Dave East talks about J. Cole in a new interview.
Dave East recently collaborated with producer Harry Fraud for a new joint album called “Hoffa“. The 14 tracks project from the Harlem rapper featured the likes of Currensy, Benny The Butcher, G Herbo, French Montana, and more. Now for the promo run, the duo sat down with Ebro Darden on Apple Music 1 for a new interview. On the show, Dave East revealed that he had a studio session with J. Cole, where he gets advice from the Dreamville boss, on trying different rapping styles.
East went on to say that this inspired him to concentrate on rapping in different tones, with Cole guiding him along the way. He credits those sessions with Cole for some of the varied inflections he employs on Hoffa. A few weeks ago, East made a surprise appearance in the music video for Cole’s song “Applying Pressure.”
“I got a chance to lock in with J. Cole, just me and him in the studio with the engineer,” said Dave East. “And he asked that same question, like, ‘Bro, I’m a fan of what you do, I really respect your pen, but you rap with one tone.’ And I really sat and listened to myself, and a lot of my sh*t is one tone. Me and him in the studio testing tones. He’s just really seeing how high I can take my voice, how low I can take it, and then he just was like, ‘Apply that to your music. Watch the difference. That’s just something I gotta keep working at, keep working at. I think it will be something dope to add to my music.”
Recently, Dave East also made a cameo in J. Cole’s music video for “Applying Pressure“, off his latest album “The Off-Season.”
East’s usage of octaves can now be heard on Hoffa, which was produced by Harry Fraud and is his first full-length production with only one producer “I really don’t want to do it no other way,” East said of his decision to lock in with Fraud. “You can really focus on the music. When you have 50 producers, they all got lawyers, they all got interns, everybody has to sign off, nah. We did this so smooth, and you can hear it in the music.”
Dave East also talked about the benefit of working with a single producer, Harry Fraud, as he could only focus on rap, and don’t have to worry about enlisting several producers. Harry Fraud comments on Dave East’s statement and said, “That’s what the producer is supposed to do. A lot of rappers have become vocal producers in their own rights. It’s my job to make sure all they have to do is rap. Of course, I want their input. I want Dave’s input on everything. But he shouldn’t have to be pulling his hair out worrying about anything but rapping, especially when we’re creating. He should only be worried about creating the best thing.”
The latest project Hoffa by Dave East is a nod to classic mob-inspired rap, evoking images of sleek black Benzes, red checkered tablecloths, and unbuttoned shirts showcasing gold chains. Given that he was signed by Nas, also known as Escobar and “cryptocurrency Scarface” in 2014, it’s understandable that East is drawn to the aesthetics of organized crime. As he notes in “Red Fox Restaurant,” “My whole life changed when Nas said ‘I got you.'”
Watch the interview below.
