Davo Was Meant for the Spotlight
Fast forward to 2020—Davo has embarked on his own career, focusing on a reinterpretation of the sounds of Reggae that have been engrained into his being since his early childhood. Tinny Jamaican sounds are steeped in the ethos of contemporary hip hop and R&B. “Psychedlic, Trippy, and Turnt,” are the three words Davo uses to describe his amalgam of sounds: “my music will have you tripping and feel some type of way. If you meditate, just close your eyes, you could just find yourself in a whole other place. [But] I also like to turn up, you feel me?”
Davo just released the music video for his recent single “Say Something.” The music video was directed by Tory Lanez, a longtime friend and collaborator of Davo. “He’s kind of like a brother, I would say, because we grew up together,” Davo explains. “I’ve known him since he was a kid in elementary school.” Though he is older than Tory, Davo was always impressed by Tory’s ruthless work ethic. Throughout their respective careers, the two have consistently pushed each other to write more, produce more, and just go harder and farther than what they initially thought was possible.
Photos by B. Seales
The two might be work-oriented, but they know a good time. “Usually, when me and Tory work together in the studio, we’re clowning, having fun, making jokes, smoking a little weed, you know. Actually, not a little weed, but usually a lot of weed,” Davo says with a laugh.
“Say Something” was repurposed from a song Davo’s father wrote with Bob Marley, the classic “Could You Be Loved.” “I actually took those words, the lyrics ‘say something’ from my dad. My dad had a song with Bob Marley called “Could You Be Loved,” and towards the end of the song, you started hearing someone in the background chanting, ‘say something, say something. Reggae, reggae says something. Rocka Rocka says something.’ That’s my dad and a couple of other band members, maybe even Bob, in the back singing together.” Davo was, like millions of fans, always drawn to that record. While freestyling in the studio, he found himself singing the words that his father sang forty years ago.
“Say Something” is a millennial interpretation of the famed song from The Wailers. “It’s really about when you get into the situation with a girl and you’re like boom, you like her, you guys like each other, but you’re afraid to say something,” says Davo.
Davo’s working on so much music, it’s almost difficult to keep track. A joint rock album with Davo’s younger cousin Young Justo is in the works, titled Rockstar Dreams. He’s also working on a project that captures his tendencies for 80s sound and glamourous production. Davo’s father will also be featured as a guitarist on some of the upcoming tracks. “It means a lot to me, because my father is a legend,” Davo expresses with almost a sense of reverence. “It means I have a song with a legendary guitarist that played with Bob Marley.”
It would be reductive to label Davo’s career break as ‘sudden.’ Although he’s receiving more attention now than he has before, the praise, to him, is overdue. “I’ve been doing it for so long. A lot of people don’t know how long I’ve been behind the scenes with Tory. I’ve been there helping and pushing and working with him and behind him.” The success might have been delayed, but Davo’s not bitter: “Everything happens for a reason. I’m ready more than I ever was before.” He’s also confident in his abilities and the unique skills he’s bringing to the table: “Y’all really going to get more familiarized with my sound.”
He’s right: Davo is bringing his contagious Jamaican exuberance and psychedelic insights to the forefront of the often-stale walls of contemporary R&B. He exudes the markers of a rising superstar, bathed in the music of previous generations, and the ins and outs of the machinations of the music industry.
As Davo said, “Until the next time, love, peace, and chicken grease. God bless, Y’all. I’m out of here.”
