With cynicism wrapping itself around East’s throaty delivery, paranoia courses through songs like “Wanna Be Me” and “Found a Way.” He’s seen friends turn on each other in “The Hated,” and is dodging schemers on “My Dirty Little Secret.” But the bottom of the album reveals why he’s become more paranoid over the last year and a half: his daughter Kairi Chanel. On Paranoia, East is a contortionist-flaunting his urge to be flexible, an ethos that challenges the notion that New York rap has to be all boom-bap beats.Įast meets old acquaintances in the opening skit who say “I love you, boy” to his face and “Let’s get this nigga.,” once he leaves. I got the same energy,” says East, an alum of XXL’s 2016 Freshman Class alongside acts like Lil Yachty and Lil Uzi Vert. “I might have that ’dated’ flow, but I’m among all this young, wild turn up. But even on his more polished efforts, he accentuates every bar, similar to the ’90s rappers he echoes. Other times, he’s superficial, with a daily appetite for Philippe Chow. At times, East is introspective, mourning the losses of his cousin and aunt. But, with the recent murders of two of his cousins, it’s difficult for East to rest easy under fame’s spotlight.Ī year ago, he was rapping, “Everybody keep telling me make a club record/You ain’t trappin’ no more, stop doing drug records.” This year, Paranoia attempts to merge the two. These two milestones alone seemed like a ticket out of the housing projects where he recorded hustler’s music like No Regrets and Gemini. His mentor Nas signed him to Mass Appeal and he snagged a partnership with Def Jam. Channeling the spirit of Styles P and Jadakiss, East spews the narratives of his transformation from a Division 1 basketball player to an underground rapper. After seven years of releasing mixtapes, the Harlem rapper’s buzz is growing beyond the streets.
0 kommentar(er)
