Newly surfaced WhatsApp screenshots have caused a stir in the UK rap scene, showing Fredo expressing frustration about his friendship and working relationship with Dave. The conversation, originally from 2021 but posted online yesterday, gives an unusually candid view of how the two rappers balanced music, personal trust, and their careers.

At the start of the leaked chat, Fredo tells the unnamed contact that he has “had a similar situation with Dave” where managers spoke on Dave’s behalf instead of Dave addressing him directly. Fredo’s annoyance is clear as he writes,

“These lil industry n*ggas, the last straw with these p*ssy boys.”

He explains that if Dave wanted something, he should have asked him straight, instead of relying on others. When questioned further, Fredo suggests this is simply Dave’s way of handling things.

“Dave and me are two different guys. I’m up front and real, he's more calculated, and shy and nervous,” he says.

He goes on to reveal a more vulnerable side of Dave, recounting that,

“Its mad, he’s literally cried on the phone for two hours saying ‘bro it's not that, I'm real, you’re my actual friend’ blah blah blah.”

The conversation then turns to a specific incident surrounding album release dates. Fredo recalls how Dave had called him personally to ask when his album was dropping. After Fredo gave the date, Dave seemed excited, telling him they were going to “shut it down” and promising to release on the same day. Yet Fredo later received a call from Dave’s managers suggesting the two should not drop albums simultaneously. Confused, Fredo asked in the chat:

“So I’m like wtf, Dave told me the complete opposite.”

Alongside this dispute, Fredo brings up a light-hearted bet they had made, which revolved around spaghetti but ended in Dave owing Fredo a watch. Despite this, Fredo says Dave had not handed over the watch:

“At the same time, he still hasn’t given me the watch I won, and the other day he called me.”

According to Fredo, Dave even wanted him to post about the watch online, calling it “calculated moves.”

Fredo explains he later phoned Dave directly after the album disagreement. He claims he told Dave he no longer cared about the watch, suggesting Dave’s real motive was to appear powerful rather than to honour the bet.

“Ur plan is to look like some boss,” Fredo wrote,

Insisting that Dave did not seem genuinely excited to give him the watch, but wanted it to appear like a fun public moment. The leaked chat also reveals Fredo’s irritation with what he felt was manipulation by Dave, avoiding blame and placing it on his managers. He points out that Dave never said outright he did not want to release an album on the same day, instead he left his managers to deliver the message. Fredo interprets this as avoidance and a lack of straightforwardness. In one voice note, he explains that Dave began calling around others to support his view, something Fredo felt made the situation “just looking long,” leading him to let it go.

At another point, Fredo highlights that he gave Dave the opportunity to executive produce his album, which he says boosted Dave’s reputation. Yet he claims no artist on his level would usually let Dave do that, seeing him instead as competition.

“But f*ck it, I don’t care, all these lil n*ggas wanna be like me and can’t, lil shy yutes,” he says.

His frustration builds further when he writes,

“I’m about to just tell him to get my watch and f*ck this lil prick.”

The other person in the chat attempts to reason with him, suggesting Fredo should look at the situation from Dave’s perspective, that Dave might simply have wanted recognition online. Fredo refuses, insisting it is not about publicity but about principle. He claims Dave had been “planning it,” and resents that someone he considered a close friend could not be direct with him.

“Me and Dave been on holidays,” Fredo writes, adding that they had deep “3/4 hour convos” and that Dave was not just another artist he collaborated with, but a genuine friend.

This sense of betrayal is at the heart of the conversation as Fredo expected honesty from Dave, especially given the history they share. The pair first collaborated on Funky Friday in 2018, which debuted at number one in the UK charts and cemented both artists’ status as leading voices in British rap. Their musical partnership continued with Money Talks in 2021, a single that reached number three, and with Dave executive producing Fredo’s album Money Can’t Buy Happiness. They also performed together on In the Fire, alongside Ghetts, Giggs and Meekz.

While fans have often celebrated their chemistry on tracks, these leaked messages reveal a more complicated friendship behind the scenes. Fredo clearly values the bond, recalling Dave’s emotional moments and their time spent together outside of music, yet also feels undermined by what he sees as mixed signals and reliance on managers.

Since the screenshots surfaced, neither Fredo nor Dave, nor their teams, have issued any response, leaving the situation open to speculation. It is worth noting, however, that these conversations originally took place four years ago.