Rap game turgid
(Copyright: Lil Dicky)
I'm sure most rap fans can think of one or two funny lines that their favorite spitta dished out at one point. However, unless it's straight up comedy rap (e.g. The Lonely Island), the lines that made you laugh were probably botched attempts at being clever from some Lil Wayne-type fella rather than actual wit or humor.
Ew
Oh word?
Sounds pragmatic
Oh, Weezy....still the king.
As much as I love the "rap lyrics on inspirational backgrounds" meme, that's not what this post is about, so I must move on.
Let me start by saying I don't think the rap game caters well to overly creative rappers. Rap artists with innovative ideas usually don't get their huge break, and if they do, they often compromise their originality in order to make more money and capture the attention of as many listeners as possible. In a lot of cases, they either die underground, or live long enough to see themselves become mainstream.
That's word to the homie, Alfred.
Rap very rarely sees a concept so original, so divergent from the mainstream that you can't help but do a double-take when you listen to it.
Enter Philly-based Lil Dicky.
Rather than rely on showy gimmicks or how much money he stacks, the white rapper of Jewish descent focuses more on the real issues in his own life. You know, the important stuff like being happy that he's male and caucasian, sports, and of course, masturbating. I suppose part of Yung Dick's charm is that he's rapping about such mundane things, but another part of the appeal is how real he is to himself. He is a regular, middle-class, white dude and that part of him shines through heavy in his music. Look no further than "Staying In" or "Too High" for a couple trivial struggles of your average young adult. He literally gives no fucks about what people think of him or his music. His devotion to rapping about what's important in his average life is pretty wonderful.
I think the key to Dicky's success will be his relatable nature. Unlike the rappers out there today, he is most definitely not fresh to death, supa turnt 24/7, or even remotely cool, and he knows it. As I said, he is incredibly self aware of how different he is compared to rap stars and that's a breath of fresh air.
Lil Dicky is a strange rapper because of how heavily he relies on comedy. I love the fact that he's hilarious and witty in his rhymes. The thing is, that is not what makes popular records or even what appeals to most rap fans. He is in some strange limbo where actual talent meets an impeccable sense of humor. It's not unheard of in rap, but I'm afraid of him falling into a the space already sort of occupied by rappers like Wax.
With the way he's able to rap about commonplace topics in an intelligent way, Dicky has worlds of potential to put out more great music; his ability to garner a large following is another story, as it relies on him drawing more people to his in-your-face, somewhat taboo lyrics. However, throw in a slick flow and engaging production (with some tracks that actually really bump), you've got an entertainer that can be, at the very least, extremely internet famous.
Rap is not your grandfather's music. For most people it's not even your father's music, either (Ahem). Lil Dicky is no exception. Listening to So Hard takes a certain degree of not taking yourself, and at times the music, too seriously. If you're going to get worked up about vulgarity or penis references then this tape IS NOT FOR YOU. Look no further than the "About" page on his sight to see the type of humor you'll find on the tape. It's crass but DAMN is it funny.
If you're a fan of really solid lyricism that has the potential to make you not only laugh non-ironically, but also think, then I would highly recommend checking out Lil Dicky's So Hard mixtape as well as his other stuff on SoundCloud. This title of this post is taken from the first line from of the tape, and I think it does an appropriate job of summing up the nature of Lil Dicky's music. It's knowing, witty, and makes you go, "Wait, what?"
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