Alot of New York rap these days is basically the answer to the question "can Timbs and Yankee Fitteds have emotions too?"
Every rapper is hustling, every rapper gotta get theirs, every rapper got guns and hate the law. New York rap is all black republicans; ruthless and out for self all while attached to the white girl. There's not a lot of growth. However anytime a New York rapper has some buzz the whole world takes notice.
Enter Dave East.
If this album came out in 2005 it'd be double platinum. It brings me back to to taking the orange line in high school. Which is cool but at the same time I repressed a lot of my teenage years for a reason so I'm dealing with memories I'm not crazy about.
Dave East raps like an all white pair of Air Force ones came to life. Every bar is about being fresh, having money, fucking bad bitches or pitching grams. It's braggadocious to say the least. But there's no aspiration.
A lot of rappers spit about the same basic shit Dave does, but the difference is that they have a vision to get beyond it.
Cam'ron wanted to start a movement. Jadakiss wanted to be Top 5, Fabolous wanted to own every throwback jersey ever created. Dave East is content with the person he is, he might want more money but besides that he's just happy being fly.
This is the music that plays in your whip when you drive past your old high school with a nice watch and class ring hanging out the window.
Again I gotta stress that this album would've been flames 10 years ago, but it's 2016, we've heard it all before. It's like the second titan who tried to give fire to man, only for man to point up to a chained up Prometheus getting his liver pecked out by a vulture.
The frustrating part is that Dave East is good at rapping, his pacing and flow are good so he can express whatever thoughts he has. It's actually apparent on Don't Shoot, the best song on the album without question. But besides that it's like he's a Plasma screen that only plays SD VHS movies.
But hey, if you were the man in school you might like this a lot. I ate lunch in the bathroom and one time lied about fucking. This ain't for me.
I give this 4 pairs of girbauds out of 10.