Johnnie Walker with a side of Squid Game?

One of the things that made FX’s hip-hop comedy Dave resonate so strongly with us was the simple, rags-to-riches story. There was a relatability in Dave Burd’s Lil Dicky that allowed an audience to see itself in this larger-than-life character. Lil Dicky was a dreamer, and it was fun to see Dave win, going from a nobody who thought (or knew) of himself as the biggest most important rapper in the world, with a Drake poster hanging above his bed, to eventually *SPOILERS* rubbing shoulders with Drizzy himself by the third season’s end. And since Dave’s season three finale last year, fans of been eagerly awaiting any news on whether there will be a season four, what Dave will do next, or at the very least, if we’ll get new Lil Dicky music.

Well we’ve got good news for you — this isn’t the last we’ve heard of Dave Burd and there will eventually be new Lil Dicky music, we’re just not quite sure as to when. But while we aren’t getting any new music or comedy from Dave this year, that doesn’t mean Dave isn’t out here in the streets.

Most recently, Dave joined forces with Johnnie Walker and Squid Game to build up hype for the latter’s second season — set to hit Netflix on December 26th — at a massive Times Square takeover where fans of the show go to drink whiskey, including a special Squid Game inspired cocktail crafted by mixologist Ginn Choe called the “456,” and participate in games inspired by the series.

Is there a chance Dave is going to be a surprise appearance in season two of Squid Game? No, but the randomness of the event does sound like a page ripped straight out of a Dave episode.

To help further build up anticipation for Squid Game‘s next season, Johnnie Walker is selling limited-edition Squid Game-themed bottles of its iconic Black Label whiskey, featuring a new logo where the brand’s Striding Man is dresssed in a Squid Game inspired green tracksuit, with each bottle being numbered 001-456, in homage to the number of contestants in the show.

So if you know someone who is a massive Squid Game fan and Johnnie Walker drinker (or if that person is you), you just found the perfect present for the holidays. Click here to score a bottle.

On the heels of the Times Square takeover, we caught up with the face of the Johnny Walker Squid Game link-up, Dave, to chat about why he wanted to be part of this collaboration, and what’s next for Lil Dicky. We also included the recipe for Ginn Choe’s 456, which is fully Dave approved.

What can you tell me about this partnership with Johnnie Walker and Squid Game Media?

Whenever I try to do partnerships with any brands, I really only like to do things that I love or believe in or I’m passionate about. So for me, this is almost like a two-for-one in the sense that I’ve always loved whiskey and Johnnie Walker, and then I’m also a huge Squid Game fan. So when I saw the opportunity to do something that involved both of those things at once, it seemed like a no-brainer to me.

How did you become a fan of the show?

I think I imagine I fall in a similar lane as most people… I don’t know exactly when it came out, but I feel like it came out and it really took over the world culturally. So it was impossible to live your life without hearing about this show. I’m a huge consumer of TV shows, movies. Anything that’s being talked about. I think I was hooked like everyone else.

How do you think you’d get on in the actual Squid Game contest?

I think, look, I’m a pretty good athlete and my heart and just my will I think is second to none. So you can never be too sure, but I imagine… I think I’d win if you’re really asking my honest question, I think I’d probably win.

I’m glad that that was your answer and it wasn’t something a little more self-deprecating.

No, no, no. I’d win the whole thing.

Let’s talk a little bit about the 456 cocktail. I’m assuming you’ve had it. What do you like about it?

Look, I’m not by any means a connoisseur of cocktails. All I know is that I was at an event in New York City when we launched this campaign. We played Squid Games in Times Square, and someone handed me this beautiful yellow cocktail. They said it was the 456. I took a sip and I loved it. So I really don’t even know, if I’m being honest, exactly what it is. All I know is that it’s delicious.

Outside this promotion, how do you generally like to enjoy your whiskey?

I think it varies. In a cocktail form is probably my ideal. Sometimes if I go on a vacation, I get the fruitiest drink at the bar. You know what I mean? That’s the most flavor-packed thing. So for me, anything that makes the whole drink taste delicious and not necessarily like straight-up alcohol, I tend to like that, but I do also like the feeling of drinking it straight. Whiskey, when it goes down your chest, there’s such a warm feeling, and it reminds me of the holidays.

Speaking of the holidays, any plans for Halloween?

I don’t have any plans yet. I’m sure one of my friends will say, “Hey, come to this,” and I’ll consider that. But not only do I not have a plan, I don’t have a costume. So if I were to get plans, I would have to figure out what the hell I’m going to be.

On that note, off the top of your head, if you got the invite say in the next 30 minutes, and you had to show up to a party tonight, what kind of costume are you throwing together?

Well, very limited resources. I’m just answering this question truthfully in the sense that I don’t have anything here to create a costume. So I think I would do something that I did a while ago, which was I took a white T-shirt and I wrote the letter E on it. Then because I’m a male, I was an e-mail.

Wow.

It looks like it would’ve worked really well on you. So maybe that’s what I’ll do this weekend.

Bouncing off of that question, what’s the best costume you’ve ever put together and what’s the worst?

Back in the day, I was a cellphone and it really was kind of like before everyone had cellphones, and it just felt like groundbreaking for me. This is when I was a child. I had never seen anybody else be a cellphone.

You’re ahead of your time.

I was ahead of my time. Back then, probably people would’ve known to be a pager, but I’m not sure people would’ve known to be a cellphone. I don’t know what my worst, I mean, the email is pretty bad, I got to say. It’s pretty low. It’s a low-lift costume.

I think it’s safe to say that might be the worst. Ever.

Yeah, it’s just a slap in the face to everyone who’s attending the party that you put that little effort into it. But some things must be done.

I saw that you got to sing a bit of “My Boo” at an Usher show. Can you take us into that moment?

Well, look, here’s a funny little anecdote about that. On our way to the concert, I was with my friends, including Benny Blanco, and as we were driving from L.A. to Vegas, I said, “I want to listen to Usher on the way just in case he hands me the mic and I just want to be prepared.” All of my friends were like, “You’re such a loser. The fact that you would even assume that that was going to happen is preposterous. I can’t believe you think that you need to prepare in case Usher hands you the mic at an Usher concert.” It was just so satisfying to have that moment come and Usher literally right in front of all my friends handed me the mic and I was fully prepared.

Believe it or not, Usher was the first concert I ever went to as a human being. So anytime I see Usher live or even see Usher in person, it always feels like a full circle moment no matter where I am in life because I always know my entry to live music will always be Usher.

Nice. On a somewhat random note, I cover a lot of fast food at Uproxx, so I’m always curious to know what people’s go-to favorite fast food is.

I love Taco Bell. If I were to talk about a single brick-and-mortar location, like what fast food is the best? What single location? The fact that there are some combination KFC Taco Bells that exist, I mean, that’s just to be able to ping pong between both those two institutions under one roof is really… that’s the dream.

What’s your go-to order at Taco Bell?

I get two Cheesy Gordita Crunches with chicken and no lettuce, and I get a chicken quesadilla and I order all the sauces.

As my last question, I know you’re only going to be able to tell us so much about this, but I’d love to talk to you about the future of Lil Dicky. Obviously Dave is on ice right now and the way season three ended it could be a nice close for the show. I know you’ve said you want to take a break from that and focus more on music and other projects, and the argument could be made that Lil Dicky’s story continues with the music. So what can you tell us about what you’re cooking up, and what can people expect in 2025?

I’m recording music every day. I just moved into a new home, got a brand new studio, everything’s set up. It’s truly my dream studio. I’m probably in the best space creatively that I’ve ever been in. I think when I make Dave, even starting in the beginning of my career, it’s like to get even “on” as Lil Dicky… every week I was putting stuff out for five months right away to get people to even notice me. Then you succeed, and then you’re on all these tour… I always wanted to make a TV show and be a comedian too. So when I finally got a moment to breathe after the music, I went all in on TV for three seasons.

So for the past 10 years I’ve kind of been constantly putting things out and working. It feels really good to be in a state where I’m just in the creative incubation phase where I’m just making the best work of my career right now in so many different mediums, not just music, but TV. I’m developing other TV, I’m writing a movie. There’s so many things that I’m doing that I’m so excited about that will eventually come to fruition. I am enjoying being in this incubation phase where I’m not being pulled in a bunch of different directions. I’m just at home working.

Could you say if anything will be coming in 2025, or is it still a little ways off?

I have enough experience with my own assessments of time as it pertains to music and I’ve been so wrong for so long that it is almost a waste of time to even get my opinion on when.

Just know that it will happen. I’m less worried about the when. I’m more worried about getting all the things executed. Some artists, when they finish a song that they love, they go and put it out. I don’t even like putting anything out until I have a grand multi-year rollout in place. You know what I mean? So I’m really just collecting and creating a treasure trove of incredible art that will then be released as I see fit. I can’t tell you exactly when, but you’ll know when it happens.

Before I let you go, I’m just curious, outside of your own projects, what music are you really excited about right now?

You know who I just started listening to, who I absolutely love is Tems.

I’m probably late to the party, but honestly, every single morning I wake up and I put the same Tems song on and go in the pool and start my day loosening my body in the pool as Tems sings beautifully to me.