The timestamps of Dave Burd’s life are measured in Philadelphia sports.
Burd, the rapper and actor otherwise known as Lil Dicky, can tell you where he was the moment Allen Iverson stepped over Tyronn Lue in 2001 or when Brad Lidge dropped to his knees in 2008 or when Nick Foles caught the Philly Special in 2018.
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“I care so much about Philadelphia sports to a level that’s unhealthy,” Burd said during a phone interview this week.
Burd, 32, describes Philly sports as one of the “few constants” in his life, stretching from puberty as an Iverson-obsessed teenager in Elkins Park, Pa., to becoming an entertainment star known around the world for his self-deprecating humor and elaborate music videos. He’s an occasional presence at games, an ardent supporter from afar (Burd is based in Los Angeles), adds allusions to the teams in his work and monitors the daily happenings as if he still took the Broad Street line to Veterans Stadium (a venue he remembers as “being such a shithole but in a great way”). As soon as the Eagles acquired Darius Slay last week, Burd texted his friends about the move. He doesn’t miss 76ers games, making sure he finishes a verse by 4 p.m. PT so he can watch.
Burd’s 2015 album, “Professional Rapper,” debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 chart. His videos have hundreds of millions of views on YouTube. And he has a new FXX TV show loosely based around his life as a rapper. But there’s a select group of fans whose affection he craves more than anyone else: Philadelphia athletes.
“I care more about being loved by them than anyone,” Burd said. “It just means more. Because I care so much about them.”
“Dave,” which premiered this month and airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET, has already included plenty of references to Philly sports.
There’s a “Trust the Process” line, an homage to the Sam Hinkie-era Sixers, in the first episode. He discusses the city’s famous sandwich at “Boo’s Cheesesteaks and Hoagies” in Los Angeles an episode later. He wears an Iverson jersey in his childhood bedroom in the opening scene of the third episode, which later includes his girlfriend wearing a Phillies shirt. The next episode features Burd procrastinating from work to watch the Sixers-Suns game as a source of inspiration.
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His music and accompanying videos are sprinkled with local sports references, too — from Joel Embiid’s vocal appearance on “Earth” to “Freaky Friday,” which includes a cell phone shot of #wentzwagon and #TrustTheProcess trending on Twitter. “I try to pull from real life and reference things that are true to me,” Burd said. “Honesty speaks.”
Although he lives on the West Coast, Burd wants his art to reflect the pride engendered from growing up in the Philadelphia area. He wants everyone back home to “feel like I’m their boy.” And he’s become just that even with players he adores. Burd texted Lane Johnson before Super Bowl LII, calling 2017 the best year of his life as an Eagles fan. The notion of FaceTiming with these athletes — from Johnson and Zach Ertz to Embiid and Ben Simmons — still excites Burd.
“I’m not best best friends with these guys,” he said. “But I’d love to be!”
Nerlens Noel attended the first-ever Lil Dicky concert in Philadelphia at the Theater of Living Arts on South Street — the type of validation that’s particularly meaningful to a devout follower of The Process-era Sixers.
“Never had I felt more (like) a successful rapper,” Burd said. “I was as excited about that fact (as) I was about the actual performance.”
Philadelphia sports are also a way for Burd to stay connected with those who knew him before he became Lil Dicky. His text threads with his brother revolve around the teams. His childhood friend group still complains together about calls during Eagles games — they just watch from across the country. Burd is in front of his television at 10 a.m. on autumn Sundays in California. He sits alone on his couch, uninterested in going to a sports bar. The isolated viewing experience is better. The texts to the East Coast become companionship.
In 2005, Burd watched from a friend’s basement as the Eagles lost Super Bowl XXXIX to New England. Two years ago, he declined free tickets to Super Bowl LII so he could watch the game with those same friends. This time, they were in a living room in the Fairmount section of Philadelphia. He roamed the city streets after the Eagles won, cheering with strangers and broadcasting the celebration on Instagram. “It was a top three night in my life,” Burd said.
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Earlier that season, the Eagles posted a locker room video of players dancing to Burd’s song, “Save Dat Money.” He called it one of his favorite videos. It made him feel like part of the team.
But the Eagles’ Super Bowl title wasn’t the most satisfying championship for Burd. That came in 2008 with the Phillies. “There’s nothing like your first time,” he said.
He admits he’s more passionate about the Sixers and Eagles than the Phillies or Flyers. Living in Los Angeles has made it more difficult to regularly consume Phillies games, since it would require him to halt work every summer day in the mid-afternoon. But the 2008 Phillies were different. It was before he had moved to the West Coast, and Burd enjoyed watching Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins and Cole Hamels ascend from rookies to stars. He went to the ballpark to watch them play. When they won the World Series — the first Philadelphia championship of his lifetime — he was studying abroad in Australia. Burd had a friend in the program also from Philadelphia, and the two watched games early in the morning. They celebrated Lidge collapsing to the ground in triumph after sunrise.
“That was maybe my favorite sports team of my whole life,” said Burd, who graduated from the University of Richmond in 2010. “I loved that team.”
Another time as 76ers bell-ringer: Dave Burd in 2017. (Bill Streicher / USA Today)
Burd believes his fascination with Iverson (“my definition of ‘cool,’” he explained) subconsciously spawned his desire to become a rapper. He’s been in the spotlight since his first single, “Ex-Boyfriend,” went viral in 2013, which has given him access and opportunities that weren’t available when he first became a Philly sports fan. He said it never gets old appearing on an arena video board or sitting courtside for a Sixers game and having Simmons or Embiid say hello.
His wishlist, though, is still incomplete.
“I really want to throw out the first pitch this year for the Phillies. That would be surreal,” Burd said. “I really want to sing the national anthem at the Eagles game. I really want to do that.”
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And how would that sound?
“Well,” he said with a pause. “I think, however it would happen, it would be minimally funny.”
(Top photo of Dave Burd in April 2019: Jesse D. Garrabrant / Getty Images)
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