Lil Dicky

I have a lot of time for Lil Dicky because he’s managed something most rappers don’t: he’s funny without being a joke, skilled without being a flex. Most comedians who rap are just bad at rapping. Most rappers who try to be funny end up diminishing the technical stuff. He does both, fully, at the same time.

He’ll build these absurd premises for songs—interviewing for a job with Snoop Dogg, whatever stupid scenario he’s thought up—and then he raps the hell out of them. Not ironically, not as a side-gig. Genuinely. You get these sections with intricate flows and technical precision, the kind of thing that shows he’s actually good at rap, buried in the middle of something ridiculous. He’s not using the skill to undercut the comedy or vice versa. They just coexist.

Hip-hop is obsessed with seriousness—the persona, the credibility, the stakes. Lil Dicky just doesn’t seem interested in any of that. He’s fine being skilled and silly. It’s rare enough that it stands out, and it’s weird that more people don’t just do it. The whole energy is lighter because of it.