Cheltenham’s Lil Dicky lands FX comedy pilot based on his life, Kevin Hart to produce
The pilot will focus on the Cheltenham-born rapper's pre-fame life.
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Cheltenham-born rapper Lil Dicky, real name Dave Burd, has landed a pilot order with FX Networks for a half-hour comedy based on his life, the network announced this week.
The pilot will center on a neurotic suburban man in his late 20s who believes he will become one of the greatest rappers in history. The story was co-created by Burd and The League's Jeff Schaffer.
Burd, 30, wrote the teleplay and will star in the pilot, as well as serve as executive producer for music. Superbad director Greg Mottola will direct the project, which will be executive-produced by Burd, fellow Philly guy Kevin Hart and his Heartbeat productions, SB Projects' Scooter Braun, and others.
>> READ MORE: Lil Dicky saves that money – all the way to the bank
Expanding beyond music has always been part of Burd's plan. "I'm not just a comedian, but a rapper and a comedian," he told the Inquirer in 2015. "In five years, I want you to know Dave Burd the on-screen talent just as much as Lil Dicky the rapper."
Burd gained fame in 2013 with his hit "Ex-Boyfriend," which went viral after its release on YouTube. With its success, Burd raised about $113,000 through a Kickstarter campaign to pursue "phase two of his rap career."
Mainstream success came with the release of Professional Rapper, his debut album, in 2015. Featuring the singles "Save Dat Money" and "Professional Rapper" (featuring Snoop Dogg), the album debuted at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100. Currently, Burd is riding high on the success of "FreakyFriday" — featuring Chris Brown — his latest single, which topped out at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 after its release in March.
>> READ MORE: Cheltenham's Lil Dicky drops frugal video featuring Fetty Wap, Rich Homie Quan for '$ave Dat Money'
"Couldn't be happier for [Burd]," Hart wrote of the pilot on Instagram. "He's talented as hell and I'm honored to be producing his pilot with an amazing team of creative people. Stand up Philadelphia!!!!!!!!"
Burd was pretty excited himself: