Dave East drops the ‘Survival’ album feat Nas, Lil Baby & others.
After revealing the star-studded tracklist a few days ago, Dave East has released his full-length debut album ‘Survival‘. The album contains 20 tracks with guest appearances from Nas, Teyana Taylor, Fabolous, Jacquees, Gunna, Lil Baby, Ty Dolla Sign, and more. The project also has a Nipsey Hussle tribute in the end.
With three EPs and 14 mixtapes under his belt, East has dedicated himself to honing a sound that he identifies with. “Survival takes on his new life as a major label artist, and his works have always been a representation of what he’s going through at the time. And then Survival — that’s what I’ve been doing this entire time. I’m surviving now, I’m still trying to figure it out,” he explained in a recent interview. “I’m trying to broaden my horizons, get into things that people don’t know me for. I feel like “survival” was the one word that could tie all of that together.”
The album kicks out with “They Want To Kill You,” a streetwise boom-bap track that believes in “survival of the fittest.” Survival’s true m.o. soon emerges, however: contrasting East’s bars with R&B beats. East succeeds on all levels, whether it’s with classic samples (Jodeci’s “Feenin” on “Alone”; Teon’s “Burgundy” on “Mama I Made It”) or sung melodic melodies (such as the Teyana Taylor-assisted “Penthouse”).
In a recent interview, East discussed Nipsey’s untimely death and how it affected his recording process. “I was f**ked up. I didn’t want to record. I had music that I already had done. But, a lot of people don’t understand,” he said. “They ask, ‘Why did you push Survival back so long?’ [Nipsey’s death] f**ked me up, bro. I didn’t want to drop any new music. My boy had so much shit he was going to put out. I’m glad the acting shit came when it came because it took me out of that space. I didn’t want to put out any music. But, now, it’s time. That n***a said, ‘You tripping, cuz. Put that sh*t out.’ So, I finally got the label in tune and everyone on the same page.”
Nas is the executive producer of Survival. Prior to the album’s release, a YouTube documentary series chronicling the album’s creation was released. Lil Baby, Rick Ross, The Dream, Teyana Taylor, and others all appear on the album.
Survival opened at #11 on the Billboard 200 chart in the United States, selling 24,000 album-equivalent units in its first week. His third top-ten album on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums list, the album debuted at number eight.
Stream the full thing below.
