Background and career
David Lawrence Brewster Jr. (born June 3, 1988), known professionally as Dave East, is an American rapper. East began his career in 2010, and gained attention in 2014 for his eighth mixtape, Black Rose. Its release caught the attention of fellow New York rapper Nas, who signed East to a recording contract with his label Mass Appeal Records in 2014, which entered a joint venture with Def Jam Recordings two years later. In 2016, East was chosen as part of the XXL's Annual Freshman Class. His tenth mixtape, Kairi Chanel, was released in September of that year and peaked at number 38 on the Billboard 200. His eleventh mixtape, Paranoia: A True Story (2017) peaked at number nine on the chart. His debut studio album, Survival (2019) peaked at number 11 and his fifteenth mixtape, Karma 3 (2020) peaked at number 36. His second studio album, Fortune Favors the Bold (2023), failed to chart and served as his final release with Def Jam. East began an acting career in 2017, when he was cast as himself in Being Mary Jane and The Breaks. He also had a supporting role in the Netflix film Beats (2019) as "Mister Ford". His breakthrough acting role came in the Hulu series Wu-Tang: An American Saga (2019), where he portrays Method Man.
East was born on June 3 1988, in New York City. He spent his life between East Harlem where his mother resided, and Ravenswood where he lived with his aunt in his late adolescent life. The rapper is of Bajan, Louisiana Creole and Dominican descent. He played basketball, and football at Springbrook High School in Silver Spring, MD near Washington, D.C. Additionally, he played in the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) with then-future NBA players Ty Lawson, Greivis Vásquez, and developed a close friendship with current all-star Kevin Durant.
After Springbrook High School, East attended the University of Richmond, then transferred to Towson University where he played basketball. While attending Towson, East had ongoing issues with coaching staff which ultimately led to his decision to leave the university. Shortly afterward, he started running into legal trouble in Baltimore, Maryland.
In 2010, East released his first mixtape Change of Plans which gained him minor local recognition. He later released the mixtapes Insomnia, American Greed, Don't Sleep and No Regrets, solidifying his commitment to music. In 2013, East periodically sold drugs throughout Harlem to support himself and his music. He then released his sixth mixtape, Gemini in April of that year.
In 2014, East's music caught the attention of Nas, who soon looked for ways to contact East. Unbeknownst to Nas, East was close friends with Nas' younger brother and fellow rapper Jungle, who quickly introduced the two. By mid-2014, East was signed to Nas through his newfound record label, Mass Appeal Records. In July 2014, he released his seventh mixtape, Black Rose for the label, which received favorable critical reception. In 2015, he released his eighth mixtape Hate Me Now, which gained further recognition and high-profile guest appearances from label boss Nas, as well as Pusha T, and two-thirds of The Lox; Jadakiss and Styles P. In June 2016, XXL magazine revealed their annual Freshman Class for 2016, which included East, along with G Herbo, 21 Savage, Kodak Black, Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Yachty, Desiigner, Lil Dicky, Denzel Curry, and Anderson Paak. The following month, he performed on the Freshman Cypher along with G Herbo, hosted by Philadelphia-based disc jockey, DJ Drama. In August 2016, he released a joint extended play with rapper Kur titled Born Broke, Die Rich. In September 2016, East performed at the BET Hip Hop Awards cypher alongside Young M.A., Ms. Jade, Kur and Sam Black. In September 2016, he signed a joint venture record deal with Def Jam Recordings negotiated by hop executive Steven "Steve-O" Carless, and the next day released the mixtape Kairi Chanel, which peaked at number 38 on the US Billboard 200.
In January 2017, East made his acting debut, starring in BET's Being Mary Jane series. He later appeared in Puma's Tsugi Shinsei commercial and starred in rapper, Trina's "It Ain't Me" music video. In August 2017, East released his the EP, Paranoia: A True Story, supported by the singles "Perfect" featuring singer Chris Brown, "Paranoia" along with Jeezy, and "Phone Jumpin" with Wiz Khalifa. The EP peaked at number nine on the Billboard 200. Later in the year East then released his eleventh mixtape, Karma which was hosted by DJ Holiday. This was the beginning of the Karma series. This tape featured tracks such as "Militant" with Bronx rapper, Don Q. Chris Brown also reappeared on "Bentley Truck" track which was also featured on the Karma tape. In September 2017, East hosted the first annual Goldie Awards, a DJ and producer battle set taking place in New York City. East began the new year by releasing his twelfth mixtape Paranoia 2. on January 15, 2018. In the following month, East signed a sponsorship with Belaire Rose. The signing of this deal led up to a promotional music video for the brand with his song, "Fresh Prince of Belaire" by Rick Ross featuring East. March 2018, East signed an endorsement deal with New Era Cap launching his new "lifestyle" 59fifty fitted collection. Shortly after his newly found endorsement, East was featured in New Era's "Claim the Crown" commercial along with some of the top MLB players Javier Báez and Jose Altuve, as well as record producer, Mike Will Made It. As things continued to look up for East, he released his thirteenth mixtape, Karma 2 on July 27, 2018. The project mixtape featured artists including Lil Durk, Gunna and BlocBoy JB, as well as close affiliates Kiing Shooter and Border Buck. Although the project failed to reach the same success as his studio album, managed to peak at number 41 on the Billboard 200. In the same calendar year, he released his fifteenth mixtape, Beloved, which saw him join his personal-favorite rapper, Styles P. The tape exposed and expressed the gritty street life of New York City.
