"I'm dentist paying, tennis playing, smellin on some cabernet. And I ain't gay but if I was, everything would be okay..." -Lil Dicky in "White Dude"
Since I started truly listening to Lil Dicky a few weeks ago, I have been pretty solidly obsessed. His witty, yet awkward and catchy flow had me hooked when my sister first played "Professional Rapper" for me a few months ago. The lyric at the top is quintessentially Lil Dicky and is a prime example of the comedic nature of his rap.
Based just off of a lyric or two, Lil Dicky might seem like a white rapper who is just plain full of himself. Born David Andrew Burd, Lil Dicky (or LD as he is sometimes called) grew up in a middle-class Jewish family in a suburb of Philadelphia. He is not exactly the prototypical image of a rapper and references this often. His songs "White Dude" or "White Crime" are perfect examples of his referential style of rap. In both of them, LD purposefully pokes fun at himself and his privilege. These two songs are my favorites in particular because they are both so overdone and ridiculous, but also force the listener to think critically about what exactly they are hearing.
"We just keep it low, for example. Walk into the movie with my pants full. Twix, bag of chips, plus a snapple. Stealing all the shampoos from the hotels pretty bathrooms. Cheating, I've been peeking in the classroom..." -Lil Dicky in "White Crime"
In "White Crime", LD is making fun of his middle-class background while also drawing attention to privileged criminals. He implies that white people are more likely to be able to get away with committing stupid little crimes because of privilege. The song and video was released in 2015, so his lyrics are commentaryon the many unarmed people who have been shot in the past for having committed minimal crimes. "White Crime" is a funny and uncomfortable song that makes you laugh while thinking critically about the double standards found in society and the justice system. LD's satirical style is something that makes his rap distinct in the best sense.
If you listened to the radio during the summer of 2015, you probably heard Lil Dicky and you did not even know it! His song, "Save Dat Money" featuring Fetty Wap and Rich Homie Quan, was all over the airwaves. I heard it playing throughout the summer without even knowing it was him. As of this month, the music video for "Save Dat Money" has been viewed over 58 million times on YouTube: yet another reason to listen to Lil Dicky. No matter how many times I've seen his music videos in the last few weeks, I still find myself dying of laughter at his mannerisms and the ridiculous things he does in each video. Pro-tip though: I would definitely not recommend watching them with your parents because that can get really awkward really fast.
I hope that by reading this article, I inspired you to give Lil Dicky's music a try. I'm certainly glad I did (shoutout to my sister Monica!).
