3. Penith – Lil Dicky

Dave Burd continues to amaze me. He’s creative, hilarious, and talented, with one of the best TV shows out there (Dave is that show). Explaining why he’s my favorite rapper can be tricky—his niche style isn’t for everyone—but this album solidifies his greatness. Listening to Penith feels like a time machine. It takes me back to those cold February days traveling between cities, hitting milestones, and the emotional highs and lows of that time in my life. Whenever I turn this album on I get put back into a headspace. Dave’s headspace. It’s gritty, it’s raw, it's different. Dave has always taken pride in being different and this album oozes that. Dicky has bars, there are tracks that he will get on and just obliterate everything. He can still be funny while talking shit, there are somber tracks where he opens up about love, loss, growing older, and learning who he is. There’s a variety of songs like Mr. Mcaddams and Harrison Ave that appear in the show Dave, but the twist here is that most of them come back on this album as more of a remastered version or directors cut. Songs that may have been a couple of seconds or only a couple of bars in the show become fully fledged tracks that hold their own as original songs. Some are even accompanied by music videos that brilliantly showcase his improved directing ability with his experience in his show Dave. Even if it’s just once I highly recommend you listen and I can promise you will be pleasantly surprised. Although this album doesn’t do anything revolutionary. It doesn’t have to, When I listen I am reminded of a time when my journey was just starting, and I was just so excited to finally get something new. The album balances confidence, vulnerability, and humor while staying consistently entertaining. Truly amazing.