A day before his debut album — or mixtape or whatever he’s calling it — Kairi Chanel, named after his new daughter, was set to hit retailers Harlem MC Dave East hit The Breakfast Club and slyly announced that he’d singed a joint venture with Def Jam, officially taking the buzzing MC from the mindies to the big leagues.
“It was a step forward for me,” he told the infamous trio of DJ Envy, Angela Yee and Charlamagne Tha God. “Especially being from New York and not trying to stay in New York. I don’t want to just be underground or classified as a certain type of dude so I feel like this was a good move really get what I’m trying to do with my brand and my movement across the world.”
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And just like that, New York’s hottest prospect is Def Jam certified and now East’s Kairi Chanel is here. While he has big plans for a major label debut album executive produced by his mentor Nas, his last solely Mass Appeal project feels like he’s fulfilled all his potential and promise he flashed during his mixtape run.
Featuring a lineup of heavy hitters including 2 Chainz, Fabolous, Cam’ron, and in an oddly omniscient sense of timing Beanie Sigel and The Game, Dave and his mix of old school influence and new school flavor is never out-shined. Whether its weaving detailed narratives (“Keisha”), kicking flashy braggadocio (“Type Of Time”), or gritty, descriptive, street raps (“30 N***az”), East shows off all the talent that made him Def Jam’s newest star in the making. If there was one complaint it would be “One Way” oddly being left off the LP, but that can be fixed with a couple of mouse clicks on iTunes.
Check out Dave East’s Kairi Chanel below via Apple Music.
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