Music
8 on point Dave collaborations that prove he's one of the UK's best rappers
Every time Dave drops a collab with another MC, it feels special. Here are some of his best link ups so far.
Breaking out with his Bl@ckbox freestyle in 2015, it was obvious that Dave – then 16-years-old – has artistic prowess way beyond his years. He’s since gone on to establish himself as one of the smartest lyricists in UK rap with stunning tracks like Picture Me, How I Met My Ex and the politically-charged single Question Time to name a few. And on all of his collaborations so far, Dave has shone bright like a supernova, holding his own with the scene’s best and boosting his career each time.
So in celebration of the Streatham rapper’s skill for creative chemistry, here are some his best collaborations to date…
1. Thiago Silva (with AJ Tracey)
Dave and AJ Tracey coming together is comparable to Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke’s partnership during the '90s for Man United. On Thiago Silva, the two MCs bounce off each other with mercurial ease and float over the grimey beat courtesy of 169 and Prince Rapid with masterful flows. The lyrics are hard hitting and will have you doing the dub face instantaneously.
Sharpest Bars: “First time I link her Nando’s, sweet / £9.95, I swipe then eat / A one two wrap / If she don’t give hat, Thiago Silva, man block, then skeet”.
2. Wanna Know (with Drake)
2015-2016 saw Dave take over the underground with releases like his Bl@ckbox freestyle and Thiago Silva, but the pop sensibilities of Wanna Know propelled him into a different stratosphere. And then Drake jumped on the remix, rocketing the track to a whole other galaxy.
Sharpest Bars: “My lifestyle’s exciting / Imagine being the reason two girls are fighting / Both hands swinging nonstop like a Breitling”
Watch Dave's Rhymeantics performance:
2 min
Dave Rhymeantics performance
Dave Rhymeantics performance
3. Samantha (with J Hus)
When you first hear Samantha, it doesn’t sound like an obvious banger – from the piano melody switching to a slow beat, to J Hus and Dave approaching the track with different vocal styles. But Hus and Dave have good creative chemistry, and both of them switch between sweet boys and street guys by juxtaposing melodies with some hard lyrics. With the help of Jae5’s production genius, they managed to create an absolute smash hit – Samantha is currently sitting on over 36 million YouTube views, and it’s a crowd pleaser at both Dave and Hus’s shows.
Sharpest Bars: “I’m gentle when it comes to the girl dem / But I’m gangster with some voddy and voss / My girl don’t wanna stop for a chat / Then I’m onto her friends like Joey and Ross”.
4. Peligro (with Giggs)
I’m going to put my neck on the line and say that Dave gifted Giggs one of the best feature verses of 2017. Appearing on Giggs’ Wamp 2 Dem mixtape, Dave’s metaphors and slick wordplay made Peligro a highlight.
Sharpest Bars: “I’m with guys that are riding solo / That’ll do it like Ralph Lauren / That’s one long stick and a blacked out polo”.
5. No Words (with MoStack)
Serving as the lead single off his 2017 EP Game Over, No Words sees Dave and MoStack going back to back over alluring piano keys courtesy of UK super producer Steel Banglez; the two MCs lather the song in smooth vocals and a hook that’s destined to get stuck in your head.
Sharpest Bars: “On Insta, sitting in a mad whip / In traffic, man are looking like a catfish / Fake youts, plastic / Stop acting, man are all average / My girl got a body bombastic, elastic, call her Mrs Fantastic”.
6. Venting (with Nines)
Dave only has a short verse on this track from Nines' 2018 album Crop Circle but his contribution is resounding, with Dave spitting heartfelt lyrics which pierce one’s consciousness like a knife through butter, leaving the listener in a pensive state.
Sharpest Bars: “I ain’t tweeting these hoes / I got a dream of my own, that’s why I’m sleeping alone / I want a girl that I can reason with / But it’s like I’m looking for my rock inside a sea full of stones”.
7. Funky Friday (with Fredo)
Funky Friday landed on us like an atomic bomb, eventually going on to gate-crash the mainstream and become a surprise UK number one. Following the release of his thought-provoking track Hangman, Dave took most of 2018 off, making his fans wait patiently for their next fix. And he didn’t disappoint. From whimsical wordplay, to Dave and Fredo’s effortless swagger, both the song and video are on point, with the duo’s outfits perfectly matching their backdrop like a mystical mirror.
Sharpest Bars: “At this age, how are them man still hating? / My young boy in a different country, but he ain’t ever been on vacation”.
8. 18HUNNA (with Headie One)
Headie One had a banner year in 2018, dropping The One Two mixtape and generating a buzz with tracks like Know Better and Tracksuit Love. Naturally, fans of the rising Tottenham rapper were thrilled when he kicked off 2019 with a teaser for one of the best MC collaborators in the game. 18HUNNA serves as another showcase of both Headie and Dave’s distinctive styles, with both rappers destroying a 169 beat and strolling with a sense of calm charisma in the ice cold visuals.
Sharpest Bars: “Somalis I roll with, so its ackee on the side like salt fish / Literally, mans been trying to make history / But my little nigga in the ends and he’s still trying to turn man history”.
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