Freshman...'16 Part 7 of 10: Dave East

You need a pass just to come 'round.
I need that Rolly face bust down.
Tryna chill cause it's Ramadan
but I kill these niggas when that sun down.

New York, the undeniable birthplace of hip-hop and also some of the of some greatest MCs to rock the mic. How do you know a rapper comes from New York? This question is harder to answer today than it was in the beginnings of hip-hop. There is a certain tone that New York rappers had, it was hard, grity, slick, but most of all it was New York. It seems nowadays MCs shy away from this style of rap, some saying it is dated, while others would call it that classic nostalgia rap that made you fall in love with hip-hop. One MC that is reminiscent of this classic New York style is Dave East, a rapper from Harlem who is fully embracing his New York roots and also co-signed by one of the best New York Rappers straight out of Queens, you may know him as rap legend 'Nas'. Dave East is signed to Nas's label Mass Appeal and is expected to be the next New York rapper to carry the torch for a city where as Jay put it, "If you can make it, then you can make it anywhere.". And if you want to claim New York one thing you better  have is bars. Dave East has quickly been embraced by the New York's most lyrical such as Jada Kiss and Nas and even making an appearance on Fabolous's 'Summer Time Shootout' mixtape.  If Jay has J. Cole, then Nas is looking to similarly have Dave East as the next to take the throne. Will a classic Ether/Takeover battle occur between J. Cole and Dave East, we could only hope so. New York, top 5, who knows, but Dave East is steady on his way. And who knows there may be a kid right now that stands up in the corner and says 'What about Dave East'. Here are some quick facts about Dave East:

Rap Name: Dave East
Born: June 3, 1988 (age 28), East 'Spanish' Harlem, New York
Record Label: Mass Apeal
Latest Mixtape: Hate Me Now
Twitter: @Dave East