Dave East Puts On For Harlem On "DAMN"

BYAron A.Published on January 23, 20238.5K Views

Dave East interpolates Biggie lyrics for his contribution to the "Godfather Of Harlem" soundtrack.

Dave East brings Harlem's flare with the spirit of Brooklyn's King MC on his new single, "DAMN."

Swizz Beatz delivered the second single for the third season of Godfather Of Harlem featuring Dave East this weekend. "DAMN" puts Dave East center stage as jazzy percussion and airy vocal samples -- handled by Mike Keys and DJ Khalil -- lead the record. The rapper takes fans on a trip from the days of mobbing through Harlem, detailing some of the hardships he faced along the way. At the same time, he also pays homage to Biggie with an interpolation of "Warning."

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 07: Dave East attends The NOW Launch on December 07, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage)

Though he isn't directly mentioning Bumpy Johnson, Dave East channels the famed drug trafficker's energy with a nod to Green Day. "We was born as kings/ Cruising through this boulevard of broken dreams," East raps on the record. It's an exemplary display of East's vivid lyricism and gritty delivery that turned him into one of NYC's most compelling lyricists since his mixtape run.

While he remains one of the busiest men in showbusiness, Swizz Beatz continues to serve as the executive producer of Epix's The Godfather Of Harlem soundtrack. Every week, they debuted a new single prior to each episode. Ahead of the season premiere, Swizz Beatz previously enlisted Jadakiss for their new collaboration, "Hustle, Repeat."

Dave East blessed fans with his last body of work, Book Of David in November. The project served as a collaborative effort alongside DJ Drama and Buda & Grandz.

Check out Dave East's new single below and sound off in the comments.

Quotable Lyrics
I was watchin' out from lobbies, rooftops, and was in between
Took a 12 hour drive to Atlanta to pick up hammers
Police scanners, in the dashboard, rearview mirror came with cameras
Gotta eat before we hit the road, we ain't stoppin' for a sandwich
If they pull us, the driver never panic, he start talkin' Spanish

About The Author

Aron A.

Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.