DAVE BLUNTS dreams of fans singing the n-word; fans dream of him crowd surfing
- Justin de la Cruz
- Apr 15
- 4 min read
DAVE BLUNTS has a dream.
That every man, woman, and child of every race, color and creed will one day join him in saying the n-word (loudly) when he is singing.
Rapper DAVE BLUNTS would get closer to making that dream a reality, as a sold-out Crescent Ballroom crowd kicked off his “Standing for What I Believe In" tour with the help of DJ JOZIER and PABLO SKYWALKIN in the heart of Downtown Phoenix.
The line outside Crescent Ballroom saw eager fans dressed in purple and bringing various signs ranging from encouraging BLUNTS to crowdsurf to an illustration of him as a midget piloting a fat suit like a Gundam. Another audience member brought a flag with BLUNTS himself printed on it and managed to get it in front of him on stage.
A loveseat with DAVE BLUNTS’ Purple Stuff logo stitched on it took center stage with DJ equipment right behind it. DJ JOZIER and PABLO SKYWALKIN got the crowd to light up like fireflies with their phones up during his performance, part of which involved him wiggling around the floor during the beginning of the song “Why You Ain’t Call,” and attempting to put the crowd’s collective strength to the test by letting the audience lift him up for a brief moment before dancing on stage again.
DJ JOZIER amped up the crowd as DAVE BLUNTS made his way to his loveseat on stage. As soon as the autotune kicked in, the Crescent Ballroom crowd went off and sang along. The majority of his set would consist of him staying in his custom loveseat, performing his hits as well as sprinkling in a few songs from his upcoming album “You Can’t Say That,” and even performed his verse from YE’s “WW3.” Every time BLUNTS rose up from the couch, the audience acted like they just witnessed the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
His upcoming album “You Can’t Say That" chronicles BLUNTS’ experience and personal thoughts of today’s cultural climate. In an age of safe spaces and cancel culture, DAVE BLUNTS tackled his grievances with it head-on with his straightforward and crass lyrics, flinging slurs like a 2009 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 lobby. DAVE BLUNTS stood on business theoretically and literally as he refused to, in his own words: “Kidzbopify” his lyrics. The young crowd jubilantly sang along, however there was a bit of apprehension from the crowd during the song “Crying In The Kitchen.”
BLUNTS sensed that lack of conviction from his audience in saying the n-word during the song and asked JOZIER to stop the track as a consequence. BLUNTS encouraged the crowd regardless of their race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, astrological sign, or Harry Potter house; to release their inhibitions, and commanded everyone in the room to lend him their spirit energy (drop the hard-R). In that moment, the room became a safe space for white kids in the audience to say the n-word.
The crowd gave a thunderous applause as the track started over, and they gave their spirit energy to DAVE BLUNTS in the form of saying the n-word. They collectively sang the lyrics in their original, offensive entirety, just as BLUNTS envisioned.
This is the most united I’ve ever seen young Americans be in a single moment in-person.
Towards the end of his set, phones went down and mosh pits broke out. The excitement continued up until the very end, where the crowd anticipated DAVE BLUNTS to crowdsurf.
Prior to the tour, BLUNTS announced on an Instagram post that one “lucky” city would witness him crowdsurf. Comments on his post jokingly noted that it sounded like a terrorist threat rather than a moment to happily anticipate. The audience called for BLUNTS to blow the theoretical load early with that promise and chanted for a chance to lift him up.
“I don’t have bitch-ass fans...” Said BLUNTS a month ago in an episode of the comedy podcast “Bad Friends.” The idea of him crowdsurfing prompted doubt and laughter from “Bad Friends" hosts BOBBY LEE and ANDREW SANTINO. The Phoenix crowd wanted to prove that they were worthy of this test of strength and faith. There was no barrier separating the crowd from the stage, and it wasn’t that high from the ground. The conditions were ideal. BLUNTS got up and extended his arms to resemble a cross. The crowd locked in.
But that moment never came.
DAVE BLUNTS held back and wagged his finger before walking off the stage, leaving the Arizona crowd devoid of the chance to take him higher. Did he feel like the audience was not worthy? Did he not want to dilute the spectacle? Did he just plain not feel like doing it?
We may never know.
If you want more of DAVE BLUNTS, his upcoming album “You Can’t Say That" will be released on April 18th on all mainstream music streaming platforms.
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