Dave East

With a style reminiscent of '90s New York hardcore rap, East remains sounding fresh enough to compete with the contemporary hip-hop landscape. After building a buzz with several independent mixtapes during the early 2010s, East caught the attention of his favorite rapper, Nas, who signed him to Mass Appeal. Several Billboard-charting releases followed, including 2016's Kairi Chanel, 2017's Paranoia: A True Story, and 2020's Top 40 hit Karma 3.