There was a time in New York hip-hop when the mixtape format effectively trumped the album. With this looser format, some of the city’s best rappers delivered their hardest, cleverest verses over quality beats—not infrequently using uncleared samples—as a means to keep the streets fed and the fans hyped. And while the definition of a given project may have lost clear meaning over the past decade, Dave East clearly holds the mixtape spirit in high regard. With producers like Nicholas Craven, Harry Fraud, and HighHonors behind the boards, this fourth installment in the Karma series finds the raspy native doing what he loves on his own terms.
The skits here draw inspiration from epic crime stories like Goodfellas, Heat, and The Sopranos, largely represented by appearances from infamous hip-hop impressionist Pain In Da Ass. But the most compelling narrative here belongs to East, fully prepared for the worst on “Ahki Store” and revealing all manner of escape routes on the impactful “Runnin’.” Few proper albums bring the lyrical heat the way he does on “Demon” or “Havana,” his pen as sharp as ever.
His choice of guests also reflects his stature in the game, pulling from a national talent pool of other seasoned stars and independent winners. He details the rough road to a luxe life with Stove God Cooks, dips into a nostalgic cloud-rap bag alongside Wiz Khalifa, and gives the R&B-meets-rap model a rugged refresher opposite Jeremih and Roc-A-Fella vet Rell. As if that weren’t enough, the posthumous Nipsey Hussle presence on “12 Months” lends even greater gravity to the whole Karma 4 endeavor.
