Dave East

Born David Lawrence Brewster Jr. on June 3, 1988 in New York City, Dave East dropped his first mixtape in 2010 but rose to prominence following the release of his eighth mixtape, Black Rose, in 2014. The East Coast rapper – who is of Bajan, Louisiana Creole and Dominican descent – was heading for a career on the basketball court but quit due to problems with coaching staff. His first mixtape, Change of Plans, failed to catch fire and he went on to release another five low-key tapes – including Gemini in 2013 – until a signing from Nas's new Mass Appeal Records put him on the map. With appearances from Smoke DZA, Sean C & LV, and Rico Beats, Black Rose arrived in 2014 and helped Dave East's career to take off, establishing him as a tough-talking storyteller harbouring hardcore hip-hop tendencies. His eighth mixtape, Hate Me Now, landed in 2015 and lifted his career to new heights with its inclusion of celebrated rappers like Pusha T and Nas. The following September, he signed a deal with Def Jam Recordings and that same month released his Kairi Chanel mixtape, which made it to Number 38 on the US Billboard 200. Dave East made his TV acting debut in 2017 in BET's Being Mary Jane series and in 2019 his movie debut in the Netflix film Beats. He has also played Method Man in the Hulu series Wu-Tang: An American Saga. His debut album, Survival, came in 2019 and the third instalment of his Karma mixtape series in 2020. Dave East's collaborative album with producer and composer Harry Fraud, Hoffa, was released in 2021.