Welcome to our collection of insightful and inspiring Dave East quotes! As a prominent figure in the realm of hip-hop, Dave East has carved his name with lyrical prowess, raw authenticity, and a genuine connection to his roots. Born David Brewster Jr., the Harlem-raised rapper emerged onto the scene with a unique blend of street narratives, personal reflections, and social commentary, earning him widespread acclaim and a dedicated fan base.
Throughout his career, Dave East has consistently delivered poignant verses that resonate with listeners on a profound level. His ability to paint vivid pictures through words allows him to capture the essence of life in urban environments, addressing topics ranging from struggle and perseverance to success and ambition. With a distinctive flow and unwavering dedication to his craft, Dave East has solidified his position as a respected voice in the world of hip-hop. Explore the depths of his wisdom and perspective as we present a curated selection of Dave East quotes below.
I think my music is more personal than most of the music I’m hearing. Dave East
I’m still an athlete at heart, so I always want that comfort and something that feels like an athletic shoe. Dave East
I’m not feeling R. Kelly. And I got a daughter, so I’m super not jacking R. Kelly at all. Dave East
A lot of creativity coming from the east side of Harlem. It really built my character and who I am. Dave East
I just value my family’s opinion as far as my music goes because that’s the ones that really know you. Dave East
I always wanted to do something I knew I could love to wake up and do every day, and rap was just second nature to me, growing up in Harlem. I never really had to try. Dave East
When I’m dead, gone or whatever, people will always remember my name and the music I did during my time. Dave East
I’ll never give up my style. Dave East
You always hear rappers say they don’t write, but they’re not really talking about anything. Dave East
I never felt like ‘I’m an underground dude’ or ‘I can only be hot in New York.’ Dave East
I think what sets a New York rapper apart from other rappers from other places is just being from New York. Dave East
I feel like rap fit me better. I could hoop. I could have went and did that, but this is my lifestyle, my temperament, my mentality. Dave East
I write all my own music, everything. Dave East
Wu-Tang was going through it. They didn’t come from great homes or families. They really came from hard beginnings so it just made me reflect on my own situation. If Wu-Tang was able to make it, why can’t I? Dave East
I want to be one of the greats. I feel like the money and all that is going to come, but I want to be a name that, like, when you say Nas or Jay Z, that’s forever. Dave East
A lot of people change for good. Some people just fall off. Just trying to progress in anything, no matter what you’re doing, I feel like any progression you make… some people aren’t gonna be around you that were around you. Dave East
I want to eventually get to a point where I can make all types of music for every type of crowd. Dave East
You’re born a certain way, but you don’t gotta die like that. Dave East
I stand out. I don’t really think I fit in with the ‘what rap is’ today. I feel like I stand out because I’m talking about me and my homies and stories from my life. I ain’t really trying to have you turnt up all day. Dave East
After the first three or four years of me taking rap seriously, it started to look more promising. I started booking shows and more people were playing my music, so I starting believing this could actually work for me. Dave East
I feel like a lyricist is somebody that writes their own lyrics. Now songwriters and lyricists are two totally different things. You can’t really be a lyricist if you didn’t write your lyrics. There’s no passion, there’s nothing in it coming from you. It’s somebody else’s feelings and you just taking it and running with it. Dave East
No matter how dope you are, if you ain’t really built, if you ain’t put that groundwork in, you gonna flop. Nobody gonna fill those arenas. Dave East
If you’re a fan of anything I do, I’m always telling a story. I’m into that – I like it when you don’t know if it was true or not. Dave East
It took mad failures for me to start to win. Dave East
A big part of what kept me focused on the music was already failing with basketball. I played basketball all of my life. When basketball didn’t work, I knew that I had to make it in whatever I decided to do next. Dave East
Where I’m from in Harlem, everybody look like a rapper. Dave East
I’m never gonna sell my soul or violate myself for no amount of dollars or fame. Dave East
I wouldn’t tell nobody to sign no slave deal or sign your life away or nothing like that, but if the deal is right and if it benefits you, you’d be a fool if you did not take advantage of it. Dave East
Nobody uses skits at all anymore, so it seems like I use a lot. That’s how I grew up on tapes. Biggie tapes, Biggie albums would have skits. The Lox would have skits. Mase would have skits. All the dudes I grew up on in Nineties rap would have skits on their projects, just to make you feel like you were right there with them. Dave East
I am not going to lie – my looks helped me. Dave East
I want a son. Dave East
When I go back to my hood, Queens, Brooklyn, or here in L.A., the people that’s not famous, that’s what inspires me. Dave East
I always tell people, I never get writer’s block because it’s coming straight from my brain, like, real-life experiences. I’m like the news. I’m just reporting it for myself. Dave East
Deep down in my heart and what I’ve seen and what I’ve been around, there is nothing better than Islam. Dave East
I’ll never put out some super-dumbed-down music. It’ll always have some substance to it. Dave East
My journey is self-made because I came from nothing. It’s the best feeling now, because I don’t really feel like I owe anybody. Dave East
I wanna be in a movie, I wanna have a clothing line, I wanna put myself in a position where, when I’m dead and gone, or I can’t rap anymore, that’s still moving. Tupac and Biggie, they’ve been dead 10-plus years and people talk about them everyday. I’m gonna try to speak everything into existence. I know the music is my key to get there. Dave East
Everybody knows I smoke, drink, and be up in the club, but I don’t want that to be my entire thing. I want them to see me get up and go to the gym after a night of clubbing. Dave East
Islam really brought a discipline to my life that I didn’t really have before. My old mindset was if they ain’t helping me, I ain’t helping them, but you can’t live life that way. Dave East
Spanish Harlem is like every ghetto in America. There’s every distraction possible. To make it up out of there is really a task itself. Dave East
I never thought I’d be sitting across the table with the owner of Hennessy. Dave East
I got it tatted on me, ‘born broke, die rich.’ Dave East
I was incarcerated for a little while in Baltimore, and my celly was Muslim. I was watching him pray every day, and his outlook on getting out of that situation was a lot more positive than the other dudes that were Muslim in the jail. Dave East
I watch movies all day. I am a heavy movie head. Dave East
My standout moment I would have to say was when ‘Black Rose’ dropped and getting the co-sign from Nas and The LOX. I would say all those moments together were crazy for me. Dave East
The Netflix thing with Nas is more of a documentary, where we kind of… talk. We go to my neighborhood. You get to see where I’m from and all that. And then, I’m in the studio with Nas. Dave East
My father brought a basketball to the hospital when I was born, and he already had it embedded in his head that I would be a ball player. Dave East
With me, I record so much that I just get in the zone. Dave East
I want to put out music that everyday people can relate to. Dave East
People don’t get signed by Def Jam every day on my block. Dave East
Honestly, I want to make more music for the women. I rather have a show full of girls, but I still gotta talk about what I be personally going through, what I’ve gone through, and what the homies go through. Dave East
I always had a gift with writing. I can really write. I always felt like I can write movies or somehow get into that. Dave East
You can’t turn fame off regardless if you’re a platinum-selling artist or you’re in jail every week. If you’re famous, you’re famous. You’re in the headlines either way you go. Dave East
Growing up in Harlem, I was always in the parks playing ball. Dave East
I’m never really trying to focus on one aim. Dave East
I’ve been able to provide for my family, move out of Harlem and travel the world. Dave East
The reception on ‘P2’ has been crazy. Every show on the tour has been sold-out. I didn’t think people were gonna catch on to it that quick because I started the tour the same day it came out. Dave East
I wanna go to every country on the Earth. Dave East
I was with Mass Appeal solely for almost two years. Dave East
When I’m out of town, I always try to get some readings or some type of new information to where I’m learning more about Islam, just to become the best Muslim I can become. Dave East
The fashion and the rap go hand in hand with New York City. Dave East
Nas really introduced the world and a lot of people to me – that was ideal as far as me first coming in. Dave East
Since the ’80s, Harlem has the place to go. Before the ’80s, just as far as hip-hop go, Harlem has always been a strong point, fashion-wise, music-wise, all of that. Dave East
I think R. Kelly is twisted, sick-minded, nasty, perverted – he different. I don’t know anybody like R. Kelly. Dave East
I feel like I’ve mastered Dave East. For a long time I was trying to figure out who I was and what sound I wanted to come with. Dave East
Being self-made is a state of mind, and once you put that mentality to work, your success will come. Dave East
Islam has a negative outlook on it around the world based on what the media tries to show. They not showing the peace. Dave East
