BRITs 2020: Dave performs heart-wrenching tribute performance of 'Black'

18 February 2020, 21:10 | Updated: 18 February 2020, 22:13

The Streatham native penned an emotional performance of his 'Psychodrama' hit.

Dave performed an incredible performance of his song 'Black' at the BRITs 2020.

Who is rapper Dave, how old is he, what's his net worth & how does he know Drake?

Taken from his 2019 debut album 'Psychodrama', the song was performed by Dave at a huge piano alongside another pianist as he rapped the heartfelt lyrics in front of the O2 Arena crown.

During his performance, the rapper paid tribute to Jack Merritt, the 25-year-old who was killed in the tragic London Bridge attack in November 2019. Saskia Jones, 23, was also killed in the attack.

The 21-year-old rapper has been nominated for four awards at The Brit Awards 2020: best album ('Psychodrama'), British male, new artist and song ('Location' featuring Burna Boy).

A leader in the new generation of UK Rap, Dave - whose real name is David Orobosa Omoregie - has worked with the likes of Drake, MoStack, AJ Tracey and J Hus, and famously catapulted to the top of the UK charts with his Fredo collaboration 'Funky Friday' in 2018.

Dave - 'Black (Live at the BRITs 2020)' lyrics

[Verse 1]
Look, black is beautiful, black is excellent
Black is pain, black is joy, black is evident
It's workin' twice as hard as the people you know you're better than
'Cause you need to do double what they do so you can level them
Black is so much deeper than just African-American
Our heritage been severed, you never got to experiment
With family trees, 'cause they teach you 'bout famine and greed
And show you pictures of our fam on their knees
Tell us we used to be barbaric, we had actual queens
Black is watchin' child soldiers gettin' killed by other children
Feelin' sick, like, "Oh shit, this could have happened to me"
Your mummy watchin' tellin' stories 'bout your dad and your niece
The blacker the berry the sweeter the juice
A kid dies, the blacker the killer, the sweeter the news
And if he's white you give him a chance, he's ill and confused
If he's black he's probably armed, you see him and shoot

[Verse 2]
Look, black is growin' up around the barbershop
Mummy sayin', "Stay away from trouble, you’re in yard a lot"
Studying for ages, appreciatin' the chance you got
'Cause black is in your blood, and you ain't even got the heart to stop
Black is steppin' in for your mother because your father's gone
And standin' by your children when you haven't proven karma wrong
Black is doin' all of the above then goin' corner shoppin'
Tryna help a lady cross the road to have her walkin' off
Black is growin' up around your family and makin' it
Then being forced to leave the place you love because there's hate in it
People say you fake the shit, never stayed to change the shit
But black is bein' jealous, you'd be dead if you had stayed in it
Black is strugglin' to find your history or trace the shit
You don't know the truth about your race 'cause they erasin' it
Black has got a sour fuckin' flavour, here's a taste of it
But black is all I know, there ain't a thing that I would change in it

[Verse 3]

And if somebody hasn’t said it, equality’s a right it doesn’t deserve credit
Now if you don’t wanna get it then you’re never gonna get it
How the news treats Kate vs how they treated Meghan
Rest in peace Jack Merritt, you’re my brother in arms
There’s tears in our eyes and love in our hearts
We never had the same background, culture, colour or past, but you devoted your life to giving others a chance
And for that, I’m so taken aback because he gave us all a voice I had to say it for Jack
As a young black man whose seen paper and crack, given proper sentences it’s just paper and cracks
All he would want is unity, funding for communities, equal opportunities, people under scrutiny, no more immunity, way less hatred
More conservation, less deforestation, we want rehabilitation, now that would be amazing, but Grenfell victims still need accommodation
And we still need support for the Windrush generation, reparations for the time our people spent on plantations
I’m done

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