (sure) Hustle|language=en|access-date=September 12, 2019|archive-date=September 10, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180910113535/http://www.theurbanhustle.com/single-post/2016/10/11/bbno-Talks-about-The-Rap-Game|url-status=dead}} Gumuchian began simply making music for enjoyment with this group of friends who later deemed themselves Broke Boy Gang. After five or six months of performing live as a group and releasing multiple tracks online, the group broke up. He began posting tracks on SoundCloud in September 2016 under the moniker of "bbnomula" where he quickly gained millions of streams and followers.{{Cite web|url=https://soundcloud.com/bbnomula|title=bbnomula|website=SoundCloud}} He gained popularity in China where he sold out his first few "back-to-back" headlining tours. 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.{{Cite web|url=https://genius.com/a/who-is-bbnos-with-y2k-produced-viral-hit-lalala-when-i-popped-off-did-i-really-just-forget-that-melody-meme|title=In Search Of: Bbno$' Y2K-Produced Hit "Lalala" Is Just His Latest Viral Success|last=Fu|first=Eddie|date=July 11, 2019|website=Genius|language=en|access-date=September 12, 2019}}
In 2017, bbno$ released his first EP, Baby Gravy, as a collaboration with Yung Gravy,{{Citation|title=Baby Gravy – EP by Yung Gravy & bbno$|url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/baby-gravy-ep/1292505805|work=Apple Music|language=en-us}} shortly before releasing his debut studio album, Bb Steps, and his second collaborative EP, Whatever, with So Loki in 2018.{{Citation|title=Bb Steps by bbno$|url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/bb-steps/1410016493|work=Apple Music|language=en-us}}{{Citation|title=Whatever by bbno$ & So Loki|url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/whatever/1439962893|work=Apple Music|language=en-us}}
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.{{Cite web|url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/recess/1447703608|title=Recess by bbno$|website=Apple Music}}{{Cite web|url=https://dailychiefers.com/bbno-unleashes-some-heat-with-new-project-recess/|title=Bbno$ Unleashes Some Heat With New Project, "Recess"|last=Mike|date=January 28, 2019|website=Daily Chiefers|language=en-US|access-date=September 12, 2019}} Many tracks off of Recess gained millions of streams on Spotify. 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.{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/y2k-bbno-lalala-tiktok-tinder-craigslist-861097/|title=How Y2k and bbno$ Turned 'Lalala' Into a Hit, One Tinder Match at a Time|last=Leight|first=Elias|date=July 24, 2019|magazine=Rolling Stone}} The song was able to peak on over 20 charts around the world and gain over 1 billion streams worldwide. On March 17, 2023, the song was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for equivalent sales of three million units in the United States.{{Cite web|url=https://acharts.co/song/122878|title=Lalala by Y2K and Bbnos – Music Charts|website=ACharts}}
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.{{Cite web|url=https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/bbnos-releases-i-dont-care-at-all-album-new-mixtape.119762.html|title=bbno$ Releases "I Don't Care At All" Album|website=HotNewHipHop|date=November 10, 2019 |access-date=December 15, 2019}}
On February 14, 2020, Baby Gravy 2 was released properly 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.Bryen Dunn, [https://thebuzzmag.ca/2020/08/canadas-drag-race-and-then-there-were-three/ "Canada's Drag Race – and then there were three!"]. The Buzz, August 2020.
On January 29, 2021, "Help Herself" was released. The song, produced by Diamond Pistols, was the first single from a new bbno$ project.{{citation needed|date=December 2023}}
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.
On July 24, 2021, "Edamame" featuring Rich Brian was released. This song was the first single from bbno$'s mixtape Eat Ya Veggies, and was later used in a trailer for The Garfield Movie.
On October 8, 2021, bbno$ 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.[https://blog.counter-strike.net/index.php/2021/10/35661/ Release Notes for 10/7/2021]
He released his first new single of 2022 on April 8, titled "Mathematics".
bbno$ released the studio album Bag or Die on October 21, 2022. It includes the singles "Mathematics", "Piccolo", and "Sophisticated", along with a collaboration with Yung Gravy, "Touch Grass".
In 2023, bbno$ and Yung Gravy released his seventh studio album Baby Gravy 3 and his third collaboration album with Yung Gravy. It includes the singles "Goodness Gracious",{{Cite web |title=Yung Gravy and bbno$ Unite Again on "Goodness Gracious" |url=https://www.exclusiveaudio.net/blog/yung-gravy-bbno-goodness-gracious |access-date=2023-08-28 |website=Exclusive Audio |language=en-US}} "You Need Jesus",{{Cite web |date=2023-07-13 |title=Yung Gravy and bbno$ release 'You Need Jesus', announce release date of 'Baby Gravy 3' - Edge of the Crowd |url=https://edgeofthecrowd.com/posts/yung-gravy-and-bbno-24-release-you-need-jesus-2c-announce-release-date-of-baby-gravy-3 |access-date=2023-08-28 |website=edgeofthecrowd.com |language=en-US}} and "Nightmare on Peachtree Street" featuring Freddie Dredd.{{Cite web |last=Lochrie |first=Conor |date=2023-08-04 |title=Yung Gravy and bbno$ Have a 'Nightmare on Peachtree Street' |url=https://tonedeaf.thebrag.com/yung-gravy-bbno-nightmare-on-peachtree-street-single/ |access-date=2023-08-28 |website=Tone Deaf |language=en-AU}}
In 2024, bbno$ released seven singles, "BPOT (Bills Paid on Time)"; "Pho Real" (with Vietnamese rappers Low G and Anh Phan), "Lil Freak" (featuring YouTuber-streamer Cr1TiKaL in the music video), "It Boy", "Two", "Meant to Be", and "Check". He has also collaborated with Smosh's Ian Hecox and Anthony Padilla for the song "Submissive & Breedable". As of March 2025, he has released two more singles.
Artistry
bbno$ has described his own music as "oxymoronic rap" that is "ignorant but melodic".{{Cite web|url=https://beatroute.ca/2019/01/25/bbno-is-having-more-fun-than-you/|title=Bbno$ Is Having More Fun Than You|last=Nazarian|first=Andrea|date=January 25, 2019|website=BeatRoute Magazine|language=en-US|url-status=dead|access-date=September 12, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191007024701/https://beatroute.ca/2019/01/25/bbno-is-having-more-fun-than-you/|archive-date=October 7, 2019}} 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. He has cited Yung Lean and Pouya as his main rap inspirations.{{Cite web|url=http://www.thhguru.com/newmusic/2017/7/28/thhguru-exclusive-interview-bbno|title=THHGURU Exclusive Interview: BBNO$|date=July 28, 2017|website=TheHipHopGuru|language=en-US|access-date=September 12, 2019|archive-date=October 7, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191007024702/http://www.thhguru.com/newmusic/2017/7/28/thhguru-exclusive-interview-bbno|url-status=dead}}
Personal life
bbno$ continues to reside in Vancouver. He has astigmatism.
Discography
= Studio albums =
= Extended plays =
= Singles =
Awards and nominations
Notes
{{notelist-ua}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Sister project links|display=bbno$|auto=y}}
- [https://bbnomula.com/ Official website]
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:bbno}}
Category:21st-century Canadian male singers
Category:21st-century Canadian rappers
Category:21st-century Canadian singer-songwriters
Category:Canadian male rappers
Category:21st-century male rappers
Category:Canadian male singer-songwriters
Category:Canadian people of Armenian descent
Category:Canadian people of Danish descent
Category:Canadian people of Swiss descent
Category:Canadian Twitch (service) streamers
Category:Canadian electronic musicians
Category:Republic Records artists
Category:Singers from Vancouver
Category:University of British Columbia Faculty of Education alumni