Dave East found himself in the middle of a heavy and dark story this week: the assassination of UnitedHealth Group Inc. CEO Brian Thompson. For those unaware, a gunman shot the executive in New York City on Wednesday (December 4) in what many interpreted as an attack against the for-profit medical services system of the United States. A sketch of the perpetrator – who is still on the run at press time – emerged online, but it seems to be a meme depicting the “Giga Chad” character, so it’s not a real sketch. Regardless, one fan pointed out that the sketch looks kind of similar to the Living Proof MC, who responded via an Instagram post.
“Damn sure wasn’t me,” Dave East expressed. “They playing games FR. RIP to homie tho.” It was very bizarre to see the “Buss Down” rapper show up in this story, but here we are. As for the assassination itself, police found a backpack in Central Park possibly linked to the shooter, and authorities believe they fled via an interstate bus. Brian Thompson’s wife also relayed the allegation that they received various threats before this murder.
Dave East Reacts To Meme-Fueled Implication In UnitedHealth CEO’s Assassination
This is definitely a very weird way for Dave East to close out his 2024, which came with a lot of new music in his prolific catalog. The Harlem spitter dropped a lot of material this year doubling down on his lyrical prowess, even though it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for him over the past 12 months or so. Jim Jones allegedly ruined his Valentine’s Day by taking over a club table that East wanted to take his date to. Hopefully 2025 yields better luck for date night scheduling, although we imagine the clubs will be just as full.
Jokes aside, we’re still reeling from this outrageous crossover story, and we’re sure that Dave East either had a good laugh about it or got too deep into conspiratorial thoughts and more somber reflections. He faced some other harsh situations in the past year such as a pepper-spraying outside his show, and this certainly doesn’t improve that streak. Fingers crossed for a more relaxed and less morbid 2025.
About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a staff writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH while completing his B.A. in Journalism & Mass Communication at The George Washington University in the summer of 2022.
Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Gabriel treasures the crossover between his native reggaetón and hip-hop news coverage, such as his review for Bad Bunny’s hometown concert in 2024. But more specifically, he digs for the deeper side of hip-hop conversations, whether that’s the “death” of the genre in 2023, the lyrical and parasocial intricacies of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle, or the many moving parts of the Young Thug and YSL RICO case.
Beyond engaging and breaking news coverage, Gabriel makes the most out of his concert obsessions, reviewing and recapping festivals like Rolling Loud Miami and Camp Flog Gnaw. He’s also developed a strong editorial voice through album reviews, think-pieces, and interviews with some of the genre’s brightest upstarts and most enduring obscured gems like Homeboy Sandman, Bktherula, Bas, and Devin Malik.
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