David Constantine Brooks was raised in Kingston, Jamaica's Cassava Piece community. He cites the music of Bounty Killer as an early influence. Bounty took him under his wing to show him the ropes of the music industry and introduced him to his manager, Julian Jones-Griffith. He decided to name himself "Mavado" after the Swiss watch company Movado, with his manager altering the spelling. In 2005, Mavado had his breakthrough with his first single, "Real McKoy". He further established himself with the follow-up record "Weh Dem a Do", on the Red Bull & Guinness riddim, that had the distinction of hitting Billboard. After a string of hits in 2005 and 2006, Mavado released the album 10 July 2007 on VP Records. The single "Dying" from the album was featured heavily on New York's WQHT R&B/hip-hop radio station. That same year brought Mavado off-stage controversy, as he was detained by Jamaican police. While in police custody, the singer claims he was thrown through a glass window, slicing three fingers in the process, which were reattached at a local hospital. Police claimed Mavado escaped from custody while at the hospital. He was later arrested and charged with shooting with intent and illegal possession of firearm in relation to an event occurring 27 July 2007. Mavado was released two days later on a $3000 bail and was subsequently refused entry into the United States. Mavado did not sign the Reggae Compassionate Act and has been criticised for anti-gay lyrics, as well as alleged promotion of gun violence. The issue caused him to be banned at times from several Caribbean countries. 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", were also featured in the game on the radio station "Massive B Radio". Mavado was also featured on the G-Unit track 'Let It Go' along with Tony Yayo and Lloyd Banks for the album: T·O·S in 2008. He was the only non-G-Unit feature on the album. In 2008 Mavado was given the UK MOBO Award for Best Reggae Act. In April 2010, Mavado starred in a music video as a gangster in Drake's song "Find Your Love" for Drake's album Thank Me Later. Mavado formed his own label, Mansion Records, in 2011, which debuted with the single "Delilah". Along with Bounty Killer, he has cited 2Pac as a childhood idol, comparing the late rapper's life to his own. In 2011, Mavado recorded with U.K. grime artist Chipmunkon the track "Every Gyal". On 1 September 2011, Mavado appeared on the Angie Martinez show on New York's Hot 97 radio station to announce that he had signed a deal with DJ Khaled's record label We the Best Music Group. Mavado released three singles "Emergency" featuring Ace Hood, Soulja girl and "Survivor" featuring Akon on We the Best Music Group. In May 2012 he was convicted of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and malicious destruction of property after a driving incident, and was fined a total of $100,000. An appeal against the sentence was unsuccessful. In 2012, it was announced that Mavado would feature in a "Shottas 2" a sequel to the Shottas movie, which had starred Ky-Mani Marley and Spragga Benz. In 2016, Mavado's song "Progress" on the Mineral Boss Records produced "Money Boss Riddim" was featured in DJ Khaled's Major Key album. The album was nominated for the 2017 Grammy Awards on the "best rap" album category. In 2017, Mavado, Alkaline and Jahmiel formed a camp known as MVP, which Mavado claimed to be the "biggest thing" in dancehall at that time. In 2018, Mavado collaborated with Sean Paul for an inspirational song called "I'm Sanctify". In 2019, Mavado released a song called "Top Shotta Is Back" On a Riddim called The Aircraft Riddim produced by Chimney Records.
