In 2014, a Virginia rapper named DP popped up on our radars with “Jabar,” a song that would end up being one of our favorites of that year. In 2015, he signed with 300 Entertainment and sporadically released music throughout 2015 and 2016, but then he went completely silent.
Today, he returns as an independent artist with a new name, Grim Dave, and a new song, “Grim.” It’s the first song he’s recorded in a year-and-a-half or so. “I lost care for all things rap-related and became a hermit,” Dave explains. “I had a lot of living to do. Now I got some shit to say and it’d be prudent to listen.”
The 23-year-old says he’s putting together some of the best writing of his life so far, and “Grim” is an impressive re-introduction. Over an eK beatz production that wouldn’t sound out of place on Til The Casket Drops, Grim Dave returns with what he’s best at: sharp lyricism, dark content, and a merciless intensity that sounds like he’s rapping through a snarl.
Listen to “Grim” below.
Get to know Grim Dave a little better with the video piece we made with him when he was still going by DP in 2015.