Vancouver DIY hip-hop hero bbno$ will stage a hometown Malkin Bowl show billed as Baby’s Bonanza on May 26. Immediately afterwards, the MC also known as Alexander Leon Gumuchian—if there’s any justice in this world, which we know there isn’t—will be officially declared a civic treasure. 

Here’s why: normally, headlining a 2,000-capacity venue means a paycheque that guarantees you won’t be eating Kraft Dinner or Mr. Noodles for at least a couple of months. That’s especially true in ever-expensive Vancouver, where doing anything creative is difficult unless you happen to be a trust-fund kid.

For Baby’s Bonanza—which will also feature Yung Gravy, Freddie Dredd, Jungle Bobby, Joost Klein, and Eric Reprid—money from all tickets sold will be going to the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre. 

Take a bow, bbno$, because you’re about to join the Saint Michael Bublé club.

Prolific is a good starting descriptor for bbno$, who first started making waves and a Soundcloud rapper in the middle of last decade. The past six years have brought eight full-lengths, starting with the release of 2018’s BB Steps, EPs, and streaming smashes (“Lalala” with Y2K, “Edamame”). 

Music began as a hobby for bbno$, a former competitive swimmer who then planned on becoming a chiropractor after a serious back injury. While attending UBC, he spent his downtime making music, which eventually paid off to the point when it became a full-time gig. In a 2022 interview with Billboard, where he discussed a five-album deal and his streaming successes, bbno$ said, “My financial adviser just told me I am essentially rich forever.” As a result, he identified his goals moving forward as creating a nonprofit organization on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside to combat the opioid crisis.

In the meantime, the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre will be benefiting from bbno$’s mission to pay it forward.

More announcements like this, please. 

bbno$'s Baby Bonanza

Where: Malkin Bowl

When: May 26

Tickets: Live Nation

Instagram: @bbnomula