''I'm Brain'' is the debut EP from Brain, an alter ego of American rapper

Lil Dicky David Andrew Burd (born March 15, 1988), better known by his stage name Lil Dicky, is an American rapper, comedian, and actor. He came to prominence with the release of the music video for his song "Ex-Boyfriend" in 2013, which became popular w ...

. Released on 14 September 2017 by Commission Records, the comedy rap EP contains features from Lil Dicky and

The Game The Game or The Games may refer to: Sports and games * The Game (dice game) (German: ''Das Spiel''), a dice game designed by Reinhold Wittig * The Game (mind game), a mind game, the objective of which is to avoid thinking about The Game itself * ...

Background and release

Brain first appeared on

's 2015 debut album '' Professional Rapper'', featuring on the track "Pillow Talking". TJ Francis, in a piece for lifestyle website BroBible, wrote that the character allowed Lil Dicky to "dive deeper into his own mind and show off a different side". Mass Appeal published an interview with Brain on 14 April 2017, where he stated that he was working on a debut project. Lil Dicky teased a release from Brain on 1 September 2017, tweeting that "Brain been in the lab too" in response to a tweet asking about an upcoming album from Lil Dicky. 1 week later, Brain released a debut solo single on Soundcloud, entitled "Left Brain Right Brain". This was followed up the next day by another single featuring Lil Dicky called "Could I B Jesus". Hot New Hip Hop's Mitch Findlay praised the "banging instrumental" and Lil Dicky's "signature blend of hilarious wit and capable flow". While neither track was featured on the EP, the 7 track EP was released on 14 September 2017.

Critical reception

Aron A., writing a review for Hot New Hip Hop, deemed this EP "another confirmation of Lil Dicky's creative brilliance". In a self-published review on his theneedledrop

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most ...

channel,

Anthony Fantano Anthony Fantano ( ; born October 28, 1985) is an American music critic and YouTuber who runs the YouTube channel The Needle Drop and its tie-in website. He discusses and reviews music from a variety of genres in his YouTube videos and on his we ...

was more critical, calling it "unlikeable on all levels", but praising The Game's feature on "How Can U Sleep" and admiring the production and instrumentals. However, the review was broadly negative, with Fantano saying that "for something titled after a brain, it's pretty goddamn brainless". In the Sonoma State Star, Nick Coats said of the EP that "if you are a fan of Dicky, you will appreciate his impressive flow, lyrical prowess and creative genius behind his character, Brain", presenting the opinion that while the EP is credited to Brain, the Brain persona "once again serves as comedic relief", and Lil Dicky takes the lead with what Coats calls "heavy lyricism and flows". XXL's Nick Mojica gave a similar view, writing that "although Brain is still used for comedic relief, Dicky once again flexes his lyrical prowess on the project".

Track listing

Credits adapted from

Tidal Tidal is the adjectival form of tide. Tidal may also refer to: * ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple * Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim * TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music * Tidal (servic ...

References

{{Lil Dicky 2017 EPs Comedy rap albums Lil Dicky albums