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Kaayla Watchell
bbno$
Rb Hip Hop
bbno$ Gets Serious on New Single ‘Why Am I Like This’
On the track, the Vancouver artist gets reflective, trading in his bouncy and funny rap flow for an introspective indie-pop moment.
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bbno$ is getting serious.
Today (March 6), the Vancouver-based rapper released “Why Am I Like This,” his second single of the year following a brief tongue-in-cheek "retirement" at the end of of last year.
Leaning into indie-rock sounds, the artist trades some of his trademark humour and bouncy hip-hop flow for punchy drums and bright guitar chords with melancholy vocals. It's part of a new era that is leaning into being reflective and introspective as he grapples with mental health in the digital age.
“I should get off my phone / But I’m scared of being alone,” he sings throughout the nearly three-minute track.
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On social media, the genre-bending artist shared a brief statement on releasing the single, marvelling at his ability to put it together: “this is the best song i have ever made, i put my everything into it. i hope you all can enjoy it as much as i do,” he said. “i appreciate you all very much.”
This marks his second release after claiming that he was retiring from music in December due to online bullying following a viral TikTok challenge. The short-lived retirement lasted a mere couple of weeks before he released “Diamonds Are Forever” the following month. In February, he followed that up with the music video for “Come to Brazil” exclusively with Billboard Brasil, a hit from last year’s genre-blending album, bbno$. He also collaborated with Diablo II.
“Why Am I Like This” is the latest song from the Vancouver rapper, who has rapidly risen in the Canadian rap scene over the past few years. His latest album, the self-titled bbno$, was released last October and peaked at No. 33 on the Billboard Canadian Albums chart. It weaves through different genres on the project from dance-heavy records to soft, mellow serenading moments.
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It features the standout track “Check,” a single that spent 20 weeks on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100, peaking at No. 62 and coming in at No. 50 on the year-end Billboard Canada 2025 Radio Songs chart.
In 2025, another bbno$ hit, “Gigolo,” scored a coveted spot on Spotify’s most-streamed artists for the latter half of the year.
Impressively, he's done all of this as an independent artist.
We caught up with bbno$ at last year’s Osheaga before the release of bbno$, shared the unexpected story of how his career first gained traction in China, his pre-show ritual and how his live performances are increasingly moving in an electronic direction.
bbno$ has yet to confirm if the new work will end up on a future album. This June, he’ll embark on a North American tour, stopping at RBC Amphitheatre in Toronto.
Watch “Why Am I Like This” here:
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