If you’ve spent any time on TikTok or X recently, you’ve probably seen a guy who looks like he’s in the middle of a medical crisis while simultaneously delivering the most unhinged bars of the decade. That’s Dave Blunts. He’s the Davenport, Iowa rapper who became a household name for a lot of the wrong reasons, but somehow turned it into a legit music career.
Most people first saw him during his Juice WRLD Day performance. Imagine a guy weighing 600 pounds, sitting on a purple couch in the middle of a stage, hooked up to a literal oxygen tank while he raps. It was surreal.
The internet didn't know whether to laugh or call an ambulance.
Honestly, the Davenport connection is what makes his story feel so grounded. He isn't some industry plant from LA. He’s Davion Blessing—his real name—a kid who grew up in the shelters and call centers of Iowa.
The Davenport Roots of Davion Blessing
Dave wasn't born in Iowa; he actually came from Salt Lake City. But he moved to Davenport when he was about three years old after his parents split. Life in the Quad Cities wasn't exactly a movie for him.
He’s been incredibly open about the "Blessing" surname being a bit of a joke given his luck. He lost his father at eight years old in a tragic choking accident. After that, things got bleak. He spent a massive chunk of his childhood in homeless shelters with his family.
He didn't really do the traditional school thing. Instead, he spent his time reading and basically self-educating.
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By the time he was a teenager in Davenport, he was already deep into the world of drugs. He started smoking weed at nine—yes, nine—and eventually moved on to Xanax and lean. He actually claims he used to "trap" out of the special ed bathroom in high school. It’s that kind of raw, slightly problematic honesty that built his initial cult following.
From Call Centers to "The Cup"
Before the viral fame, Dave Blunts was just another guy working at a call center in Davenport. He was living off social security and basically ready to quit music entirely at the end of 2023.
Then came "The Cup."
He wrote the song in a single day right after a hospital stay. It’s a space-trap anthem dedicated to his addiction to lean. When it hit TikTok in 2024, it exploded. Lil Yachty gave him a shoutout, and suddenly the "fat dude from Iowa" was the hottest thing on the timeline.
He signed to the Los Angeles label Listen to the Kids, which is a wild jump from a Davenport call center. But with the fame came the scrutiny. People weren't just listening to his music; they were watching him die in real time.
The Oxygen Tank and the Snoop Dogg Beef
The peak of the Dave Blunts phenomenon happened in late 2024. His Juice WRLD Day performance in Chicago was the tipping point. Seeing a 23-year-old man unable to stand up while performing because he needed medical-grade oxygen was a massive wake-up call for his fans.
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It also caught the attention of Snoop Dogg.
Snoop posted about him, essentially expressing concern but in a way that Dave took as a total insult. Dave's response? He went on a rant during a concert and told Snoop to "get off his d***."
It was a classic "out of pocket" Dave Blunts moment. He eventually got an apology from Snoop, but it highlighted the weird tension between his "shock factor" persona and the very real health crisis he was facing.
His Medical Reality
- Heart Failure: He suffered heart failure in 2023.
- Weight: He has publicly admitted to weighing 600 pounds (about 270 kg).
- Hospitalizations: He’s been in and out of the ICU constantly, even recording music from his hospital bed.
Why the Kanye West Collaboration Failed
In early 2025, Dave Blunts hit a level of relevance most Davenport artists can only dream of. He started working with Kanye West.
Kanye allegedly loved Dave’s perspective and had him writing the majority of his album In a Perfect World. Dave even said writing songs like "WW3" and "Cousins" made him feel like "Oppenheimer."
But by September 2025, it all fell apart. Dave cut ties with Kanye via a text message, telling him to "find God." He claimed Kanye was coercing him into writing increasingly controversial, Nazi-related lyrics that he didn't want his name attached to. For a guy who built his career on saying the most offensive things possible, it was a rare moment of Dave Blunts drawing a moral line in the sand.
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Moving Beyond the "Meme Rapper" Label
Is Dave Blunts just a novelty? Some people think so. They say if he wasn't 600 pounds and hooked to an oxygen tank, no one would care.
But his discography is surprisingly deep.
Projects like Well Dude Here's My Thing and You Can't Say That have some legitimate emo-rap gems. He raps about his ex-girlfriend Solar, his loneliness, and the trauma of growing up poor. He’s like a mix of early Tyler, The Creator and a teenager yelling into an Xbox headset.
Right now, his focus seems to have shifted toward survival. After a bad bout with the flu that landed him back in the hospital, he pledged to lose weight. Kanye even offered him a personal trainer. He threw away his signature purple tracksuit—his "uniform"—as a symbol of starting over.
Whether he can actually pivot from being a viral curiosity to a long-term artist depends on his health.
What to do if you're following the Dave Blunts story:
- Check the latest health updates: He usually posts his "First Day Out The Hospital" updates on Instagram or X under @iluvyoudaveblunts.
- Listen to "The Cup" and "10 PERCS": These are the essential tracks if you want to understand why he went viral in the first place.
- Watch the No Jumper interview: It’s the most comprehensive look at his time in Davenport and how the Iowa scene shaped his sound.
- Look for his 2026 tour dates: Despite the health scares, he has consistently tried to get back on the road.
Dave Blunts is a walking contradiction. He’s a "blessing" who has had some of the worst luck imaginable. He’s a rapper who can’t breathe but won’t stop talking. And for now, Davenport's most famous resident is just trying to stay alive long enough to see his next album drop.