The Uproarious Rise of Lil' Dicky
On June 28, at the Playstation Theater in Times Square, a thousand sweaty, mosh-ready millennials puffed pre-rolled joints in anticipation of a six-act concert, featuring XXL magazine’s ninth “Freshman Class”—rap’s version of Forbes‘ annual “30 under 30”. The “Freshman Class” designation comes with significant prestige: superstars like Kendrick Lamar, Future, and Chance the Rapper are all alumni. This year’s cohort featured up-and-comers like Lil’ Dicky, Lil’ Yachty, Denzel Curry, and Kodak Black, all moderately successful rappers, as well as Desiigner, a Kanye-backed kid from Brooklyn whose hit “Panda” has become a summer anthem across the U.S.
Curry, Yachty, Dave East and G Herbo, the first acts of the night, dealt in predictable (if not boring) one-upsmanship, dampening the mood of a game crowd. But then came Lil’ Dicky, a talented rapper who grew up attending Jewish summer camps near Philly who is now—due in large part to his self-deprecating Jewish humor and envelope-pushing lyrics—on the precipice of hip-hop stardom.