Dave ft. Kano - Chapter 16 Lyrics (2025)

Chapter 16 Lyrics

[Verse 1]

Wagyu on the fifty-second floor just to take the piss?

But, somehow we've had to deal with higher stakes than this

You're the reason that I take the risk, had me on your tour team

I studied you since I was fourteen

I wanna know what life was like in your teens

We shared dreams, and even when we shared screens, I couldn't get no face time

I got questions like "How'd you do it", "Do you have regrets", like "What's your life like?"

See mine was like thе sun setting, pray the moon shine, it's thе prohibition

No ignition, ran for two parties, it's the coalition

Rum and Redbull, like Max Verstappen, but the race is different

Taste is different, this adult dances in my pole positions

Youngers dying like they save the game and could reload the mission

Wearing jewellery, heard they're plotting on me when I walk my ends

It's South London, somethin' you can't teach Streatham common sense

Eating healthy cah we trust our guts more than we trust our friends

Many frauds, lot of man fake, lot of imitators, innovators

Take that shit to heart like defibrillator (Pah-pah-pah)

Mothers shed tears and don't sleep for days, weep for days

And killers celebrate with ID parades

Then you got this scene I face

And this pressure I inherited from you

It sounds funny, but it's true

I loved you on the big screen, but, bro, I want you back

'Cause what acting gained with you, we done lost in rap

[Verse 2]

You got a lot of years ahead of you

Some years are worse on you and some were better you

If it's not positive, drop it, the streets' residue

But keep a piece of yourself when you're selling you

This game ain't for the throne, and kings are checkable

It's to be a better you, envy's inevitable

And please take pics with your friends, 'cause I'm telling you, this

Industry attention will sever crews and the sick turns to an addiction of the jealous Jews

Till they diss you again like you ain't fed 'em food

But if you whip Cullinan's, 'front of desperate yutes

You, Chris in a Benz, then the devil's due

Them's the rules

You made it, lay in it, this bed ain't new

But let's keep it true, you know you're reckless with Pateks and jewels

Flexers do what flexers do, and steppers do what steppers do, beef

Looking over your shoulder every time we turn keys

'Bout turned the other cheek, must a man be the bigger man?

I know we strap the fire, but that's the mass of giants

[These be guessin'? 2:00], take it on the chin, you're an Aston buyer

And I'm bias, but my generation got the classic writers

Your gen', that's mostly your pain, you're the rap messiah

And you and Simbi, go grab the accolades, that they would never give me

But that's another story, I ain't goated for the glory

Couple trophies in my storage, poor me

Ivor Novello don't rate a man, so be it

I was in '03 on the mic getting lourdy

You think you would have flourished in my era at 140?

It's quick to break jollof with you, swap knowledge

But, sorry, I didn't make no time, back at Troxy

I watched your soundcheck that day, I saw promise

Then I came to your O2 show, I saw polish

But during all the pyrotechnics, I was pondering, like

Do you have family, politics, and problems?

Can you ever see when you're just someone's wallet?

Have you ever smelt when a cousinship turns rotten?

Tell me, do you ever hear from you're brother and start sobbing?

Tell me, have you ever touched a million and felt office?

Tell me, have you ever tasted victory and didn't want it?

There was five senses, I'll make sense to true bosses

I've got a sixth sense for knowing there's truly from it

Bond Street donny, I know what the same cloth is, I know what the game offers

Raise boffin, bake of in, the sunshine till I lay in coffin, legacy

Will they remember me, Dave?

[Verse 3]

Pfft, well, I guess we don't know, that's why we wake up, go get it by ourselves

And I'd love to tell you yes, but, bro, I question that myself

Health, wealth, happiness, all somebody really needs

And some water I can give to my seed (Uh-huh)

Heart cold like Courchevel, core Chanel, Tortoiseshell glasses that I bought this girl

Toured the world, love, I can't seem to find it

This the shit I do for women, I don't even like 'em

Bro I need some guidance

Guida—?

Bro, I ain't no relationship advisor, but all of this defence won't make you strike her

God loves a tryer, David loves a liar

But even a harp's half a heart, so why could Cupid fire?

Ayy, where's she from this time?

Do your ting, bro

Every time, I see your new ting bro

'Cause you don't date, you Duolingo

Ayy, big bro

I don't know where you got that info, but that wasn't me

I need that in record and in writing

But still I love the game, it's enticing

I moved out west and it's nice in these days, we driving

Ah, your lifestyle bougie (Ah), lifestyle bougie (Ah, cool)

I used to push a silver Porsche with two seats (Of course you did)

Leatherbacks, cosy baby seats in the SUV

You know I've been Naija and I've never had Egusi (So, blud, what was you eating?)

Fried plaintin

You ain't have the pepper soup, G? And it's "Plantain", but trust me that's all Gucci listen (Aight here we go)

I was in Jamaica having cow foot soup, in the middle of Greenwich, like I'm a real ghetto yute

Touched up town Monday and my killys gone shoot (Pump-pump-pump)

I don't f*ck with the gang, just till I'm billing up a zoot

Got me feeling like I must really have eyes in the back of my head (Mad)

Range Rover television the interior red (Interior, red)

Fell asleep in the whip becau' I feel like it

Bed, I just wanna give thanks for this life to me

Look, mic check, one, two, three, school dinners

Now we sacked off the sacks of off sea-salt living

I'm go-funding to bring back peaceful villains

Cah all these thirty-eight years, that's a evil sentence

Like I don't love you no more

Dave, I used to be married to the game, I'm a husband no more

All these SM7B's ain't for us like before

Mike Billie-Jeaned on that, they just discuss couple wars

And they short change us

Paper chasing all good till it's divorce papers

Newspapers, court papers, they all write my wills

They gon' talk about your won'ts till they divide your wills

That's how family feels, growing up so fast

Twenty-six, feelin' like our lives on timers

Lines in the face, she getting fillers to hide it

And hoes lying 'bout their age like Nigerian strikers

Sorry, waiter, can I get this food in containers?

Had to move, it was dangerous

Seen beautiful places, bro, I used to have braces

Now it's my driver that's on a retainer

But that's just testament to God in His favour

And, bro, I wanted a favour, let's see each other more

Catch up and make deets

Cah the fans, they miss you, I know the fans, they miss me

Let's make a track about this dinner and this stamp you gave me

And base it on the book of Samuel, call it "Chapter 16" if you're down?

So who's gonna get this one then?

[Outro]

Hahahaha

Aight, that's cool

So, what's her name?

Nah, I'm just f*ckin' with you, just do your thing, man

But trust me, don't overthink it

Like, it is what it is, if it's gonna be something, it's gonna be something

But I know you, I know you, you're like—

You're thinking, five, ten years down the line

Day at a time

_______________ End _______________

Chapter 16 Song Meaning (Dave)

“Chapter 16,” by Dave & Kano from the album "The Boy Who Played the Harp", is a standout moment of introspection, mentorship, and dialogue — equal parts rap and conversation, memory and projection. In this song, the younger-generation figure Dave and the established elder statesman of UK rap Kano meet on a track that doesn’t just boast bars, it asks questions.

At its heart, the song feels like a dinner table across years. Dave opens with images of excess and ambition (“Wagyu on the fifty-second floor just to take the piss? / But, somehow we've had to deal with higher stakes than this”) and then admits that his real schooling happened long ago (“I studied you since I was fourteen”). He’s reaching out for clarity: how do you manage this life when you’ve got everything yet still feel the weight of it? Kano’s role is less flashy — but far more crucial. His voice is steady, advisory: “You got a lot of years ahead of you… keep a piece of yourself when you’re selling you… envy’s inevitable.” The track becomes a rite of passage, where one voice hands off a torch, and the other respectfully receives it. Critics have called it a masterclass in intergenerational mentorship disguised as hip-hop.

From a thematic standpoint, there’s so much richness. There’s the glamour and danger of success: jewellery, luxury cars, VIPs, parties — wrapped up with sirens, betrayal, and the pressure of having to be the hero in your story even when you’re still asking questions. The South London setting grounds it: common sense from the streets (“It’s South London, somethin’ you can’t teach Streatham common sense”), an innate awareness of the traps — fakes, jealous watchers, and the impostor syndrome of a young man catapulted into a high life. At the same time, there’s tenderness, regret, and longing: “I loved you on the big screen, but, bro, I want you back,” Dave confesses, reaching out not just to Kano the rap legend, but to an old friend, perhaps even to his younger self.

The structure of the song supports that mood. The production accepts space and lets the voices breathe. It has been described as the emotional core of the record, where Dave and Kano trade bars for nearly six minutes in a captivating performance. It’s a meeting of generations, yes — but also a self-meeting: Dave reflecting on his twenties, asking “Will they remember me, Dave?” It’s almost meta, showing the artist wrestling with his legacy in real time.

Real Background and Inspiration

This track comes from Dave’s third studio album, released on October 24, 2025, via Neighbourhood Recordings. Produced by Dave and James Blake, it also features writing credits from Jo Caleb and Kano. While the lyrics themselves tell the story in fine detail, the creative partnership between Dave and Kano bridges two eras of UK rap. It feels like a passing of wisdom, shaped by mutual respect, authenticity, and shared experience in navigating fame, identity, and pressure.

“Chapter 16” stands as a deeply reflective piece about legacy, loyalty, and artistic growth — a record that captures how two generations of British rap royalty look each other in the eye and speak truth. It’s not just about success or survival; it’s about staying human through it all.

__________ __________ ___________

The Boy Who Played the Harp (Tracklist)

FAQ Section

Who sung the song "Chapter 16" by Dave?

The song "Chapter 16" was sung by Dave & Kano.

Who wrote the song "Chapter 16" by Dave?

Dave, James Blake, Kano & Jo Caleb.

Who produced the song "Chapter 16" by Dave?

Dave & James Blake.

Music Video

Song Details

Artists: Dave, Kano

Album: The Boy Who Played the Harp

Genre: Rap

Language: English

Released: October 24, 2025

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Dave ft. Kano - Chapter 16 Lyrics (2025) | Song Meaning