Lil Dicky
David Andrew Burd (born March 15, 1988), better known by his stage name Lil Dicky, is an American rapper, comedian, songwriter, and actor. He first received recognition after the music video for his 2013 song "Ex-Boyfriend", became a viral hit—earning over one million views on YouTube in 24 hours. He received his first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 for his 2014 single "Save Dat Money" (featuring Fetty Wap and Rich Homie Quan), which also received double platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The song preceded his debut album, Professional Rapper (2015), which peaked at number 7 on the Billboard 200 and was met with favorable reception.
Lil Dicky
David Andrew Burd
- Brain
- LD
March 15, 1988
Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania, U.S.
- Rapper
- songwriter
- comedian
- actor
2011–present
- Dirty Burd
- Commission
- BMG
In 2018, his song "Freaky Friday" (featuring Chris Brown) reached his furthest commercial success, peaking at number 8 on Hot 100. The following year, he released the charity record "Earth", which enlisted guest appearances from entertainers such as Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, Ed Sheeran, Shawn Mendes, Kevin Hart, Wiz Khalifa, Charlie Puth, Katy Perry, and Leonardo DiCaprio. The song and its accompanying music video were intended to raise awareness on environmental issues, with its monetary proceeds going towards charities focused on such matters. Both songs were panned by critics, particularly the latter.[2][3]
In March 2020, Burd and producer Jeff Schaffer created Dave, a television comedy series based on Burd's life, for FXX.[4] The show ran for three seasons and was met with positive reviews.[5][6]
Early life
Burd was born in Cheltenham Township on the north border of Philadelphia and grew up in an upper-middle-class Jewish family in the Elkins Park neighborhood.[7][8] He was born with "a tangled urethra" and hypospadias, in which the urethra does not open from its usual location in the head of the penis, requiring multiple surgeries.[9][10]
Burd's interest in music started when he was a child, listening to hip hop and alternative rock. He began rapping in the fifth grade after doing a history report on Alexander Pushkin using rap music.[11] In his youth, the rappers Burd listened to most were Nas and Jay-Z.[12]
Burd attended Cheltenham High School.[13] Speaking about his time in high school, Burd said "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." After graduating from high school, Burd began attending the University of Richmond,[14] where fellow 2016 XXL Freshman and rapper Dave East also attended at the same time.[12] Burd graduated summa cum laude in 2010.[15]
After college, Burd relocated to San Francisco, California[16] where he worked in account management at the advertising agency Goodby, Silverstein & Partners. After reimagining his monthly progress report as a rap video, the company brought him to work in their creative department, where he wrote copy for ads such as the NBA's "BIG" campaign.[8]