Dave East might be planning his next trip to Jamaica. Sources are telling us that the Harlem MC was living his best life in Jamrock last week and didn’t want to leave.
American rapper Dave East arrived in Jamaica nearly a week ago, and from then until his departure yesterday, he has been enjoying a ton of time with the Unruly Boss Popcaan. The main reason for the visit is to shoot the video to their track “Unruly,” which comes off East’s Karma 3 mixtape released last month. The song features some heavy Jamaican references from the rapper while he delivers his two verses, alongside Popcaan’s vocals.
One may not have thought about it, but Dave East’s verses feel very much like a roadmap to the place and people he possibly hoped to encounter on his way to Jamaica. One of the rapper’s first stop upon entering JA was the garrison of Tivoli Gardens, ironically located to the East of the island. This directly corresponds with the following line from “Unruly,” in which he endorses the former strongman/don of the TG Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke. East, who hails from the gritty Harlem streets, raps, “Studying Dudus, you know, Christopher Coke, I’m talkin’ Shower Posse.” In 2010 an extradition request from the USA led to a largescale manhunt for Coke. Rebels loyal to the don engaged in a major standoff with the military and police, subsequently resulting in numerous deaths at the hands of the lawmen. A decade later and Popcaan and East can be seen shooting their video in the area.
However, the rapper does not only salute members of the underworld, as he also namedrops the likes of “Peter Tosh, Super Cat, Vybz Kartel, and Buju Banton in his verses. “Find me inside Big spliff lit, knocking Vybz Kartel and probably Buju /Making movies before you heard of Netflix or Hulu,” he spits. Two of those names, Vybz Kartel and Buju Banton, were included in the caption of one of his most recent posts to social media. While it seems the post is simply paying homage to two of the island’s hottest talents, it could also be a hint at a possible collaboration. Dave’s respect for the two entertainers in question may not only lie in the similarities of their love for Jamaica, and it’s rich culture but also their concurrent plights. Sadly, all three men have experience time behind bars.
East continues to channel some big Jamaican vibes while being back in the United States, as he recently went on IG live to capture himself wilding out to Popcaan’s “SUH ME LUV IT,” which features Jada Kingdom.
