David Orpheus

David Orpheus – The Return of the Wordsmith

Straight outta Broward by way of Freeport, Long Island—David Orpheus ain’t your average master of ceremonies. Born January 7th, 1985, in BrookeDale Hospital, his roots trace back to the gritty sidewalks of NY before being transplanted into South Florida’s heat-soaked battlegrounds. The fusion of those two worlds—the stoop talk of Long Island and the sunburnt cipher culture of Broward—bred an emcee who’s part scholar, part warrior.

As a first grader, he linked up with future collaborator Chxntwxll, and from that moment on, the seeds of a lifelong hip-hop obsession were planted. Before bars were spit, Orpheus was a B-Boy. Movement was the first language. But soon enough, words took over. With a pharmacist for a mom and a psychiatrist for a dad, David was born with brain chemistry in his blood—and he used it to crack open the DNA of rhyme.

By 18, this savant was so obsessed with the science of lyricism he wrote his own dictionary to keep up with the wordplay surging in his mind. Rakim, Kane, Kool G, KRS-One, and Guru whispered ancient secrets to him through the speakers. Lyricist Lounge wasn’t just a show or a mixtape—it was his North Star.

In 2004, he made a savage choice: no more writing. From then on, it was off the dome only. No pen. No pad. Just pure discipline. The freestyles became sermons. He wasn’t rhyming—he was transmitting.

School? Forget it. Dude dropped out in the 10th grade. “I only went to battle,” he says. And who could blame him? By 2005, Chxntwxll had taken over Orpheus’s sister’s bedroom, turning it into a DIY temple of raw hip-hop, and the two cooked up tracks like chemists with a death wish.

Fast forward: Grand Design—his rap group with the Surgeon General—hit the circuit with a vengeance, opening for legends: Mobb Deep, Heltah Skeltah, Benny the Butcher, Westside Gunn, AZ, Ras Kass, KRS-One, GZA, Thirstin Howl III, Jadakiss, N.O.R.E. Real spitters. Real stages. Real pressure.

Now, in a full-circle moment, David Orpheus returns with the help of Chxntwxll and Slept Records to finally unleash a project that’ll spill his style to the masses. A release produced by Boston’s finest- DJ Manipulator. It’s not about clout. It’s not about streams. It’s about bars. It’s about legacy. And it’s long overdue.

The future? Simple: tours, festivals, more music, no distractions. In his own words: “I’m not trying to waste time with this shit.”

Believe him.

David Orpheus ain’t here to play games. He’s here to carry the torch—and burn down the bullshit with it.