Dave East is one of the hottest MCs in the game right now and has no plans of stopping in the near future.
In an interview with Hot 97’s Nessa, Dave opens up and his career and the joys of fatherhood. Dave also dished on why his daughter brings out another side of him.
“I’m going to keep it real with you, of course I want to be the best rapper ever and all those accolades but being a good father is what I take pride in,” East said. “I want her to feel like she has the best dad in the world so when she becomes a teenager she’s in love with me and knows that I will never have any negativity or bad thoughts towards her no matter what’s going on. I want our bond to be tight.”
In regards to his album, East said he feels like his project is not only what New York Hip-Hop needs, but Hip-Hop overall because Hip-Hop seems to be lacking new school artists from New York that sound like New York.”
“I am excited to put out this album,” Dave continued. “It’s something that I feel New York needs, not just New York but Hip-Hop in general needs a sound full-length project from someone born and raised in New York City with that sound but up to date because all we know is the legends that did it. I can’t point out one person now who’s done a full-length album that makes you feel like this is a New York project or someone that’s even from New York.
East also gave his opinion on why he feels New York Hip-Hop is seemingly absent on the new school scene, contributing it to greed versus being true to originality and repping their area.
“I honestly believe that other cities started taking it over and it confused a lot of artists because ultimately you’re in it to make money,” Dave said. “Even with me, I go through it from time to time because if you aren’t making any money, you’re not going to keep doing it and eventually you will see artists quitting to get a job not knowing that if you hang in there it will pay off. But it’s not just other areas that can get in the way, it’s the drug music and the trap sound, or the three words repeated throughout the whole song that is really making the money and packing out arenas but when you have a lyricist or someone that’s really talking, everyone don’t want to hear that and it goes over everyone’s head; but there’s a lane for that too. With me, I am just trying to find the medium.”
In other Dave East news, earlier this week Dave dropped his tribute to Nas, “It Was Written,” which appears on East’s Kairi Chanel project, finds him reminiscing on the hard times before his deal and how it all came together just as it was meant to be. He also looks back at the lineage of New York rap before him, at one point saying, “I had a dream Biggie featured me on Life After.”
Check out the interview and video for “It Was Written” below.
