A strong lyricist adept at telling gritty street narratives, Harlem-based MC Dave East has a style heavily reminiscent of '90s New York hardcore rap, while sounding fresh enough to compete with the contemporary hip-hop landscape. After building a buzz with several independent mixtapes during the early 2010s, East caught the attention of his favorite rapper, Nas, who signed him to Mass Appeal. Several Billboard-charting releases followed, including 2016's Kairi Chanel and 2017's Paranoia: A True Story.
Born David Brewster, Jr. in 1988, he started releasing mixtapes as Dave Eas...