In an era where rap is dominated by racial, social, and economic minorities, Lil Dicky puts the upper-middle class on his frail, Jewish shoulders. His debut mixtape, So Hard, has been categorized as funny and impressive by his friends and fans. A non-traditional rapper, Lil Dicky uses a mix of comedy, lyrical ingenuity, and self-deprecation to spew out entertaining and relatable content. Hailing from the east coast and currently living on the west coast, LD is quickly making a name for himself nationwide.

We were lucky enough to get a couple VIP passes to his show at Irving Plaza in New York City on June 2nd. You can find the pictures we took below. LD’s performance was not your ordinary rap performance. He had a screen that he played music videos as well as showcased his ‘5 year plan’ to becoming a famous rapper. Throughout the show LD interacted with the fans by walking through the crowd, giving fans high fives, and bringing a few lucky fans on stage. We were truly impressed by his performance. If you get a chance to see him live, definitely go! Also stay on the look out for his next project, Professional Rapper.

I.S. Jones: Tell me about your approach to rap music.

LD:  I guess my approach to music…that’s a broad question [sic]; I feel like it varies per song. With rap music in general, I guess the main things I like to do is: be relatable, often times I approach it in a comedic form, realness [sic], and like maximum effort [sic]. I would say that’s my approach.

Jones: What’s separates you from other rappers besides the fact that you graduated college with a 3.0?

LD: Oh, well it was a 3.9. I think I’m different because there is only one of me. Just as a human being, inherently that makes me different. Just the idea of approaching rap comedically [sic] is different. And those are the two main things: just me being me and I don’t try to be anybody else. I don’t try to stand out [sic] inherently.

Jones: Where did you grow up and how to do think that affected your music?

LD: I grew up in Cheltenham, Pennsylvania, it’s like the first town outside northeast Pennsylvania. It affected me….just as…I know this is a horrible answer, but as any childhood would affect any human being. It was a great childhood & I couldn’t ask for more. But my childhood, in theory, completely set up my entire life. I recall if I had a purpose in life, up until after college, it was “You need to get the best grades possible to can get into the best college possibly can to get the best job you could possibly get” and I would say that was the purpose of my life even though I knew deep-down it wasn’t my purpose. And it’s not anything to complain about, my childhood was fantastic, but I imagine that pressure contributed to my life.

Jones: When did you fall in love with hip-hop?

LD: Well as a consumer, I remember the moment actually. I was in music class, I think I was in like 5th or 6th grade and, I don’t know why they played this in music class but it was Mace song “Feel So Good” he played that and there was a girl in front of me who knew the words and started rapping them and I felt romantic attraction for the first time. I was so attracted to her. I was like “Wow, rap music is hot”. That’s my earliest memory of rap and ever since I’ve been purchasing music, it’s been hip-hop.

Jones: Who are your favorite rappers from Philadelphia?

LD: Meek Mill and Black Thought. Those two.

Jones: Why do you think the rap game will never be the same because of you?

LD: Well, I just think I have a really unique approach that I don’t think anyone has taken. I think rap traditionally has been a fairly hyper-masculine type of vibe, and I come in with the bored-line [sic] exact opposite; like “Look at big of a pussy I actually am”. I think my approach is so radically different that’s why I think it [rap] will never be the same. If rap is a pizza, and there are infinite slices, don’t get me wrong…if there are ‘x’ amount of slices, I think I added another slice.

Jones: So, why hip-hop? Because I know you said in an interview “Every single rapper raps about shit I can’t relate to”. Of all the genres you could have expressed yourself musically, why do think hip-hop is the most representative of yourself?

LD: I love the competitive spirit. Like, love it. I’m just an overly-competitive human being in general and I just love the competitive nature of hip-hop in general and just that edge to it. Also, I don’t really love music. You know what I mean? If I love music, it’s hip-hop. That is my favorite genre of music. Naturally, before I attempt any other form of music, I’m going to attempt my favorite style of it. Lyrically, it’s the most expressive form of music, in my opinion; as a rapper you get more words per capita. It’s the best place to express yourself.

Jones: Do you think you’re in competition with any artists coming up?

LD: I think I’m in competition with everybody—everybody that raps.

Jones: Do your rap seek to dispel the discomfort which comes from being a person in privilege or are you trying to make the comfort of privilege more commonplace? For example, in your music video and song “White Dude”...so what are you trying to do with a song like that which clearly, of course, would make some people uncomfortable? You’re celebrating that you’re a white dude who has privilege. You could smoke crack in front of a cop and they’re not going to beat the shit out of you for it.

LD: Well, I would say I’m not over-thinking it on a level where “I’m making an extreme statement of privilege and class”. I’m really not. I believe in “the joke” and if something is capable of making ‘x’ amount of people laugh, I genuinely believe in that art form. I think ‘White Dude’ is a good example of “Yes, there are some absurd, controversial things that I’m saying, but it’s hyperbolized and really a joke, and I just think if that could make some people laugh, then I don’t need to worry about the people who are offended because they are not respecting the art-form of comedy”.

Jones: So do you feel as though if someone is offended by it, then they are missing the point?

LD: I don’t know if that is necessarily my answer to that question. It’s not that they are missing the point, it’s that they don’t see thing the same way I see them. My point isn’t the right point; I just see things a certain way. If you hung out with me, I would be saying things all day that are probably politically incorrect but I just really believe in making people laugh. If something is capable of making people laugh, no matter how offensive it is, there’s an art to it.

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