il Dicky is a 32-year-old American rapper and comedian and has been making a mark in the music industry for just under 10 years after his first hit gained massive popularity in 2013. He was born as David Andrew Burd in Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania on March 15, 1988; however, now goes by the stage name Lil Dicky. Lil Dicky grew up in an upper-middle-class Jewish family and attended the University of Richmond after high school, where he studied accounting. He released a music video of his first song Ex-Boyfriend in 2013 and saw over one million views in just 24 hours. Today, Lil Dicky is extremely well-known for his contribution to the single Freaky Friday. This eventually led him to where he is today as he continues to collaborate with well-known musicians and still practices comedy from time to time. Lil Dicky’s Net Worth as of today is $8 million USD.
Lil Dicky’s Early Beginnings
According to Lil Dicky, high school wasn’t exactly his prime.
“I was a pussy. I was really awkward looking. I wasn't getting any girls at all, but I was very class-clownish and I got good grades."
Following high school, Lil Dicky obtained his degree in accounting and then relocated to San Francisco to work in account management at an advertising agency. It was in this role where he was asked to join the organization’s creative department where he had the opportunity to write copy for NBA campaigns. This was where Lil Dicky’s Net Worth started to grow.
Musical Development
Lil Dicky’s passion for music began at a young age. He listened to hip-hop and alternative rock and began rapping in grade five. His favourite artists as a young child were Nas and Jay-Z.
Lil Dicky claims he began his career in rap so he could gain more comedic attention and get into the realm of writing movies and television shows. Little did he know, he would fall in love with rapping.
Going Viral in 2013
As mentioned, Lil Dicky’s first YouTube video saw a massive hit in just 24 hours. The music video for Ex-Boyfriend was really that good - in fact he used the $6,000 from his bar mitzvah to fund the said music video. Though his parents weren't impressed, this video is where Lil Dicky’s Net Worth and career both took off. Aside from Lil Dicky’s Net Worth gaining traction, he also has almost 7 million YouTube subscribers and over 1.7 billion views on his videos.
Mixtape So Hard
Prior to Ex Boyfriend going viral, Lil Dicky began working on a debut mixtape back in 2011 while he was still working for the advertising company. Ex-Boyfriend was a part of this mixtape. Putting an end to the mixtape took a little over two years as he was still quite slammed with work; however, it’s safe to say that the lengthy process paid off later in 2013 when the music video went viral. Feeding off this success, Lil Dicky started to release new music and videos as a series he called Hump Days, which resulted in over 15 videos and 30 songs. At this point, Lil Dicky shared with his fans that he had run out of money, and used this reasoning to let his fans essentially fund the next move in his rap career. Did it work? Yes, Lil Dicky raised over $70,000 and was ready to begin his next chapter in the music world.
Concerts, Contracts, and Collabs
This next chapter in Lil Dicky’s career meant it was time for a live performance. In 2014, Lil Dicky signed a contract with CMSN talent agency and performed live for the first time in Philadelphia. In 2015, he released a debut studio album titled Professional Rapper, which reached number 1 on the US R&B chart and number 7 on the Billboard Hot 200 chart, ultimately both contributing to Lil Dicky’s Net Worth. Singles from the mixtape, Save Dat money and Professional Rapper featured Fetty Wap, Rich Homie Quan, and Snoop Dogg. As Lil Dicky continued to gain traction in the musical world he signed a sponsorship deal with condom brand Trojan in 2016 and released a video called The Big Talk, which Trojan sponsored.
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Pillow Talking
Funny how the artist who reported running out of money at one point, made one of the most expensive music videos ever produced shortly after. The music video for the track Pillow Talking used such special effects that it was reportedly one of the top 50 most expensive videos ever produced. This has got to be a contributor to Lil Dicky’s net worth. Following this, Lil Dicky released the single Earth in 2019 in collaboration with artists Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, Ed Sheeran, and Shawn Mendes. Lastly, leading more into the acting side of things, Lil Dicky most recently had the chance to play a fictionalized version of himself in the FXX original series, Dave.
Lil Dicky’s Thoughts
Yes, Lil Dicky has seen great success as a rapper, but as an artist with a knick for the acting industry, he claims he sees himself more as a comedian who’s playing the part of a rapper. This is primarily because Lil Dicky believes he has more to offer aside from just a voice behind a microphone. And in fact, he is right; it is these traits that make Lil Dicky such a unique artist, separating him from much of the rap competition out there and providing his fans with the music and video content they truly engage the most with. He’s publicly recognized that his music has gotten to the point where fans can relate on a personal level, and that is his niche in the rapping world.
“My niche is that I'm relatable. I don't rap about going to the club and popping bottles."
Money Talk
We’ve done some pillow talking (pun intended), but what are Lil Dicky’s thoughts on money? Well, he’s said it himself and it rings to be true.
"You hear a lot of rap songs about spending money. I thought, wouldn't it be funny to make a song about saving money because it's ironic, but beyond irony, I genuinely have pride in saving money."
"I'm a relatively cheap person who, to me, it's not cool to overspend; it's cool to get a great deal."
However, on the note of money, Lil Dicky does own a cottage in Venice, CA. He purchased the 2,162 square-foot property for $2.5 million in 2018. The home sits on a lot under an acre in size, but has two floors with room for guests and is surrounded by a white picket fence.
Inspirations
Since embarking into the music world, Lil Dicky has strived to make his rap different from the typical rap today, and so he has done so. His fans really appreciate his music embodying the exact opposite of the majority of rap out there, and most importantly, they appreciate his lyrics being relatable. Lil Dicky says his musical inspirations are J. Cole, A$AP Rocky, Snoop Dogg, and Childish Gambino.
