Harlem rapper Dave East goes viral on January 5 after a clip shows him refusing to work for free with a producer’s new artist due to past dealings with the producer. The clip is a lesson on how you treat those on the climb in the music business.
The footage shows East speaking directly to a producer who requested a free verse for another artist. Instead of agreeing, East declined—and he didn’t hold back about why.
“I don’t care about your artist,” East said flatly, cutting through the ask without bitterness. “I be seeing you and I still show you love.” Even as he refused the favor, East made it clear this wasn’t personal—it was about principle.
The heart of the moment lies in history. “We not doing nothing because when I had no name that’s how you was acting with me,” East explained. “That’s a fact.”
The words resonate with a common narrative in hip-hop: the struggle for recognition and respect before fame, and how early dismissals can linger long after an artist blows up. East has become an actor and recording artist since he arrived in the mid-2010s.
East called out the producer by name. “Your name Skitzo, right? I know who you are,” he said, making it clear he remembered the past.
Dave East Reminds Producer Of Past Charges While Refusing To Work With His Artist For Free
He recounted a specific incident from his early career: “When I asked you for a beat that time… Nahhhhh,” East said, shaking his head.
The gesture reinforced that he hadn’t forgotten being turned down when he was grinding and unknown. The producer continues to speak his peace about the past.
Even in refusal, East kept it measured. “I don’t want to do nothing,” he said, then softened the moment with a gesture of respect: “But, it’s love, when I see you, it’s love. I’m good.”
It’s a subtle reminder that boundaries can coexist with civility, and that respect is earned and remembered.
The clip has struck a chord because it reflects an unspoken code in the culture. Connections and favors in hip-hop don’t flow retroactively—how you treat people before they blow matters.
East’s response wasn’t revenge. It was consistency, a statement that he remembers the past and honors it on his terms.
In the modern rap landscape, where clout and visibility often shift power dynamics, Dave East’s clip is a blueprint. Success doesn’t erase history—it amplifies it. And in his world, respect is currency.
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