These Viral Rappers Are Stars, But Do They Have Bars?

For some, viral rappers who vault to the top of the hip-hop scene can’t actually rap for s—. To others, their online fame represents the democratization of talent. What’s the truth?

Let’s get into the flow of these infamously viral rappers and find out…

Lil Dicky

David “Lil Dicky” Burd didn’t live a life that intuitively led to rap stardom. After graduating from college with a business degree, he worked for an advertising firm, dreaming of life as a comedian and actor.

When he fused his comedic talents with hip-hop he broke through. His debut mixtape, “So Hard,” recorded while he kept his day job, spawned a series of viral music videos, combining earnest hip-hop talent with irreverent comedy.

‘Save Dat Money’

Lil Dicky is a curious figure because he’s not quite a pure comedy rap act like the Lonely Island, and he’s not quite a purely serious rapper like Childish Gambino.

He plays the viral video game expertly, with meta-narratives like “Save Dat Money” cutting through the noise. But Rich Homie Quan has the best verse on the track (until Dicky himself cuts it off).

Would Dicky’s work be better if he stuck to one lane? Or is the mix of comedy and bars the perfect alchemy for his success?

The Boyboy West Coast

What happens when the Internet machine grabs your work and does what it wants with it without your consent? What happens if they make fun of it? Laugh at it, instead of with it?

If you’re The Boyboy West Coast, a rapper with an admittedly unique flow, look and personality, you take the fame and recontextualize it yourself. Refocus the laugh. Make it positive.

He, perhaps more than any other rapper on this list, is indicative of our contemporary relationship with hip-hop and the Internet.

‘U Was at the Club (Bottoms Up)’

A clip of The BoyBoy West Coast lip-syncing to his own song, “U Was at the Club (Bottoms Up),” with its heavily auto-tuned vocals and distinctive beat, was one of the first true memes to come from TikTok.

The apps users locked onto the clip, recreating it, parodying it, and even dressing up like Boyboy West Coast, turning him into a viral viral.

Soon, the Santa Barbara rapper released a full version of the track on Spotify, and an official music video followed.