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Dave East — 'P2' Review

Album Review

By Rap DisciplePublished 6 years ago 3 min read
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Dave East holds his daughter for the 'P2' cover

“Is dying worth everything you done lived for?”

These words sound like proverbial street wisdom on “Prosper,” the second track on P2. They’re easily some of the most profound bars on here. Just like the first "Paranoia," fear and uncertainty are at the core of this mixtape.

And with every story chronicled, death seems to be a few blocks away. Or at least, the possibility of losing everything hangs in the balance. If nothing else, a few sacrifices are necessary. It’s a tantalizing theme woven throughout this project.

When East recounts his falling out with a distant friend on “Corey,” he refers to himself as “the homie” and details this narrative from the third-person. From afar, he knows he couldn’t stand by Corey and the others forever; otherwise he might’ve been crippled by his surroundings.

Still, there’s a tinge of guilt.

Elsewhere, he’s riding dirty and investigating Keisha’s whereabouts- the woman who robbed him on Kairi Channel’s, “Keisha.” There isn’t exactly a happy ending to this one though. By the end of this tale, Keisha has a bullet in her head.

Which is why it’s no surprise that “militant” is a word that Dave uses often on this tape. He even exclaims that he “relates to war.” P2 is East at his most gritty and introspective.

On this project’s sunnier moments, Dave is saying “Thank You,” for everything he has attained. This sentiment is extended on “Gratitude”— the tape’s soulful closer. It hardly feels redundant even though both songs share this same emotion. Every time he expresses it, he cuts through with genuity.

“What Made Me” is the cut where Dave pays homage to the New York rappers that inspired him, like Nas and Jay-Z. He goes into detail as to why these MCs resonated with him, and how they helped motivate him to chase his dreams. On this, Dave displays that he’s a student of the game, and has the utmost respect for the culture.

If I have any criticisms at all about this mixtape, it’s due to one of the features, and one production element.

If Bino Rideaux had a hit like Desiigner’s “Panda” record, there would be a flurry of criticism. Everyone would call him a “biter.” Like Desiigner, Bino Rideaux is a poor man’s Future. He can fulfill the role that Future would play on a feature, but for an affordable price. While I enjoy “Maintain” on this mixtape, I can’t shake the feeling that this MC is too Future-esque for my comfort.

As for the production, it’s great. My only nitpicking criticism is that there are too many downtempo/mid-tempo beats. I would’ve liked to hear a few more tracks with a faster bpm (beats per minute) count. Other than that, the production is highly cohesive.

Nitpicking aside, this is one of the few projects I’ve heard from this new wave of artists that can be played from start to finish. While Dave East is a good collaborator, he continues to prove that he can carry an entire body of work off of the strength of his rhymes and storytelling.

Essential Tracks

  • “Woke Up” ft. Tory Lanez
  • “Corey”
  • “Prosper”
  • “I Can Not”
  • “I Found Keisha”
  • “Grateful” ft. Marsha Ambrosius
  • “What Made Me”

The Verdict

As Dave East continues to carry the torch for Harlem, he will continue to evolve. With every new project it’s becoming clearer why Nas invested so heavily in this MC. East is as much a student of NYC rap as much as he is a disciple of the streets. Maybe we’ll get a P3 sooner rather than later?

For now, P2 is a B+.

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Rap Disciple

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