Lil Dicky has gone from barely accepted punchline of hip-hop to cornering the market on comedy television acclaim thanks to his semi-autobiographical FX show Dave. Based loosely on his own life and experiences maneuvering on the outskirts of rap stardom, Dave became a sensation after its fifth episode, “Hype Man,” revealed the show’s emotional center and willingness to tackle serious topics alongside its dick jokes and awkward, fish-out-of-water scenarios involving Dicky’s encounters with cooler, more established rappers.
Dicky himself — or Dave, as he has stated he actually prefers to be called — posted a long caption on Instagram reflecting on the show’s success and his personal philosophy, which might well be equated to “shoot your shot.” While he acknowledges in the post that privilege has played a part in his rise to stardom, so too has his boldness — to succeed or to fail, you first have to try, which is what he clearly wants to impress on his followers, who he thanks for believing in him from the beginning.
“This picture was captured of me during the first shoot day of season one,” he reveals. “If I look overwhelmed, it’s because I was.
I had never written a script before. I actually downloaded the screenwriting software for the first time to write this season. I had never acted before. Never executive produced before. Never done anything beyond make rap songs and videos.”
However, he continues, “A lot of people believed in me. Many of you did from the start of my career. I could tell that it wasn’t just about my music, you guys actually liked and believed in ME. As a person.” The takeaway, he writes, “Let me be a prime example when I say that things are totally possible in life. I had no legitimate reason to believe I could be a successful rapper. But I believed, and then I became that. I had no real reason to believe I could make a great tv show without any experience. But I believed, and I believe we achieved that.”
Read Lil Dicky’s full caption in the embed above.
