Lil Dicky’s “Dave” is Must Watch TV

So I finished up the season finale of Dave last night and I can confidently say that it’s the best comedy on TV right now.

I’ll be honest, when I first heard that Lil Dicky would have a TV show, I didn’t think much of it. I had seen the “Dave” billboard around different parts of LA. The one where his head is popping out of his own boxers. But not once did I think, “Oh I should check out that show”.

I’ve known about Lil Dicky for over five years now. I like some of his hits like “Freaky Friday” and “Professional Rapper” and it’s pretty clear from listening to his music that he has a good sense of humor. But when I first heard that Dicky had a TV show coming out, I never imagined that it would be as funny or successful as it’s been. I don’t think anyone pictured it being this successful.

I forget how I was initially convinced to watch the show, but after finishing the first episode, I knew I was going to watch the entire series. The show has incredible acting and production, but what really drew me in is the fact that Lil Dicky happens to live a very fascinating life. Being a white jew in the rap game certainly makes for some entertaining scenes. Take the first episode as an example, where he ends up in the studio, freestyling with YG:

Or in a later episode where he accidentally throws up a “gang sign” while posing with some crips.

Not only is the show hilarious, but it also addresses important issues of mental health. Episode five is the Gata episode, where Dicky’s hype man opens up about his troubled past and his struggle with bipolar disorder. What makes this performance so incredible is the fact that Gata is actually bipolar in real life, and it wasn’t just an act that he put on for the show. Imagine spilling out your mental health issues, on camera, for the world to see. It took a lot of guts for Gata to get in front of a camera and address his personal problems. Many are saying he deserves an Emmy for such a heartfelt performance, and I couldn’t agree more with that.

This show is one of the more inspiring pieces of entertainment that I’ve watched in a long time. If there’s any key takeaway from “Dave”, it’s that you should just go after what you believe in.

Before the first episode aired, Dicky went on Kimmel and talked about the day that he finally took a risk and released his first music video. The Philly native shared that he “Cried tears of joy” because he knew that he was putting his best foot forward by taking a risk. He continued by saying, “I could live with failure but I couldn’t live with what if,” and that’s something that really stood out to me.

The show is very inspiring in that sense. Lil Dicky had no business being in the rap game, and yet, he has worked hard enough to gain respect from some of the biggest names in the industry. He had one of the best Sway freestyles of all time, he’s toured the world, and he’s worked with some of the biggest pop artists like Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande. The man has been on a mission.

It’s always motivating to watch someone speak their dreams into existence. Dave had goals so he just went out and executed on them. There’s a Hot 97 interview of Dicky from five years ago where he talks about his dreams of becoming a great rapper and actor. And now, with a little bit of hard work, he has one of the best shows on TV.

Crazy how this interview was from five years ago, but it’s clear that Dicky had the vision all along. He’s living proof that you can get anywhere with hard work. If you believe in yourself, others will follow. And Dicky is certainly killing it in life right now.

The last thing I’ll discuss is the fact that the show covers some very real behind the scenes aspects of chasing your passion and dealing with fear. One of my favorite clips is right before Dicky’s about to go on stage for his first ever performance. The way the scene builds up, the music really captures the anticipation and the nerves that lead up to Dave going on stage. And that’s something we don’t often think about as fans. We mainly just see the finished product of a song, or the perfect stage performance from an artist. We don’t really get to see all of the trial and error that goes into creating art. But that’s what’s so motivating about the show. Despite the setbacks, Dicky works hard enough to create music that people can enjoy, and he proves plenty of people wrong along the way.

After watching Dicky’s trial and error process on full display, the show has certainly inspired me to go out there and just try more things. I know it’s hard to make things happen during the quarantine, but I’ve certainly felt more inspired to write more comedy sketches, and attempt interesting things that I normally wouldn’t do.

Overall, I really loved this show and I think it will influence a great number of people to chase what they want in life.