Curators: Wavi Dre
Wavi Dre’s story starts in the same birthplace as many of rap’s greats: Brooklyn, New York. But his path took him to Jamaica for more than ten years, back to Brooklyn, and most recently to sunny South Florida where he resides now. Suffice to say he’s seen a lot, he’s been around a lot of people, and it reflects in his music. Dre cites his time in Jamaica for the slight Reggae and Dancehall influences in his writing. Plus, he cites growing up around the church for his ability to play with his voice.
For whatever reason, Wavi Dre wasn’t raised around rap, but his love for other genres of music eventually led him towards hip-hop. “I fell in love with music from a young age. My mom used to listen to John Mayer, the Fray, Maroon 5, I never actually grew up listening to rap music until one day I heard Kanye West’ song ‘Homecoming’”. This gets him excited, remembering how his rock affinity led him to rap. He hums the tune to “Homecoming” and can instantly remember where he was and what he was eating when he first heard it. Hearing Coldplay’s Chris Martin collaborate with a rapper gave Dre the inspiration he needed as a kid. “Growing up, I never rapped” Dre states, “but I always like to write, like I liked to write stories and talk about my adventures and the imagination I had”.
That’s become the focus for him lately, making music that challenges him. It required him to step back from music for a short period to refine his sound and fully establish a lyrical direction. He credits his English teachers for his work ethic in the studio. He writes and rewrites song. He creates his own reference tracks to make sure he’s releasing the best product possible, as he said “before I hop in the booth, I rehearse it, I make sure everything’s perfect.”
In talking to him, you can see that the changes he went through go beyond the music. Dre leans back in his seat, unintentionally showing of some new ink on his biceps. “I’m actually turning Muslim, I got the symbol of Allah to show more devotion”.
“I put a hold on music for a little bit. I had a hype phase, where I was just making turn up music, then I started to realize, this isn’t what I want to do. I don’t see myself doing this. I have to make a story. I need to preach about stuff that I’ve been through. I don’t see it as me rapping, I see it as me preaching the gospel. I want it to be something I actually care about”
He mentions his track “Me, Myself, and I” as one of a few turning points in his musical approach. In the song he asks “you ever stand in front (of) the mirror, all you see is pain?” Here, he’s reflective, and it’s not the kind of introspection you’d expect from such a young talent.
If you look closely, in the “Me, Myself, and I” video, you’ll see a cameo by a former featured curator, OG NAASH, a frequent collaborator in South Florida’s budding rap community.
When the topic shifts to his next project, Dre is hesitant to give too many details. He has optimism and says he has a few songs ready, but the perfectionist in him won’t let him give a specific release date. Until then, you can enjoy the songs he has already released below.
