Ever since the release of his 2014 mixtape Black Rose, Dave East has been garnering attention at a lightning quick pace. The Harlem, NY rising star has been extremely consistent with dropping new material and the quantity has yet to affect the quality. In a time where a lot of the music coming out consists of little to no substance with a catchy hook, some might even call East’s music a breath of fresh air.
East followed up his critically acclaimed Black Rose mixtape with another incredible project, Hate Me Now. This in addition to his “Eastmix” series (where East recites his own verses to a popular song at the time) have made him a force to be reckoned with, not just in New York alone, but in Hip Hop as a whole.
East also has a co-sign from one of the best to ever do it, Mr. Nasir Jones (Nas) himself, though he doesn’t use the co-sign from the Hip Hop legend as a crutch. When the two emcees do decide to collaborate on a record, such as “Forbes List” from the Hate Me Now project, the outcome is incredible. They seem to have a natural chemistry on record that leaves fans wanting more collaborations between the two.
With the groundwork already laid, the next step seems to be dropping a full length LP. East doesn’t seem to be in a rush to do so and that hasn’t proved to be a bad plan at all. If we are to base what the quality of his debut album will be off the work he has given us so far we could very possibly be in for a classic. Either way, the East Coast has an artist that they can be proud of, and one worthy enough to carry the torch passed down from the legends of the culture.
