Now here’s a true hip-hop gem, of the kind that you don’t hear much of these days. The storyteller MC is a lost craft, with today’s rappers focusing on hard-hitting hooks and quick punchlines. Today’s ADHD society doesn’t have time for the epic yarns spun by the likes of Slick Rick, Raekwon, the Notorious B.I.G., and Nas, and I think that’s a shame. These rappers create the most sublime kind of hip-hop, especially when they possess that level of realness that engenders authenticity. Dave East certainly has no problem convincing me of his authenticity, with vivid street tales that could only come from a life truly lived. He’s also musically authentic, as he enumerates his myriad hip-hop influences in “What Made Me.”
He isn’t all old-school, though. Dave East lays down some smooth trap à la Travis Scott in “Woke Up” and “Annoying.” He’s definitely at his best, though, when he’s telling stories, like the brutal crime cut “I Found Keisha.”
Mike Frasier Music 