Meet the Latest Joke Rapper Who's Better than Most Regular Rappers

The line between "regular rap" and "joke rap" has become increasingly blurred over the last few years (not talking about Yung Humma). One of the most notable examples of that blurring is Childish Gambino, a blatantly talented rapper, but one who has had to use several tracks to openly plead for listeners to look past his alternate persona as comedian Donald Glover and take his bars seriously. In interviews, Glover has brought up the point that so-called "serious" rap is actually quite funny:

"Look at Lil Wayne, he is very funny! He has punch lines galore, like “my gun means business; the bitch should have a tie on.” But, because of his background people take him serious. I have a comedy background so people struggle to take me serious..."

As Glover points out, a rapper's background is key, if not absolutely integral to how an audience perceives them. Glover's background seems to fit the bill; he managed to escape the hood in a manner rappers claim to strive for: Without turning to drug-dealing or violence. Yet despite being honest about his upbringing, he will never find the mainstream success of a guy like Rick Ross, who has fabricated his way to the top of pop-rap.

If Glover was able to turn an internet sketch series into a writing gig on what was then the funniest show on television, turn that into a starring role on what would become the funniest show on television (different shows - neither of which retains its title) all while earing a degree from NYU and writing and starring in a feature film and still can't get his rise to fame respected, what chance does Cancer Merchant have?



Cancer Merchant is the rap name of comedian Daveo Mathias, who has overcome the fact that his name is Dave-O to actually become quite funny. He first caught our attention with a balls-droppingly hilarious reenactment of the album intro to Raekwon the Chef's classic, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...

Strike one against his chances of being taken seriously: He's the white guy in the video above.

Much like Glover, Mathias has a web-sketch series that has produced some hilarious results, most notably the above video and an in-depth report on swag syndrome. Also like Glover, Mathias's raps in the form of esoteric film refernces; with Mathias paying homage to cinematic-weirdo David Lynch with an entire song.



This is the kind of stuff that is going to be infinitely more enjoyable if you understand deconstruction of Lynch's Blue Velvet. But whether you're a Lynch fanatic or not, there's no hiding the well-composed verses and punchlines like, "Bill O'Reilly's got a bullet, making him look hindi/ He might be brain-dead but still finds ways to offend me." Backing all this up is a beat that menacingly juxtaposes Merchant's goofy appearance.

Ultimately, though, that is the criterion upon which Mathias will be judged. No matter how eloquently he is able to cram simile and metaphor into 16 bars, he will always be a joke rapper. And that's not a bad thing, necessarily, as it will likely for him into seeking a career in comedy, a life choice that will greatly benefit the rest of us. There's certainly nothing wrong with joke rap. It's just sad that rappers like Rick Ross and Lil' Wayne lack the self awareness to see that they're just jokes too.


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