{"id":222,"date":"2017-11-14T23:38:24","date_gmt":"2017-11-15T04:38:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/f18-engl117-01\/?p=222"},"modified":"2017-11-14T23:38:29","modified_gmt":"2017-11-15T04:38:29","slug":"lil-dicky-the-class-clown-of-carnival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/f18-engl117-01\/uncategorized\/lil-dicky-the-class-clown-of-carnival\/","title":{"rendered":"Lil Dicky, The (Class) Clown of Carnival"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lil Dicky, The Class Clown of Carnival<\/span><\/p>\n

By Meghan Voss<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis display of creativity strays from convention, an immediate indication that he\u2019s here to turn the game on its head\u201d (Fairfax). This comes from an assessment of Lil Dicky\u2019s most recent album, as the rapper has begun gaining legitimate respect from what began as merely jokes put to a beat.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Lil Dicky was born in an upper middle class white family in the suburbs of Pennsylvania. He graduated from the University of Richmond to pursue a career at an advertising agency. A few years ago, however, he decided to take his class clown nature professionally by attempting to make a career out of his funny raps and videos. And that\u2019s exactly what he did. In the summer of 2015, \u201cLil Dicky Laugh[ed] His Way to a No. 1 Rap Album\u201d (Billboard).<\/span><\/p>\n

Many critics, while initially quite suspicious of his actual rapping ability, have begun to join into the Lil Dicky fandom. Praised for how he is pushing the boundaries of the rap game, Lil Dicky attempts to meld the usually un-accredited anti-rap or joke-rap subculture with some actual bars accompanied by a respectable flow, as he has worked diligently on honing his rapping skills.<\/span><\/p>\n

Not only is Lil Dicky known for having a stronger creative side than many others rappers in the industry, but he is attempting to reinvent success within the rap game. This past year he released his first full album,<\/span> Professional Rapper<\/span><\/i>. However, his most notable achievement so far and where his success all started came from his music videos on YouTube. His first release, \u201cEx-Boyfriend,\u201d went viral, topping one million views in just the first day. Since then, he has released several more music videos which have been similar in their ability to elicit laughter as they creatively accompany and bolster the lyrics of the song itself.<\/span><\/p>\n

Anti-rap, a subgenre of the rap industry, is typically characterized as rap that makes frequent use of comedy and other sorts of humor, especially in self-deprecating or satirical manners. And at the forefront of this new subgenre, comes Lil Dicky. Nubi Magazine praised him for \u201chis ability to present the mundane both satirically and factually at the same time\u201d as what really makes him stand out, as well as the way he \u201cpresents the things people think about and do in private into the public forum via hip-hop.\u201d While some of his subject matter is typically not included in rap songs for the matter of it just being \u201cmundane,\u201d a lot of his subject matter seems to not typically be discussed for reasons beyond that. While it is tough to consider rap to have too much of a barrier on what can and cannot be discussed, because, let\u2019s face it, rappers tend to be fairly unbothered by approaching crude and offensive topics, Lil Dicky seems to take that line and play jump-rope with it. Archetypally, in rap songs, these crude topics are employed merely to allow rappers to brag about their lifestyle; subjects focus on the F.B.G.M. (fuck bitches, get money) mantra to show the rest of the world how much they\u2019re \u201cballing out.\u201d However, Lil Dicky appears to discuss this subject from a different angle. While he addresses the same topics in his songs quite frequently, he comes at it from a much different angle, leaving the listener with an entirely different impression of Lil Dicky than would have another rapper from discussing a similar event due to the manner in which he presents it. While incredibly degrading to women, when most rappers discuss sex, they do so in a way to effectively make their audience wish they were in the rapper\u2019s place, hoping to have as much \u201cgame\u201d with women as they do. Yet when Lil Dicky discusses sex, he describes it much more realistically, and while still highlighting his \u201cconquests,\u201d he comes off as, well, rather soft. Interestingly enough however, Lil Dicky acknowledges this about himself, and has come to embrace it, as he attempts to follow a new path within the industry. To this point, he begins to emulate the idea of carnival, as he breaks the rules of the genre and generates an aura of humor from bad taste and his approach to exploring subjects (English 117).<\/span><\/p>\n

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https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ocGiulPm3IU<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span> In Lil Dicky\u2019s \u201cLemme Freak\u201d music video, it takes the viewer along on his journey to try to have sex with a woman he meets at the club. Yet even from the title of the song itself, a difference between Lil Dicky\u2019s style and the average rapper can already be acknowledged. Rappers tend to act as if women are just throwing themselves at them, as if it just comes with the lifestyle. However, already from the title of the song Lil Dicky\u2019s desperation can be noted, as he legitimately begs this girl to have sex with him. In the video, he approaches the woman with the typical rapper swagger and confidence, but she doesn\u2019t even know who he is. Consequently, he breaks into a spiel bragging on his accomplishments, though meanwhile manages to satirize the manner in which most rappers brag, as the achievements he brings up are far from notable. He boasts, \u201cLook, I\u2019m athletic, girl. I\u2019ve gotten several rec-league MVP\u2019s. At my crib, I\u2019ve got some pizza plus a little bit of weed. In my room, I\u2019ve got a TV plus I recently did sheets. Girl, I even have a fridge that has the water on the door like with the crushed ice.\u201d Even in his attempt to show off, he comes off as fairly hopeless in his chances, a large divide between most other members of the industry.<\/span><\/p>\n

On the basis of having bad taste, some can be found in nearly every set of bars by the rapper, as he is anything but shy when it comes to stating the truth. Whether he is going into detail about sex, or commenting on a gross habit, or simply discussing everyday activities, his lyrics are brimming with examples. Take his freestyle on Tim Westwood\u2019s show for example. He raps, \u201cI give no fucks, I\u2019m farting at the urinal.\u201d Bathroom humor accompanied by just a truly disgusting habit is truly the epitome of bad taste; there aren\u2019t many combinations worse than that which would still be found as humorous.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nevertheless, people still enjoy Lil Dicky\u2019s anti-rap style, debuting at Number 7 on the Billboard 200 chart. As he attempts to break the rules of the rap industry through finding success in his bad taste and breaking the stereotypes, he appears to be changing up the game. He asserts in <\/span>Professional Rapper<\/span><\/i> that \u201cain’t nobody else doing funny type rap,\u201d and \u201cnah that\u2019s my niche, don\u2019t get offended by this, but that\u2019s the market y\u2019all miss, that\u2019s the target I\u2019ll hit, I wanna do this whole thing different.\u201d It is carnivalesque, in a sense, as he rebels against the precedent that has been upheld for years within the industry with how successful rappers should and should not behave, as well as the tried and true topics for verse that typically are most well received by the public and have the best chances of being admired.<\/span><\/p>\n

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https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=LlU4FuIJT2k<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

In the music video for the title track off his most recent album,<\/span> Professional Rapper<\/span><\/i>, Lil Dicky presents the story of how he ended up in the position he is in, as he performs essentially a skit through verse with one of the indisputable kings of the industry, Snoop Dogg. When Lil Dicky first enters for his interview, Snoop is even portrayed sitting behind his desk atop a throne. While Snoop\u2019s reputation typically precedes him, this introduction really blatantly spells it out for the viewer. While Lil Dicky in real life has done his production on his own, it is interesting to find that in the song he requests for Snoop Dogg to hire him and take him under his wing, as if it is impossible to succeed without his assistance. Lil Dicky seems to go against his values in this way, as he is often found making a mockery of the methods that have made the most prominent names in the industry incredibly successful. While a true champion of the carnival would continue in this form in accordance with flipping the hierarchy, Lil Dicky backtracks in this way, as he is requesting assistance from the \u201cking\u201d figure in order to reach new heights as an artist.<\/span><\/p>\n

For Lil Dicky to manage to flip the hierarchy in any way, nevertheless, it would first have to be established that he is emerging from the lower levels society. While Lil Dicky presents himself as somewhat of an underdog in the rap industry, which may be partially true from a respect standpoint as he contrasts the stereotypical rapper, with all the advantages he possesses he is realistically far from that. Much of rap focuses on people struggling from nothing to make it in the rap game, whereas Lil Dicky admits in the video that he used his own Barmitzvah money to pay for the production of his first mixtape. Furthermore, he prides himself on his lyricism and clever, well-crafted use of satire in his verses. Nevertheless, he is a college graduate which equips him with a foundation of education to aid him. This is a benefit that most other rappers do not obtain.<\/span><\/p>\n

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https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=3rnFlQAvk8U&has_verified=1<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Evidence of this could not be any more densely provided that it is in his song, \u201cWhite Dude.\u201d He audaciously acknowledges all the privilege that he was born with, as the hook sings, \u201cCuz the way I\u2019m livin life, is a muthafuckin joy. On some grown man B.I., I could have been a girl, or any ethnicity up in the world, but I\u2019m rollin with the top back. I ain\u2019t gotta worry where the cops at. I ain\u2019t gotta wear a fucking bra strap. Me and the crew, are really doing everything that we like to, man it\u2019s a damn good day to be a white dude.\u201d Writer Sam Rosen explains this quite well, as he states that, \u201cLil Dicky is constantly lamenting the fact that he is not Black while simultaneously celebrating the spoils of white privilege\u201d (Rosen). Lil Dicky acts like a carnival figure, as he explores breaking the rules and stereotypes of rap music, accompanied by a large dose of what would be considered bad taste even for rap, yet his carnival is exclusive, as he would be unable to achieve this without his privilege. Further, he excludes many other minority groups from even enjoying in his carnival videos, as while he attempts to be very relatable, he only achieves this for other white males. Even though his raps are created with the understanding that he is joking, they are based in enough truth that it would be very reasonable to say that there were likely very few minorities laughing at his pretentious flaunt that he doesn\u2019t have to \u201cworry where the cops at.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Further, this privilege can also be seen through how other members of society interact with him. In the $ave Dat Money music video, Lil Dicky endeavors to create a boujee rap video with all the stereotypes (Lamborghini, mansion, club, yacht, etc.) at no cost. As they stroll through Beverly Hills, he convinces an older woman to let him borrow her mansion to shoot film in for a period of time. With the racism still present in our society, it is unlikely that a minority would be trusted the same way to just lend the house over. Once again, Lil Dicky is found using his privilege as an upper-class white male to bring him his success. <\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=yvHYWD29ZNY<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

It is this distinction with the mass amounts of privilege that Lil Dicky clearly possesses that distinguishes his carnival rap subgenre from being legitimately liberating, as while it provides an escape from many stereotypes of the culture industry for some, it cannot for all, as it is still fervent with racism and sexism specifically through his privilege as a white male in society. To be truly liberating the carnival must be open to all groups of people, whereas Lil Dicky seems to only target the select group like himself. Rather than ultimately flipping the hierarchy, he reasserts it, entangling his non-stereotypical brand of rap back with the same ideologies that carnival is meant to find freedom from.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

English 117, Intro to Cultural Theory.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fairfax, Jesse. \u201cLil Dicky – Professional Rapper.\u201d <\/span>HipHopDX<\/span><\/i>, 3 Sept. 2015.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mendizabal, Amaya. \u201cLil Dicky Laughs His Way to a No. 1 Rap Album.\u201d <\/span>Billboard<\/span><\/i>, 12 Aug. 2015.<\/span><\/p>\n

Millard, Drew. \u201cLil Dicky Isn’t a White Supremacist, He’s Just an Asshole.\u201d <\/span>Noisey<\/span><\/i>, 17 Oct. 2014.<\/span><\/p>\n

Page, Will. \u201cThe Rise of Anti-Rap.\u201d <\/span>NUBI<\/span><\/i>, 11 Aug. 2015.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rosen, Sam. \u201cNothing Was the Same.\u201d <\/span>The Indy<\/span><\/i>, The College Hill Independent, 4 Nov. 2013.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lil Dicky, The Class Clown of Carnival By Meghan Voss \u201cThis display of creativity strays from convention, an immediate indication that he\u2019s here to turn the game on its head\u201d (Fairfax). This comes from an assessment of Lil Dicky\u2019s most recent album, as the rapper has begun gaining legitimate respect from what began as merely … Continue reading Lil Dicky, The (Class) Clown of Carnival<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1801,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-222","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/f18-engl117-01\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/222","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/f18-engl117-01\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/f18-engl117-01\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/f18-engl117-01\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1801"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/f18-engl117-01\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=222"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/f18-engl117-01\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/222\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":233,"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/f18-engl117-01\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/222\/revisions\/233"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/f18-engl117-01\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=222"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/f18-engl117-01\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=222"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/f18-engl117-01\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=222"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}