Popular dancehall a David Constantine Brooks, better known as Mavado, brings his brand of dancehall music to Studio 38 located at the Pulse Complex in New Kingston, this Friday, March 25.

Mavado joins a long list of ska, rocksteady, reggae and dancehall stars to perform live at Studio 38.

Considered to be one of the two most popular exponents of dancehall, Jamaica’s most current music genre, Mavado is expected to turn on the heat, as Studio 38’s relatively laidback audience, will be invited to take a walk on the wild side. Studio 38 has featured such stars as Gregory Isaacs, Beres Hammond, Tarrus Riley, Freddie McGregor, John Holt, Tami Chynn, Uroy, Tanya Stephens, Lady Saw, Tessanne Chin, Ken Booth, Yellowman, Pinchers and many others.

Brooks was raised in an area known as Cuba, located in the Cassava Piece community of the Corporate Area. His grandmother gave him his first musical experience at a young age, taking him to church to sing. He also cites the music of Bounty Killer as an early influence. His boyhood idol became his mentor when at the age of 15, Bounty took him under his wing to show him the ropes of the music industry. He decided to name himself Mavado after the Swiss watch company Movado, altering the spelling.

His debut single, Real McKoy, on the Anger Management riddim in 2004, provided him immediate success. He further established himself with the follow-up record Weh Dem a Do, on the Red Bull & Guinness riddim. After a string of hits in 2005 and 2006, Mavado released the album Gangsta for Life: The Symphony of David Brooks July 10, 2007 on VP Records. Whe Dem A Do and Dying, two singles from the album, were featured heavily on R&B/hip-hop radio in New York.

In March 2008, Mavado was featured performing a rendition of his song Real McKoy for Grand Theft Auto IV Trailer #4 Everyone’s a Rat. Real McKoy, along with Last Night (both from the album Gangsta for Life), were also featured in the game on the radio station Massive B Radio.

In November 2009, Mavado lost out to Sean Paul for the Best Reggae Artist award at Soul Train Music Awards. He won the 2010 EME award for Male Singjay of the Year. In April 2010, Mavado starred as a gangster in the video for Drake’s song Find Your Love for Drake’s album Thank Me Later. Along with Bounty Killer, he has cited 2Pac Shakur as a childhood idol, comparing the late rapper’s life to his own.