Album of the Year #26: Dave East - Kairi Chanel - HipHop

Album of the Year #26: Dave East - Kairi Chanel
Odd Future - "Oldie"
H3H3 productions backstage with Post Malone
Future: "There Is No Third Album"
Results for /r/HHH's Best Verses of All Time
[FRESH] OG Maco - Children of The Rage
Lil Uzi Vert " Yeah " Compilation
Kanye West - Flashing Lights
[DISSCUSSION] HNDRXX-Future
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Guide to the evolution of Metro Boomin
Playboi Carti Calls Himself & Lil Uzi Vert the “Jay Electronica of Mumble Rap” - DJBooth Article
Daily Discussion Thread 03/04/2017
Migos Perform “T-Shirt” and “Bad and Boujee” at the Boiler Room
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Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1 Instrumental - Metro Boomin
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The Making of D.R.A.M.'s "Cute" With Charlie Heat | Deconstructed
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Album of the Year #26: Dave East - Kairi Chanel

Posted: 04 Mar 2017 02:22 PM PST

Artist: Dave East

Album: Kairi Chanel

Listen:

Background

Born and raised in Harlem, David Brewster was no stranger to the East Coast rap scene, being raised on rappers like Nas, Biggie, and DMX. However, rap wasn't Dave's original career path. From a young age Dave had a definite skill on the court and was playing Division 1 NCAA ball for a few years, teaming up with the likes of NBA stars such as Kevin Durant, Ty Lawson, and Greivis Vasquez. His true passion lied within the art of writing, and soon Dave had traded the Jordans for a pen and became Dave East, dropping his debut mixtape appropriately titled Change of Plans. Here, Dave East took on the 90s East Coast rap style he was raised on and applied his experience of life on the streets to his music. Despite gaining attention from NBA teams, as his music grew in popularity, East hung up the sneakers and began focusing entirely on his rap career.

In 2011, East dropped 3 mixtapes and began to gain respect and recognition in the New York rap scene, eventually gaining him radio play on New York's Hot 97. This was enough to catch the attention of hip-hop legend Nas, who met East through his little brother, and signed him to Nas' Mass Appeal label. The signing gave East the opportunity to work with some big names in rap and push his music into the mainstream. In 2014, East put out his 7th mixtape titled Black Rose, which was promoted by big artists in the hip-hop world such as DJ Khaled, Wyclef Jean, and DJ Premier. This caused East to explode in popularity. In 2015, East's mixtape Hate Me Now featured big artists such as Nas, Pusha T, and Jadakiss, with production from Jahlil Beats, Don Cannon, and many more. Now it was up to East to take advantage of his soaring popularity and drop perhaps his most anticipated project to date, which he named Kairi Chanel after his newborn daughter.

Review

Under the pressure of mainstream hype surrounding his XXL Freshman nomination, Dave East absolutely excelled and put out his greatest album to date that is is overflowing with talent, lyricism and raw aggression. East is a Nas protegé and boasts it in Kairi Chanel, taking you lyrically and sonically to the streets of East Harlem. Through the jam packed rhymes of It Was Written to the slow melodic vocals of Eyes On Me, East flaunts his versatility like never before, breaking his own barriers in terms of sound while continuing to strengthen the core of his music to its dark, perpetually intimidating nature. The album is an ensemble of complementing features which ranges from 2 Chainz to Sevyn Streeter to which East accompanies perfectly, scaling his flow and sound to match the beat accordingly without a single misstep.

The project kicks off with a blast back to the East Coast rap scene of the 90s with an intense compilation of bars in It Was Written. Dave East wastes no time in this album and cuts right to the chase with this song and is already showcasing his pure rapping talent less than 15 seconds in. East doesn't slow down after the intro and continues to burn your headphones with the banger titled Type of Time. Here, East reflects upon his upbringing and life on the streets and compares his current life to the difficult times he had to endure to get to his current position. Type of Time embodies perfectly the harsh relentless streets of Harlem with loud aggressive rhyme delivery along with a Sade sample to embroider his New York sound and influence. Again follows the pattern of a hard start to the album where East transitions from a New York 90s rap sound to a more modern trap sound with loud vocals and a threat to "fuck your bitch and never talk again." Through the first three songs East establishes his powerful sound and superb rapping ability while emphasizing his East Coast influence.

East then brings in his first feature of the album with none other than 2 Chainz. Don't Ignore is an instant hit, overlaid with dark piano chords and an almost out-of-character appearance by 2 Chainz that somehow smoothly incorporates itself to East's gangster/murder rap vibe. The gangster rhymes takes a back seat as the album transitions the cloudy, romantic From The Heart featuring Sevyn Streeter. This is a big turning point in the album as the hard pressing beats turn into synthy, retro chords fittingly accompanied by a lovestruck hook by Sevyn. From The Heart is an unfamiliar sound from East yet still furthers his flexibility both lyrically and musically and is perhaps affected by the birth of East's daughter.

From The Heart flows seamlessly into the chill guitar-ridden sounds of 30 Niggaz. The song begins with a conversation between two men seemingly working for Dave East, setting the scene for a song in which East spits about the game he was working in Harlem to make money, further embodying East's clear cut ties to the trapping scene and his narrative as a Harlem gangster. The song serves as a perfect transition to arguably the best song on the project, Keisha. Here, East tells the story of his infatuation with a woman named Keisha and conveys her beauty into song format, while continuing to sound like thug at the same time. The story leads up to where East fucks her, only to wake up the next morning and find that Keisha robbed him and stole everything he has. The track ends with East repeating "I cannot believe this bitch robbed me, I cannot believe it." The album takes a sharp turn as East brings in Fabolous for Eyes On Me which carries a more modern break from the dark 90s themed rap East had upheld to this point. East brings out the autotune and sings his verse in what could best be described as a forgettable track.

East bounces back right away and hops right into S.D.E. (Sports, Drugs & Entertainment) with Cam'Ron. The purpose of this song is solely to flex his wealth from his careers in sports, drugs, and entertainment. Cam'Ron comes in for the second verse and provides a substantial 4th feature for East, solidifying the track in pump up playlists across New York. East then takes to Don Pablo and sticks to one rhyme scheme for the 2 minute song, emphasizing his songwriting and rhyming ability while staying true to the album's theme.

The Only Thing features East opening up about his love for music in an emotional song with a hook by Abir Haronni. This song marks the beginning of the end of Kairi Chanel as East pours his soul into the few final songs, transitioning from the emotional vibes of The Only Thing to The Real is Back featuring old school Philly rapper Beanie Sigel. Beanie and East intertwine their bars in this song as they rap about how the streets shaped them and how they were involved in the drug scene. Slow Down is an appropriately titled slow song where East and his feature Jazz Amra compliment each other nicely in a track where East opens up about his Muslim faith and the mentality of the youth in the ghetto. East yet again impresses with powerful bars that carry meaning while still flexing his versatility in terms of beats.

East now pulls the album together with a complex, politically motivated song Don't Shoot. The song starts with East's voice pitched up, symbolizing him as kid as he recalls experiences with law enforcement as child, seeing friends and family getting locked up. His voice gets progressively deeper as the song goes on as he reminisces about his life. Young Dave East expresses confusion as to why he and his friends are always in trouble with the police, which he later attributes to his skin color. The final verse East's voice is back to normal, as he talks about how despite the fact he was a star athlete he still couldn't avoid racial discrimination from law enforcement. He talks about his stints in jail for drugs and how he and his friends are just trying to survive and build their lives in the ghetto. The song, and album, comes to an end when East is face to face with an officer, pleading for his life because of his newborn daughter named Kairi Chanel, followed by a gunshot.

Dave East was able to convey his story of life in the hood perfectly and the struggles that he and his friends and family faced daily. His lyrics are impeccable as he put his words to use and allowed them to possess powerful meaning, while sending the listener back to the East Coast rap scene of the 90s with retro style beats and gangster themes. The album uncovered a new side of East, perhaps are more emotional side due to the birth of his daughter and allowed East to put more heart and soul into his work than ever before, yet maintaining his reputation as a thick skinned gangster. East didn't slack off on a single song for this project and kept it hard and maintained an excellent storytelling throughout the length of the album. East status as a rapper remained firmly established as again he showed the pure talent and songwriting ability he possesses in my album of the year, Kairi Chanel.

Favorite Lyrics

Niggas tell me that I'm going nuts

Ask your bitch, she just was holdin those

You put Gucci all up on her clothes

When it come to this she probably overdose

from Type of Time

I'm true to Allah and I don't fuck with cops

Keep me away from that pork

from Can't Ignore

They say prison is the new slave ship

They don't understand we hustling so we can pay rent

Soon as they come around it feel like your luck gone

They gotta show you they power, that's why they put the cuffs on

Ain't no more weed in the car sir, the blunt gone

I got my hands ups, officer what's the problem?

Please don't shoot me sir, I just had a daughter

Look here go a blaow

from Don't Shoot

Discussion

Where do you think this album ranks in Dave East's discography?
Did the album have too many drug and ghetto references? Should he had diversified the topics?
Which song would you remove from the album if you could?
Which feature was your favorite?
Could you see Dave East becoming a big name in hip hop?

I don't have any writing experience but I figured I'd give this write up a shot anyways. Criticism is appreciated!

submitted by /u/Pasalacquanian
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Odd Future - "Oldie"

Posted: 04 Mar 2017 06:03 PM PST

submitted by /u/DoomShooter
[link] [comments]

H3H3 productions backstage with Post Malone

Posted: 04 Mar 2017 03:59 PM PST

submitted by /u/bdorocke
[link] [comments]

Future: "There Is No Third Album"

Posted: 04 Mar 2017 06:34 AM PST

submitted by /u/TylerWaves
[link] [comments]

Results for /r/HHH's Best Verses of All Time

Posted: 04 Mar 2017 11:24 AM PST

submitted by /u/KHDTX13
[link] [comments]

[FRESH] OG Maco - Children of The Rage

Posted: 04 Mar 2017 04:31 PM PST

submitted by /u/ChubbyPencil
[link] [comments]

Lil Uzi Vert " Yeah " Compilation

Posted: 04 Mar 2017 03:30 PM PST

submitted by /u/ShaShabbaRanksSha
[link] [comments]

Kanye West - Flashing Lights

Posted: 04 Mar 2017 02:59 PM PST

submitted by /u/mynamescody
[link] [comments]

[DISSCUSSION] HNDRXX-Future

Posted: 04 Mar 2017 09:32 AM PST

havent seen a thread yet and its been a week so have at it

edit: fuck i ruined that title jesus

submitted by /u/HiechSouLs
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Drake - 1.Tuscan Leather (Nothing Was The Same 2013)

Posted: 04 Mar 2017 11:26 AM PST

submitted by /u/BurningBelowZero
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Guide to the evolution of Metro Boomin

Posted: 04 Mar 2017 09:01 PM PST

Metro Boomin has basically become the most in-demand producer of 2017, from cooking up sleeper hits for Jeezy and Gucci to making a rapper or a song blow up for simply featuring one of his beats. But the most fascinating thing to me about Metro Boomin, Southside, TM88, 808 Mafia and the rest of the trusted hands in the trap scene is just how much they've evolved since all of them started blowing up. If you'll permit me, I'd love to coach anyone who's not familiar with the specifics of rap's current favorite production trendsetter in this post. I'll use (some) of Metro's most notable songs as examples and we'll work chronologically.

Future - Karate Chop

The first major Future/Metro Boomin collaboration or at least the one that put the duo on the radar for the majority of rap fans. Early in Metro's career, the beat contains a lot of hallmarks for how he sounded early in the game. Synth arpeggios galore (a synth that can oscillate and change by itself even if only one note is programmed), brass sounds, pianos, creepy whistles and many other elements make up the melody.

A lot of the instruments and tempos either become irrelevant, out of style or aren't used in the same way again once we get to a different era of Metro's beats which I'll cover in a moment. Same thing with the drums. Claps and snares reminiscent of earlier trap, early Lex Luger/Southside. The 808s have a more bright tone, are used more melodically and are less percussive. Less hard, clean, sparse, well-mixed, both because Metro was a lot closer to his original influences in sound like early Zaytoven, Shawty Redd and Drumma Boy and because that's what was popping in 2012. The beat has a lot more going on, its quicker, less refined, but still incredible for Metro's still genius use of evil melodies and goes very hard.

Future - Honest

In this era of Metro's production, he's becoming a lot more comfortable with sparser melodies. The synths, while still in the same tempo and the same types of sounds as you heard on Karate Chop, are more comfortable letting the more bare and slower piano remain in the foreground. The drums are also a lot different than you would hear in Karate Chop-Metro era, partially because Metro was becoming more comfortable with his own trademark sound and because Spinz co-produced.

Metro Boomin, Southside, Spinz, Sonny Digital, TM88, etc. constantly trade sounds and sonic techniques in the studio which explains why they all switch up their sounds so often. The 808, snares, everything except the noisy percs and more tribal kicks does more with less and gets closer to what we hear today.

Travis Scott - Skyfall

I firmly believe Skyfall was a dramatically important song for Metro's development as a producer. Much, much slower melodies, more sparse haunting sounds, the 808 is distorted and programmed less like a melodic instrument than a separate kick still working with the one that doesn't have bass, the snare isn't all over the place in flurries of snare rolls which plagued earlier trap music. Haunting, slow, bare and yet still hard. Listen to this and then the song Savage Mode. Much more similar than Karate Chop, White Man by Gucci or any other Metro success from say 2013.

Future - Where Ya At

Bare melody with nothing more than a slowed down harp, organ, synth and added pad playing three different melodic concepts at different points. Incredibly bare snares, Metro is more comfortable with letting his hi-hats sit in the background, and the 808s dominate the rhythm and pull of the track. A fantastic beat that I thought was too sparse when I first heard it but now I appreciate the simplicity of Where Ya At as opposed to the drums of another song with Metro production on the album, Blow A Bag. Metro learned less can be a whole lot more.

submitted by /u/lunch77
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Playboi Carti Calls Himself & Lil Uzi Vert the “Jay Electronica of Mumble Rap” - DJBooth Article

Posted: 04 Mar 2017 11:19 AM PST

submitted by /u/zack4713
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Daily Discussion Thread 03/04/2017

Posted: 04 Mar 2017 11:13 AM PST

Welcome to the /r/hiphopheads daily discussion thread!

This thread is for:

objective questions with right/wrong answers (e.g. "Does anyone know what is happening with MIXTAPE?", "What is the sample in SONG?")
general hip-hop discussion
meta posts...e.g. ideas for the sub

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Do not create a separate self post for these types of discussions outside of this thread - if you do, your post will be removed.
Please be helpful and friendly.
If a question has been asked many times before, provide a link to a thread that contains the answer.

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