Dave – The Boy Who Played The Harp

Dave trades his mic for a harp, and still hits harder than most rappers with a drum kit.

It’s been four long years since Dave last cracked open his skull and served us a platter of his thoughts—medium rare, perfectly seasoned. We’re All Alone In This Together felt like a therapy session wrapped in 808s, but with The Boy Who Played The Harp, the South London prophet trades beats for biblical allegory, giving us something closer to a requiem than a rave.

Yes, the “harp” thing isn’t just poetic flair. Dave leans into his namesake King David, the divine musician who soothed demons with strings, and crafts an album that feels like an exorcism of modern masculinity. Don’t expect light-hearted TikTok bops here. This is heavy stuff: part sermon, part seance, all genius.

Take the track “Selfish”: James Blake sprinkles spectral production while Dave weaponizes vulnerability like only he can. It’s rap’s version of an open-heart surgery. No anaesthetic, just brutal honesty and bleeding bars. Then there’s Fairchild, where newcomer Nicole Blakk holds up a mirror to the patriarchy so cold it might frost your headphones. Dave meets her intensity head-on, questioning his own role in a culture that pretends not to see the damage it causes. Big themes, elegantly executed.

By the time Chapter 16 rolls around, Kano shows up like Samuel to Dave’s David. Old guard passing the torch with a knowing nod. The two share a meal of wisdom and wounds, one rapping about legacy, the other about longevity. Somewhere between scripture and cipher, Dave gets an unofficial coronation: “the rap messiah.” If that sounds grandiose, well… have you only heard him lately?

“The Boy Who Played The Harp” isn’t an easy listen—but neither is self-awareness. It’s Dave at his most cerebral and self-critical, blending biblical gravitas with Brixton realism. He might not be soothing our spirits, but he’s certainly stirring them.

“The Boy Who Played The Harp,” out now on Neighbourhood Recordings.

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Lyrics_ My 27th Birthday

[Intro]
(Everything's fine)
Look

[Verse 1]
White fish on the coast of the Caribbean, my life is a film
Hero and villain, I'm playin' both in the script
Worthy of Spielberg or Christopher Nolan readin'
The constant overachievin', I know
I ain't as rich as them people with old money, but I didn't know money
They mock me online for speakin' up on all of our issues
And bein' vocal, the shit that I see on socials
But how can I stay silent when, when
I'm out in Barbados, white people mistreatin' locals
The villa in Jamaica, but it's owned by the Chinese
Head to the right bеach and they're chargin' us five еach
They say the Caribbean paradise, like, why leave?
But how can I be silent when there's blood on the pine trees?
Most of us would sacrifice our soul for the right fees
Before I find love, I'm just prayin' I find peace
Before I find love, I'm just prayin' I find peace
You know what I believe, I don't know if I handled it well
It's fuck Coca-Cola, did I stop drinkin' Fanta as well?
I could see the blood on the lyrics I write for myself
I cried about slavery, then went to Dubai with my girl
"Surely I ain't part of the problem", I lie to myself
Jewels that my people die for are a sign of my wealth
My work is a physical weight of my life and my health
The last couple years, felt like I been inside on a shelf
I just phoned Cench, and I said, "You inspired myself"
I don't feel a spot of jealousy inside of myself
But when I'm all alone, I won't lie, I question myself
Am I self-destructive? Am I doin' the best for myself?
I know I love music, but I question the rest of myself
Like, why don't you post pictures? Or why don't you drop music?
Or why not do somethin' but sittin' and stressin' yourself?
Ten years I been in the game and I won't lie, it's gettin' difficult
This shit used to be spiritual
We don't need no commentators, we could leave that to the sports
Just listen to the music, why do you need somebody's thoughts?
And some of it constructive, but most of it is forced
And why we countin' the numbers, how the music make you feel?
I'm just bein' real

(Alright)

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