Philadelphia

Cheltenham Rapper Makes XXL Cover, Sparks Twitter Rage

Lil Dicky, a controversial rapper and Cheltenham native known for satirical songs like “White Dude” and "Classic Male Pregame" appeared on this year’s XXL Magazine Hip-hop Freshmen List.

His inclusion on the list in the magazine published Monday sparked outrage from many hip-hop fans who take issue with Dicky's brand of comedy.

https://twitter.com/laurennostro/status/742381840842039296
https://twitter.com/SellCrackToKids/status/742393523211800576

Lil Dicky, whose real name is David Burd, worked at a San Francisco advertising agency before breaking into the scene in 2013 with his first music video "Ex-Boyfriend". The self-funded video tallied one million views the first day it was posted. After steadily releasing more music and videos, Dicky raised over $100K through a Kickstarter campaign and relocated to Los Angeles to tour and rap full-time.

He released his first album Professional Rapper in July 2015, which featured appearances from big names like Snoop Dogg and Fetty Wap, as well as its share of viral music videos. The video for "Save Dat Money", which follows Lil Dicky as he shoots a lavish music video without spending a cent, has amassed over 44 million views. Most recently, the rapper performed at Penn's Landing earlier this month for the 9th annual Roots Picnic. This week he became one of two Philadelphia natives featured on the XXL Magazine cover, along with trap rapper Lil Uzi Vert of North Philly.

Lil Dicky's proudly suburban, middle-class "white dude" persona has simultaneously endeared him to his fans - known as "Dickheads"- and has fueled his detractors, many of whom found his presence on the XXL Magazine cover photo insulting and took to social media to express their frustration.

Despite the continuing controversy, Lil Dicky has shown no sign of slowing down his rapid ascent as a major viral rap sensation.

Contact Us