Born in 1981, David Constantine Brooks was raised in a ghetto area of Jamaica, known as “Cuba.”  Better known by his stage name, Mavado, Brooks cites his grandmother and Jamaican reggae and dancehall dj Bounty Killer as his two greatest influences.  

Mavado

“Each time Mavado do a hit song, it just influence me to do a next hit song. Me just believe inna me music. It just always get to the next level.

The Early Days

Born in 1981, David Constantine Brooks was raised in a ghetto area of Jamaica, known as “Cuba.”  Better known by his stage name, Mavado, Brooks cites his grandmother and Jamaican reggae and dancehall dj Bounty Killer as his two greatest influences.  

With the help of Bounty Killer, vocalist Predator, and their manager, Julian Jones-Griffith, Mavado released his first single in 2004, entitled Real McKoy.  The song was a hit; two years later, he released another single, Weh Dem A D, which enjoyed its own success.  Building a following of his own, he released his next singles, Dreaming and Bawl dem a Bawl.  

The Recording Years

Momentum slowed a little for Mavado with the tragic murder of his father in Switzerland.  Mavado had some trouble getting his father's body back to Jamaica.  Once this was resolved, he took some time to put some issues with a rival crew to rest as well.  With all of this out of the way, he was able to focus on recording.  

In 2007, he released Gangsta for Life: The Symphone of David Brooks.  The album contained 25 tracks, including Real McKoy with a Full Clip, which featured Jamaican music artist Busy Signal.  Later, a remix of this song would appear on the video game, Grand Theft Auto 4: Liberty City.  His single, Dying, is a track built around a group of Tupac tributes.  From 2007 through 2009, Mavado collaborated with a number of musicians to create remixes and singles.  These artists included Wyclef Jean, Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Foxy Brown, Busta Rhymes, and many more in Jamaica and the United States.

Here and Now

In 2009, Mavado released his second album, Mr. Brooks . . . A Better Tomorrow.  So Special, So Blessed, and Overcome were among the singles on the recording.  Soon after the release, Mavado launched a tour of Europe to promote the album.  He has no new official tour dates set at this time, but he continues to perform and to work with fellow rap and R&B artists.  The album spent over a month on the United States Billboard Top 100, peaking at #52.

Various music websites carry his singles to download, some for free, and his videos can be found on YouTube.  Mavado's reggae and dancehall music has created a cult following in Jamaica, the UK,and the US.  He has not announced a release date for his next album, but has indicated that he plans to continue to record.

Did you know . . .

1. In 2008, Rolling Stone Magazine named Mavado the Best Reggae Artist in the Best of Rock issue.

2. Due to allegations of violence on the part of Jamaican police, Mavado was barred from entering the United States for a planned concert at Madison Square Gardens in 2008, where he was to perform with Jay-Z.

3. Also in 2008, Mavado recorded the track, On the Go (Faster than a Bullet) for Olympic springer Asafa Powell's Train for Speed, a 35-minute interval workout, available for download at iTunes.

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