Lyrics

[Intro: Anthony] (sighs) Uh- this new Lil Dicky album... is NOT GOOD. (explosion) [Review: Anthony] Yes, new album from rapper, singer, writer, comedian, actor, Lil Dicky - a guy who exploded onto the scene in the mid 2010's with major aspirations to be a game changer in rap music. He made that intent painfully clear on his debut album, Professional Rapper, a record that at the time had quite a bit going for it. Viral hits, professional-grade production; when it came to spitting, Dicky clearly had some technical ability on display, a sharp command of the English language, and on top of that, some impressive features too, for a debut record. Snoop Dogg, Fetty Wap who was hot at the time, also T-Pain. At the time, it felt like there was a real chance that Lil Dicky could become a force to be reckoned with in rap music for the next decade. One tiny issue though, uh... Dicky is corny as fuck and near-impossible to take seriously. Now, it's not like hip hop doesn't have its history of artists who have gotten a bit silly. Certainly some jester activity never stopped, uh- Beastie Boys, MF DOOM, Shock G, Das Racist or De La Soul from dropping bangers. But it's tough to see the merit in what Lil Dicky does, even as a jokester. I mean, for one, his comedy doesn't always land, like with his infamous "White Guy" video that he pulled off of the Internet. And when his humor along racial lines isn't totally blowing up in his face, he displays the maturity and wit of a 10-year-old, as I think him likening himself to a 12-year-old at some point on this record that I forget - I can't be bothered to remember - uh, is a little generous. There's also a lot of self-effacing "humor" in what Dicky does, but the problem is he takes it so far to the point where you can't even laugh, you just feel bad for the guy, and it just kind of undermines whatever talent he is actually bringing to the table. It's not my view that Lil Dicky is untalented, uh- it's more like a waste of talent, or whatever talent he has kind of cancels out. And for sure, you can argue: "Oh, comedy is subjective, man! Y'know, Lil Dicky has fans and an audience," and yeah, there is a demand for what Lil Dicky does, I can't deny that. But just know there's a market for Lil Dicky in the same way there's a market for DUDE Wipes and AXE Body Spray and 3-in-1 shampoo/conditioner/body wash. 'Cuz sometimes the most profitable thing you can sell to the public is mid. One thing I can give Lil Dicky though is that seemingly, he is very self-aware, and understands his audience, his potential... which is why I think he made that quick transition into TV the moment that he could. 'Cuz outside of a few novelty singles and that really crappy- uh- Brain EP... thing... uh- Dicky's music career has been sort of a ghost town after the release of Professional Rapper. Even more so after he landed this show, 3 whole seasons of which he's done on FXX. That would be DAVE, which is actually a semi-fictionalized series about his struggles to become a successful rapper. Now, I think Lil Dicky haters and fans alike can agree that the man has shown to have more salience as a comedian and entertainer than a rapper or musician of any stripe, and I think that even Dicky understands that on some level. Why else would so much of his focus be going into this show if music was truly his calling? Even a guy as busy and multi-talented as Donald Glover, who similarly operates in fields of music and visual media, has found a way to wear all of these hats at once. But with Lil Dicky, music just kind of seems to be less and less of a focus in that way, and in that sense, I think DAVE is a sad and quiet admission; an admission of failure, and I think it gets a lot louder here on... Penith. A title I'm only going to be saying once in this video, because Christ. I mean, the name alone makes it clear that Lil Dicky, a man who named himself "Lil Dicky", is somehow even less interested in being taken seriously this time around. Because now the closest thing that we have to an album drop in about 10 years since his last record is, uh- this bunch of tracks that are attached to his FXX show. So yeah, now Lil Dicky - or Dave's proximity to a successful rap career seems even further out of reach now that he has to kind of explore it through this semi-fictional persona and narrative. And because the music on this thing is based in a comedy show, there's even less pressure for it to appeal in the way a more sincere piece of art might, even one with kind of a humorous edge to it. Like, do I really wanna sit here and listen to this guy rap and sing about how his dick is trash, and how he's drunk, and how he doesn't eat his fruits and vegetables? Uh, no. Of course I don't. Because as much as I may hate myself sometimes, the level of self harm I would be engaging in by subjecting myself to bars like this for a prolonged period of time? Yeah, that would just be outlandish, unnecessary, maybe even cruel and unusual. Again, to myself. And even when Dave is getting a bit serious on songs like "I Met A Girl" and "Going Gray", the content of his bars comes across as too infantile and emotionally stunted to actually be compelling. Then, there's other stuff on the project here that narratively feel so ingrained into the DAVE series, that unless you're fully invested in it and you just kind of love it as a TV show, I can't imagine you getting a whole lot out of it. I sure didn't. Yeah, I didn't really get much, outside of annoyed. Because the songs and production, uh- suck, and are bland, and are trash, and are unimaginative. And even when Dicky is showing a little but of technical ability, or structuring some of these songs out with a standout chorus, something like that, it's usually in service of just a very cheap, terrible joke. So ultimately, with this record, who cares? It's just a celebration of white mediocrity and arrested development, that's literally all it is. And what's worse is he's parading it around as a badge of honor on top of an art form, uh- that predominantly has been built on black struggle. Which I know - for some people rolling their eyes at this video and firing off in the comments - sounds like, "woke" to say. But, y'know, that's a big part of the subtext as to why Lil Dicky sucks. Because even a guy like Eminem for example, for all of his flaws, he seemingly understands hip hop's artistic DNA, and takes it seriously. Which is impressive, given how much calculated clownery can be on his records. But in the case of Lil Dicky, rap is just this platform for him to piss himself on and say: "Oh, hey, isn't it funny I peed myself?" No! It's not! You've been pulling off different variations of the same "pissing my pants" joke for almost a decade now. It wasn't impressive then, it's not impressive now. [Outro: Anthony] So, yeah. This Lil Dicky album. It's NOT GOOD. (explosion)