Dave

U.K. rapper Dave is a spellbinding storyteller, using his lyrics to reflect on both social issues and deeply personal subject matter alike. Acknowledgment early in his career from Drake gave Dave immediate exposure for his 2016 debut EP, Six Paths, and both his profile and artistry grew with subsequent releases, like his 2019 debut studio album Psychodrama and its 2021 follow-up, We're All Alone in This Together, both of which topped the charts in the U.K. He reached number one with subsequent singles "Starlight" (2022) and "Sprinter" (from 2023's Split Decision, with Central Cee). Following these successes, he guested on songs by Burna Boy and Lyrical Lemonade. Dave (aka Santan Dave) was born David Omoregie in the Brixton area of South London in 1998, later moving to Streatham. Growing up, he was inspired to pursue art in some form. Taking cues from his older brothers, he initially tried his hand at animation before moving on to piano; he finally settled on becoming a fully fledged MC. Unfortunately, his brothers ended up serving lengthy prison sentences. To cope with the drastic alteration in their lives, Dave burrowed even deeper into his music and developed a socially aware form of wordplay that set him apart from his peers. Despite starting to write bars around the age of ten, it wasn't until six years later that Dave would make his first appearance, freestyling on an underground U.K. rap channel Bl@ckbox, in 2015. In January of the following year, Dave returned with his first music video/single "JKYL+HYD," cementing his reputation for deep subject matter and ambitious lyrics. In the following months, Dave delivered two key freestyles on BBC Radio 1. The first was on Semtex's 1Xtra show and the second was on Charlie Sloth's Fire in the Booth. A number of singles followed, including a standout collaboration with West London's own rising star AJ Tracey on "Thiago Silva." By September, Dave was ready to deliver his first EP, Six Paths. The release was a success in its own right but got even more attention w