WAAITT & See: Why Dave Should Be In No Rush To Prove Himself Further

“Nah, like, in Kyle's words, fam, the truth is madder than fiction, Fam it's nuts out here." (‘Verdansk’)

The 'greatest of all time' label gets thrown about more often than drinks on a Friday night and no one ever agrees. The GOAT debate is such an ingrained part of rap culture that remains unproductive and at best builds hype around artists prematurely and at worst sets them up for failure. It’s an imaginary badge of honour that never actually grants you universal approval or recognition, as the second you deliver a track that is below standards expected or you’re captured doing something you’re not supposed to you’re in the gutter that you just finished climbing out of.

Whether it's lyrics, flows, production or longevity in the game, every year without fail at least 3 or 4 rappers will be titled the GOATs of that time. At the age of just 23 Santan Dave has been labelled plenty and having had a dream run in music for the last few years it’s unclear if he’s been allowed any room to fail or if he’s been able to meet everyone’s expectations. With the anticipation that was growing towards the release of his sophomore album, We’re All Alone In This Together AKA WAAITT, superfans and purists alike were eagerly awaiting the verdict: would this body of work cement Dave into the bedrock of UK Rap history, or would it be crushed under the weight of his first album?

The blue flames of Psychodrama (2019) presented us with an overt expression of resilience and vulnerability from a young man battling complex trauma. Many tracks were interwoven with Dave’s own personal experiences and others were easier for a broader audience to connect with, regardless there was healing in his words. Two years on, WAAITT reflects a similar format but sees Dave rising to the challenge of exorcising even bigger demons, with a bigger fanbase on his side and of course even more pressure to deliver.

“I can't lie, I was depressed at phases, I was nineteen when the team nearly left him faceless” (‘Heart Attack’)

Most have been aware of how human Dave is and he candidly touches upon this during the course of WAAITT, at times those that love him for his poetic bars and deep subject content throw shade on him when he speaks about Audemars and girls. Others have grown tired of his talk on being Black and British and just want tracks to dance to, which is totally understandable if that’s your daily experience. Truthfully, Dave’s work can’t be divided between the ‘real’ and the ignorant. You can’t have all the good without the bad, the celebration without the tears. The reason he excels as a writer and producer on this project is because he has confronted his ego and his masculinity to such an extent that he has come out a more confident and self-assured person. The words and opinions of others still affect him though but he can also afford himself some fun whilst doing what he loves.

We’re All Alone In This Together is definitely a different listening experience to most albums, the equivalent to losing yourself in a museum for an hour compared to scrolling through your IG feed for the same amount of time. There’s experiencing something on a surface level and then actually engaging with it deeper, we can all appreciate both. The only such comparable body of work that comes to mind at this time is Ghetts’ Mercury Prize 2021 nominated ‘Conflict of Interest’ that came out earlier this year.

Listening to WAAITT in full is a surreal experience, you might go from crying to dancing to crying, to dancing to reflecting on your life and all your past relationships and what went wrong to then get even more emotional and contemplate what are the police and government doing about knife crime and this can get exhausting quickly, Imagine making the album. You can literally hear the tears hitting the keys on the intro to ‘Three Rivers’. Dave’s WAAITT manages to score a movie based around the past and present of the UK and pay tribute to the people of the diaspora. From song intros and outros, lyric references to actually featuring a Hollywood actor’s voice (a Black British one for that matter), the cinematic universe theme prevails, storyboarding the checkered history of the countries he calls home.

“I'ma make a film for my mom and tell her, "Tell to the world this album is just the soundtrack". Look at her story in a year in her life. And tell me if it doesn't bring a f*ckin' tear to your eyes. In this together” (‘Survivor’s Guilt’)

Throughout the album, Dave’s vocals sit above any of the instruments rarely allowing the listener to get lost in the ethereal production (although James Blake will try). While this writer can’t directly relate to any of the subjects that Dave speaks on, his words manage to reverberate throughout culture and social status; they are lessons to anyone who has lived with a blindfold of privilege around their eyes. Grappling with imposter syndrome, ‘survivor’s guilt’, his own anxiety and the pressure heaped on him from his earlier successes Dave manages to keep his humanity on the same level as his audience and his head above water.

“You can trust me, all the sh*t that you been feelin', you're feelin' with me” (‘We’re All Alone’)

In essence, WAAITT doesn’t only stand for patience but for hope, bravery, sensitivity, respect and apology (to black women first and foremost). Whether you’ll put one or two tracks on your party playlist or take time out to process the whole album, no one can deny Dave’s work stands out from that of his peers and hopefully, others will follow in his example.

“I say bein' black is an asset

I am who I am because I'm black

And I love everything about it, you feel me?

And that's who the f*ck I am”

Daniel Kaluuya on ‘Three Rivers’