Dave East is back in the news, but not about his music. Weekend, there was new viral footage of the 2022 DUI arrest of a rapper made while he led and passed out at the wheel with music blaring an empty champagne bottle in the cupholder. On YouTube, the clip has quickly garnered nearly half a million views and made for a hot topic of online conversation.
Video shows officers banging on East’s windshield multiple times to awaken him. After a few minutes, the Harlem rapper finally stirs, dazed and confused. When officers ask what is happening, he says, “I’m two minutes away from my house.”
Although he insisted he was fine, police asked him to exit the vehicle to check his condition. The traffic backup caused by the stalled vehicle extended onto the highway, creating an even more urgent situation.
Once outside the vehicle, East, who seemed jittery, acknowledged drinking and smoking weed earlier that night. “I’m a rapper. I drank a few glasses of champagne in the studio,” he told officers. But he insisted that he was not impaired.
Officers were not persuaded and went on to perform a series of field sobriety tests, including eye-tracking and balance exercises. As the tests dragged on, East became visibly frustrated with what he called the process and seemed irritated by the attention and scrutiny.
Although East completed some of the tests, officers decided there was enough evidence to take him into custody on suspicion of DUI. A night in the studio turned into handcuffs and a station visit.
As the video has made the rounds, fans and critics are voicing their opinions. Some who back the rapper, saying artists’ every move is closely examined, contend that the incident does not define him. Others consider it a reckless mistake that might have had far worse consequences.
“It was going to go viral,” Schmidt wrote, saying the internet had much to say about the footage. Memes, debates, and hot takes inundated social media with reactions, from funny to divisive, filling the land. Some fans joked about East’s relaxed demeanor in the video, while others highlighted the dangers of driving impaired, noting how lucky he was that no one got hurt.
This is not the first time a celebrity’s past legal woes have been dredged on the internet, and it probably will not be the last. But for Dave East, the renewed focus on this incident raises questions of accountability, decision-making, and the pressures of fame.
East has not yet made an official comment on the viral video. Whether he stands up to it or just allows the internet to move on to whatever’s trending next remains to be seen. This footage provides another chapter on the rapper’s highly eventful career.
0 Comments