Dave Blunts

Davion Blessing (born July 1, 2001), known professionally as Dave Blunts, is an American rapper and singer. He gained popularity in December 2024 after videos of him performing while using an oxygen tank went viral and yielded public concern for his health.

Blunts began recording and releasing music in 2018. In 2024, he started uploading videos to TikTok, quickly gaining popularity. His 2024 song "The Cup" went viral on the platform.

Early life

Blunts was born in Salt Lake City, Utah on July 1, 2001. When he was around three years old, he moved to Davenport, Iowa. He has two sisters and one brother. Their father died when Blunts was eight. He began recording and releasing music to Facebook in 2018, adopting the stage name Dave Blunts.

Career

2024: Initial virality

After contemplating quitting music in late 2023, Blunts began uploading videos to TikTok in 2024, quickly gaining popularity. He released three projects between February and March, as well as the single "The Cup", which received support from rapper Lil Yachty. Blunts later signed to the Los Angeles label Listen to the Kids. On June 28, 2024, he released his debut studio album, ''Well Dude Here's My Thing''. He would release his second studio album, ''If I Could I Would'', on October 18.

In November2024, Blunts performed at Juice Wrld Day, a concert commemorating late rapper Juice Wrld, while using an oxygen tank. Videos of the performance went viral. During the performance, he directed criticism towards rapper Snoop Dogg, who had previously insulted Blunts in an Instagram post. Snoop Dogg later apologized for his comments.

2025: ''You Can't Say That'' and work with Kanye West

On an episode of Bradley Martyn's ''Raw Talk'' podcast posted to YouTube on December 17, 2024, Blunts announced that his upcoming third studio album would be titled ''Exactly So Shut Up''. The album was ultimately titled ''You Can't Say That'', and was released on April 18, 2025. In the album, Blunts raps about his health struggles, record deals, previous beefs with other artists, and former girlfriends. Abbigail and Solar receive particularly large amounts of "screen time", with the latter having multiple songs named after her. In a Instagram post accompaniying the album's announcement, Blunts complained about people who've accused him of being too vulgar, saying that "these are the harsh realities of my life and I’m not gonna Kidzbopify my lyrics because the shit I go through is not sunshine and rainbows." ''Vibe'' praised the record for being "littered with moments that leave you with no choice but to sing and jam along".

In February 2025, Blunts met fellow rapper Kanye West through the latter's agent, and they started working on an album together. According to West, he and Blunts would spend hours talking each day, and the latter would write songs based off their conversations. Blunts has been reported as the sole writer for West's upcoming album ''In a Perfect World,'' starting after the former previewed the single " WW3". The album's second single, titled "Cousins", was fully written by Blunts. Blunts has denied the album is antisemitic, describing it as being "about one man going between hurt, betrayal and pain". He has also published several references track created for ''In a Perfect World'' online.

While hospitalized in May 2025, Blunts surprise released his fourth studio album, ''Change or Get Changed'', via SoundCloud.

Musical style

Blunts has said that his favorite topics to rap about are "women, my friends, traumatic experiences, and controversial topics". ''Complex'' noted that his songs, "full of out-of-pocket one-liners, are often reminiscent of a teenager yelling the most shocking things they can think of through an Xbox headset".

Health concerns

Blunts' Juice Wrld Day performance prompted widespread concern for his well being due to his morbidly obese condition and being dependent on an oxygen tank while on stage. Blunts reportedly weighed over 600 pounds during this period.

In a September2024 interview, Blunts said he weighed . He suffered heart failure in 2023. Blunts was hospitalized a week before his Juice Wrld Day performance, although he later stated it was for a checkup.

On December 24, 2024, Blunts pledged to better his health, throwing away his signature purple tracksuit. He caught the flu shortly afterward, and was hospitalized again after his symptoms worsened. He then released a post on X that stated, "l'm not giving up as long as you guys don't give up on me."

In March 2025, Kanye West pledged to help Blunts lose weight by connecting him to his own personal trainer. In June, Blunts would work out with AMP streamer Agent, who declared that the rapper would have "abs by November." He would later post photos of him with celebrity trainer Bradley Martin, captioning it "One Step At a Time". West would congratulate Blunts on his progress, texting him that "Nobody can fuck with you. Best rapper on the planet." According to Blunts, he had lost over 200 pounds during his last hospitalization.

Due to his health, Blunts announced that he would "akea brief hiatus from the internet, from music, and truly just focus on exercising, eating right and bettering myself. Not for the fans, not for the bitches, myself."

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Singles

As lead artist

References

Primary sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blunts, Dave
2001 births
Living people
21st-century African-American male singers
21st-century American male rappers
African-American male rappers
African-American male singer-songwriters
American trap musicians
Musicians from Salt Lake City
People from Davenport, Iowa
Rappers from Iowa
Rappers from Utah
Singer-songwriters from Iowa
Singer-songwriters from Utah