When Dave Takes on some Goliaths
Perhaps rap music is nearing its end. In the past few weeks, two globally notable rappers left their mark on 2021 with albums so underwhelming and half-baked that fans seem to have spent more time defending their cherished heroes than actually listening to their new music. Of course, I’m taking a stance here that could provide endless hours of twitter debate, but I think that any true fan could see where I’m coming from. And the irony of all this is that I know there will be plenty of people on the fence about the current state of rap, people that may be inclined to the genre but need to get hooked by someone that actually has something to say. My solution? Let’s look overseas.
David Orobosa Omoregie, who simply goes by Dave, was identified by Drake at the young age of 18 and collaborated with one of rap’s legends on a remix of one of Dave’s own tracks. Now, 5 years later, Dave is utilizing many of Drake’s own tried and true strategies to bring himself fame as one of the UK’s rising stars. A man with a truly tested background, Dave’s two brothers found their way into Britain’s criminal system, and he was left with only his cherished mother and a keyboard that would provide his first segway into songwriting and deeply appreciating music. Late in July of this year, Dave released his sophomore album, We’re All Alone In This Together, after coming off a hot streak with his critically-acclaimed first full length release in 2019, Psychodrama. And he’s still at the top of his game, if not even better than before.
The opening song, We’re All Alone, showcases Dave’s multifaceted nature. The song begins with an ominous musical backdrop, with a swirling bassline that comes in after his first verse and builds energy that he feeds off to effortlessly launch into his denser and more technical wordplay. As a veteran of the UK drill scene, Dave punctuates his verses with precision, and his songwriting demonstrates an ability to mix somewhat ironic arrogance with genuine concern for those close to him. One of the track’s most notable features is Dave’s capacity for dualism; while he can tear through a few lines about his preferences for fine cheeses and flashy cars, Dave remains focused on the irony of frivolous spending with lines like “What’s the point of bein’ rich when your family ain’t? / It’s like flyin’ first class on a crashin’ plane”. Listener’s almost get a sense that Dave is over the status. He’s young and somewhat new to the lifestyle but demonstrates a certain maturity and understanding of wealth’s morally deteriorating nature as he weaves through descriptions of how money allows him to enjoy certain types of high-profile women but, at the same time, exposes him to backstabbing and deception from those with hidden agendas. And he manages to point out all these ironies and paradoxes while maintaining a theme that his life experience and his audience’s life experiences aren’t as different as they may seem.
After a little of two minutes of near effortless rapping that allows Dave to really show off his control and expertise as a leading force in the genre, the beat breaks down to a rather slow and solemn piano part that transitions into the second verse. And Dave, a rapper who made a name for himself exposing his own emotional vulnerability, takes things a step further in a moment of self-reflection that encapsulates the listener into his personal headspace. He recounts a message from a young listener contemplating suicide and says, “Me and him got more in common than he thinks”. Dave then takes us through a glimpse of his past, remembering a legitimately embarrassing moment like how “I had to share a bed with my mum and I was pissin’ myself” that see him voluntarily step off the throne as one of rap’s rising kings and places him amongst a very small group of individuals confident enough to ever admit to something like that in public, let alone on the first track of a highly anticipated album. The vulnerability that pervades itself through Dave’s last release has matured and consolidated into lines that have even more poignancy and impact than before. The next two minutes until the track’s end witness Dave still rapping with impressive skill and power, but with a specific purpose in mind: to relate to his listeners, and to reassure them that there are always difficult and potentially life-threatening forces around us that wealth and status do not insulate one from no matter who we are.
Dave’s opening track from another fantastic album possibly combines all the best features of the modern state of rap music into one; the beat can be mean when it needs to be, the rapping can be accomplished and dynamic when it needs to be, but listeners are able to connect to the lyrical content and catch a glimpse of a life that seems so different from the outside, but is really quite similar to a normal life when broken down by the artist. Rap has progressed from a genre that hides away from insecurity into a genre that can, at times, embrace it. And in a period where Drake can get away with saying the same lines repeatedly with slightly different words and little variation to his sound, Dave, whom Drake recognized as a huge talent even as a teenager, almost calls him out and encourages those big names to keep up with him. Something I’m not convinced Drake can do anymore. Furthermore, Dave maybe inadvertently takes aim at Kanye as well by combining meaningful self-reflection with a Christian-driven flare, and he manages to come off as someone that others can actually relate to. Dave is confident addressing his insecurities and calling out his issues with mental health. And he’s able to weave a higher purpose into his life without coming off as arrogant and self-righteous “I knew that God would cast me as the leader / Somethin’ special when he messaged me and told me that I saved his life”. Dave is a real force to be reckoned with on this track, and he’s not afraid to cross into the lanes of some of rap’s most coveted individuals because I really don’t think they can hang with him as they produce some of their most mediocre works and Dave is in the limelight of his career.
