Lil Dicky - "Penith" Discussion

(The Dave Soundtrack)

I’ll be honest, my expectations for this album (a recommendation) were on the floor. And, like, not even a tripping hazard. The combination of the artist and album name had me expecting just…awful and corny meme rap.

Not only is it not really meme rap, but it’s actually pretty solid. Now, there are some meme-worthy moments on the album, but apparently “Comedy Hip Hop” is a thing. And it makes sense, because David Burd (aka Lil Dicky) looks like a Ryan Reynolds knock-off.

You see it, right?

No, wait, the hole goes deeper!¹

Burd co-wrote (and starred in) a sitcom called Dave which ran for three seasons on FX. The subtitle for Penith is “(The Dave Soundtrack)”. Technically, that excludes Penith from consideration for AOTY contention. I have never seen the show, so I didn’t realize it wasn’t some tongue-in-cheek usage of ‘soundtrack’ until I was prepping to actually write this review. It’s an actual soundtrack.

But that does explain why so many of these tracks feel like they’re missing additional context. “Ally’s Song”, for example, speaks directly to the titular character as “Owly”, clearly a pet name, then immediately follows with “hoot hoot” in the most sincere, straight-faced manner, making the whole thing both sweet and hilarious. Clearly some sort of in-joke, I thought, but I’m aware now that it must be playing on some additional context provided in that episode.

I should point out that, according to statements made (having had no idea the show existed), the songs used in the show were typically only fragments of full songs, and the songs included on the album are, largely, previously unreleased.

They’re also fun. There’s something to be said about how perfectly Lil Dicky has threaded the needle here. My issue with Meme Rap is that it just doesn’t take itself seriously. So if the joke doesn’t land perfectly, it just comes off as cringey. The tracks on Penith, almost unanimously,² manage to strike a serious tone while also having these incredibly funny moments. It’s an absolute feat. 

And then you have incredible tracks like “Harrison Ave”, which is an exemplary coming-of-age story song about first love, personal growth, and self-worth. At six minutes in length, it’s the second-longest track on the album (and my personal favorite). The only track longer is “Jail (Part 1)”, a bonus track which runs for nearly nine minutes. There is no part two (yet), but it’s also a story song, albeit a bit more on the ridiculous and comical side.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one. I was kinda dreading it, but ultimately I’m glad this one got sent my way.

If you like Hip-hop, Meme Rap, or Pop-Hop, you should check this one out. You don’t need to be familiar with the show to enjoy the songs — I’m proof of that — but you will likely enjoy them more if you are. Frankly, though, I actually kinda want to watch the show now because of this album.

1. That’s what she said.

2. Some notable exceptions being “No Fruits or Vegetables” and “I’m Drunk”.