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Lil Dicky

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Lil Dicky
Lil Dicky performing at Bumbershoot 2015 in Seattle
Background information
Birth nameDavid Andrew Burd
Also known as
  • Brain
Born (1988-03-15) March 15, 1988 (age 36)
Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • songwriter
  • comedian
Years active2013–present
LabelsSchool Boy
Websitewww.lildicky.com

David Andrew Burd (born March 15, 1988), better known by his stage name Lil Dicky or LD, is an American rapper and comedian. He came to prominence with the release of the music video to his song "Ex-Boyfriend", which went viral with more than one million views on YouTube in 24 hours. He released his debut album Professional Rapper on July 31, 2015. In 2018, his song "Freaky Friday", featuring Chris Brown, became a worldwide hit.

Early life

Burd grew up in an upper middle class Jewish family in the Elkins Park neighborhood of Cheltenham Township, on the north border of Philadelphia.[1] He attended Cheltenham High School. Speaking about his time in high school, Burd said "I was a pussy. I was really awkward looking. I wasn’t getting any girls at all, but I was very class-clownish and I got good grades.” After graduating from high school, Burd began attending the University of Richmond,[2] where fellow 2016 XXL Freshman and rapper Dave East also attended at the same time.[3] Burd graduated summa cum laude in 2010.[4] He then relocated to San Francisco, California,[5] where he worked in account management at the advertising agency Goodby, Silverstein & Partners. After reimagining his monthly progress report as a rap video, the company brought him to work in their creative department, where he wrote copy for ads such as the NBA's "BIG" campaign.[1]

Burd's interest in music started when he was a child, listening to hip-hop music and alternative rock, Burd began rapping in the fifth grade after doing a history report on Alexander Pushkin using rap music.[6] Growing up, Burd listened to Nas and Jay-Z mainly when it came to hip-hop and rap music.[3]

Career

Lil Dicky performing at SXSW on March 14, 2014

Burd says he initiated his rap career "simply to get attention comedically, so I could write movies, write TV shows and act". However, he "fell in love with rapping" and says he's "not leaving that game until [he's] proved [his] point".[7]

Burd began working on his debut mixtape, So Hard in 2011. The mixtape took Burd over two years to finish[6] due to Burd still having his full-time job at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners during the development of the mixtape.[8] Burd recorded a majority of his early material for So Hard on his MacBook Pro and a $400 microphone and in 2013, began releasing one song a week for five months straight.[9] On April 23, 2013, Burd released the music video for his song "Ex-Boyfriend", the mixtape's leading single. The music video went viral almost instantly, receiving one million views within 24 hours of being posted on YouTube.[2][10][11] Burd released a new song or music video, in a series titled Hump Days. Following the release of 32 songs and 15 music videos, Burd launched a Kickstarter, stating, "I've officially run out of money... In a nutshell, you are funding phase two of my rap career." The month-long crowdfunding period began on November 20, 2013, with the goal of raising $70,000 in order to enable Lil Dicky to create and produce more music, music videos, and go touring.[12][13] The Kickstarter well exceeded its target, raising $113,000.[14]

Lil Dicky held his first live concert at TLA in Philadelphia on February 19, 2014.[15] Burd has signed with CMSN, who also manages Tyga, Chiddy Bang and others.[13][16] He plans "on having two concurrent careers going on, as a rapper, and as a comedian/actor/writer".[7]

Burd released his debut album Professional Rapper on July 31, 2015, and features artists Snoop Dogg, T-Pain, Rich Homie Quan, Fetty Wap, Brendon Urie (Panic! at the Disco), RetroJace and Hannibal Buress.

Lil Dicky appeared in a 2016 Funny or Die video "Watch Yo Self" with Mystikal and Trinidad James.[17]

On June 13, 2016, XXL Magazine released the 2016 Freshmen line-up. It included Lil Dicky, along with Anderson .Paak, Kodak Black, Lil Uzi Vert, 21 Savage, Dave East, Denzel Curry, Desiigner, G Herbo, and Lil Yachty.

On April 12, 2017, Lil Dicky released a music video for "Pillow Talking". Its special effects made it the 49th most expensive music video ever created.[18] In an interview with XXL in April 2017, Burd mentioned that he was creating a new project and that he was also attempting to pitch a TV show to networks.[19]

In September 2017, Lil Dicky released an EP under his alter ego Brain, I'm Brain.[20]

On March 15, 2018, Lil Dicky released a new single, Freaky Friday, featuring Chris Brown, and the associated music video. By April 9, 2018, the video had reached over 100 million views and topped the charts in New Zealand and the United Kingdom.[21]

On April 2, 2018, Lil Dicky announced his first Australian tour; he previously studied abroad for two years in Melbourne.[22]

Musical style and influences

Lil Dicky's style blends the comical with the relatable. According to Boston magazine, "Content-wise, Lil Dicky comes up with his material from everyday occurrences and everyday experiences. From there, he crafts his videos around those topics to create a visual narrative that accompanies his talent as an emcee. 'It's like a comedian. They are out in the world, and writing things down,' he said. What followed 'Ex-Boyfriend' was a series of other videos that covered similarly average everyday experiences—songs about staying in for the night, songs about being a Jewish kid—he also has a rap battle with Adolf Hitler in one of his videos."[10]

Lil Dicky describes his style as a response to the excessive egotistical nature of rap today: "I really wanted to embody the exact opposite of that, and I think people are appreciating it. There just hasn't been a voice for that normal dude when it comes to rap."[10] He added, "I think a lot of rap is just escalated to a place that many people can't relate to... My niche is that I'm relatable. I don't rap about going to the club and popping bottles."[23] In terms of his rapping skills, Lil Dicky is able "to manipulate words at an excessive speed, and weave rhyme patterns together in a way that's funny while also making viewers want to rewind parts of his videos".[10]

Burd says his musical inspirations are J. Cole and A$AP Rocky, as well as Childish Gambino, whom he refers to "as a guy with similar aspirations."[24]

Discography

Studio albums

List of albums, with selected chart positions and sales figures
Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications
US
[25] 		US
R&B/HH
[26] 		US
Rap
[27] 		US
Indie
[28] 		US
Comedy
[29]
Professional Rapper 7 2 1 1 1

Mixtapes

List of mixtapes, showing selected details
Title Mixtape details
So Hard[31]
  • Released: May 22, 2013
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: Digital download

EPs

List of EPs, showing selected details
Title EP details
I'm Brain
(as Brain ft. Lil Dicky)
  • Released: September 14, 2017
  • Label: BMG Rights Management
  • Format: Digital download

Singles

As lead artist

List of singles, with selected chart positions and certifications, showing year released and album name
Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album
US
[32] 		US Com.
[33] 		US R&B/HH
[34] 		US
Rap
[35] 		AUS
[36] 		CAN
[37] 		IRE
[38] 		NZ
[39] 		SWE
[40] 		UK
[41]
"Lemme Freak" 2014 — 3 — — — — — — — — Professional Rapper
"White Crime" — — — — — — — — — —
"Save Dat Money"
(featuring Fetty Wap and Rich Homie Quan) 		2015 71 1 23 14 — 54 — — — —
"Professional Rapper"
(featuring Snoop Dogg) 		— 1 — — — — — — — —
"Freaky Friday"
(featuring Chris Brown) 		2018 8 — 5 — 4 10 3 1 21 1 TBA
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
US
R&B/HH
Bub.
[45]
"Just a Lil' Thick (She Juicy)"
(Trinidad James featuring Mystikal and Lil Dicky) 		2016 2 Non-album single
"Sit Down"
(Kent Jones featuring Ty Dolla $ign, Lil Dicky and E-40) 		— Too Much Too Soon
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Tours

Year Tour Name
2014 Professional Rapper Tour
2015 Looking for Love Tour
2016 (Still) Looking For Love Tour
2016 Dick Or Treat Tour
2018 Australia and New Zealand Tour

References

  1. ^ a b "Cheltenham Rapper Lil Dicky Kicks Off His First Live Tour at TLA Wednesday". Philadelphia Magazine. 18 February 2014.
  2. ^ a b "Meet Kickstarter's Newest Musical Star". Bloomberg News. 6 December 2013.
  3. ^ a b "Lil Dicky - 2016 XXL Freshman Class". 2017 XXL Freshman Class. Retrieved 2017-09-15.
  4. ^ "Before pop stardom, many of today's young musicians earn college degrees". Washington Post. 2 January 2016.
  5. ^ "S.F.'s Lil Dicky Wants To Be the Larry David of Rap -- Watch Him Get "Too High"". SF Weekly. 16 September 2013.
  6. ^ a b Martin, Clay Skipper,Matt (2015-09-17). "Meet Lil Dicky, the Funny Rapper Whose New Album Is No Joke". GQ. Retrieved 2017-09-15.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ a b "Lil Dicky Talks Upgrading His Rap Career Via $100,000 Kickstarter Campaign". HipHopDX. 10 April 2014.
  8. ^ "Lil Dicky Isn't a White Supremacist, He's Just an Asshole". Noisey. Retrieved 2017-09-15.
  9. ^ Betker, Ally. "It's Time to Take Lil Dicky, Hip Hop's Goofball, Seriously". W Magazine. Retrieved 2017-09-15.
  10. ^ a b c d "Rapper Lil Dicky Talks Stereotypes, Expectations, and Battling Hitler in a Music Video". Boston. 11 February 2014.
  11. ^ "Lil Dicky - Ex-Boyfriend (Official Video)". YouTube. 25 April 2013.
  12. ^ "Lil Dicky's Kickstarter - Album, Videos, Touring". Kickstarter.
  13. ^ a b "Rapper Lil Dicky Reaches Kickstarter Goal". Variety. 27 November 2013.
  14. ^ "THANK YOU". Lil Dicky's Kickstarter. 20 December 2013.
  15. ^ "Cheltenham Rapper Lil Dicky Kicked Off His First Live Tour at TLA". Philadelphia Magazine. 20 February 2014.
  16. ^ "Lil Dicky signs to Pop-Up Music". Jingle Punks. 16 January 2014.
  17. ^ "Watch Yo Self". Funny or Die. Retrieved 2017-04-26.
  18. ^ "A Complete Breakdown of Lil Dicky's Bizarre "Pillow Talking" Short Film". DJ Booth. 13 April 2017. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  19. ^ "Lil Dicky Focuses on Creating His New TV Show - XXL". XXL Mag. Retrieved 2017-09-15.
  20. ^ "Brain Gets Lil Dicky & The Game On His "I'm Brain" EP". Retrieved 2017-09-15.
  21. ^ "It's Freaky Friday! Lil Dicky & Chris Brown are Number 1".
  22. ^ "ANNOUNCES DEBUT AUSTRALIAN & NEW ZEALAND SHOWS THIS JULY". Retrieved 2018-04-06.
  23. ^ "Lil Dicky Talks Rapping, YouTube, and How To Make A Viral Video". Maxim. 2 July 2013. Archived from the original on May 12, 2014. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  24. ^ "Rapper hopes to gain fame with comedy". Daily Trojan. 21 April 2014.
  25. ^ "Lil Dicky – Chart history: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved June 20, 2017.
  26. ^ "Lil Dicky – Chart history: Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Retrieved June 20, 2017.
  27. ^ "Lil Dicky – Chart history: Top Rap Albums". Billboard. Retrieved June 20, 2017.
  28. ^ "Lil Dicky – Chart history: Independent Albums". Billboard. Retrieved June 20, 2017.
  29. ^ "Lil Dicky – Chart history: Comedy Albums". Billboard. Retrieved June 20, 2017.
  30. ^ a b c d e "Gold & Platinum - RIAA". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  31. ^ "So Hard: The Debut Mixtape". Lil Dicky.
  32. ^ "Lil Dicky Chart History – Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
  33. ^ "Chart Search for Lil Dicky (Comedy Digital Tracks) | Billboard". Billboard. Retrieved June 20, 2017.
  34. ^ "Lil Dicky Chart History – R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
  35. ^ "Lil Dicky Chart History: Hot Rap Songs". Billboard. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
  36. ^ "ARIA Australian Top 50 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. April 9, 2018. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
  37. ^ "Lil Dicky Chart History: Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
  38. ^ "IRMA – Irish Charts". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  39. ^ "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. April 9, 2018. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  40. ^ "Sverigetopplistan – Sveriges Officiella Topplista". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
  41. ^ "Lil Dicky | full Official Chart history". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
  42. ^ "ARIA Australian Top 50 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. May 14, 2018. Retrieved May 12, 2018.
  43. ^ "British single certifications – Lil Dicky ft. Chris Brown". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved June 1, 2018. Select singles in the Format field. Type Lil Dicky ft. Chris Brown in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  44. ^ "New Zealand single certifications – Lil Dicky feat. Chris Brown – Freaky Friday". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
  45. ^ "Chart Search for Lil Dicky (Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop) | Billboard". Billboard. Retrieved June 20, 2017.
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