Maybe I’m the wrong person to judge this since I don’t have to be sold on the benefits of condoms, but it seems to me that rapper Lil’ Dicky is a fantastic choice for a condom pitchman. And kudos to Trojan for signing him, and airing a pair of short commercials during Sunday night’s MTV Video Music Awards (which also featured Drake gushing his heart out to Rihanna). These spots, aimed at millennials, use humor and logic in the best of ways: to educate about safe sex.
In the ads, Dicky’s tone strikes a worthwhile balance, as if to say, “We all get down—and I would know, I’m a rapper-type—so be cool and do it right. Wrap it up, kids.” And Trojan was smart because the tone of his commercials reflect, in a sense, what he has already put forth in his music videos and songs: odd-man-out gets the hot girl. And guess what? He’s smart about it. Ohhh, snap!
Here’s Dicky—a nice Jewish boy from Philly named Dave Burd, whom we profiled in July—taking a second to think with his brain instead of his penis for “peace of mind on the STD and pregnancy front.” (Keep in mind that Burd is a former copywriter, and he was involved in the creation of these ads.)
And after Dicky and his lady have sex, we get to see him drive home his point with a little potty humor (farting is funny, don’t argue with me on this one).
In March, Lil’ Dicky and Trojan published a four-minute educational and promotional clip that’s equal parts hilarious and real. Like, filled with real talk. Dicky says: “Condom sex is still cool. Like, it still feels good. You’re still, like fucking.” (Trojan’s promotional hashtag is #ResponsibleAF.)
Oh, and he’s wearing a turtleneck. Think about it.
And if you’re not a fan of swears, or talking about having good/rough/hot sex in public bathrooms, I urge you to look past those feelings because, newsflash, this is how many young people, especially dudes, talk about intercourse. So let them be pervs if it’ll encourage them to practice safe sex.
Related: The Uproarious Rise of Lil’ Dicky
Jonathan Zalman is a writer and teacher based in Brooklyn.
