Dave East has credited J. Cole for giving him key advice that has improved his upcoming album. Speaking with HipHopDX at the 2023 Grammy Awards, East explained how working with the Fayetteville, North Carolina rapper impacted his recording process.
“I took a lot from that,” he said. “Just his whole energy, you know what I mean? For him to be who he is at the level he’s at and give me that game like that, give me that little bit of advice just to help my own shit out.” He added: “I definitely apply it to what I got going on. My new album, you definitely going to hear some of that in there. But yeah, big shout out to J. Cole.”
Dave East At A "Wu-Tang: An American Saga" Screening
The Grammys' red carpet isn't the first time East has spoken about learning from J. Cole. He also discussed the rapper's impact during an interview with Apple Music‘s Ebro Darden in 2021. “I got a chance to lock in with J. Cole, just me and him in the studio with the engineer,” he said at the time.
He added: “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 shit 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.”
East released his debut studio album, Survival, in 2019 with features from Rick Ross, Lil Baby, Gunna, Fabolous, DJ Premier, and more. In the years since, he's worked on several EPs and mixtapes while also focusing on his acting career. He currently stars in Wu Tang: An American Saga.
Dave East At The Grammys
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