Dave East Feels Good He’s Part of the New Wave of New York City Artists

Much has been made of New York City's status as a superpower in the world of 2017 hip-hop, and so naturally, the same can be said about the city's torch-bearers. For his part, 2016 XXL Freshman Dave East is proud to be a part of the city's new class of hip-hop up-and-comers.

He said as much in the most recent edition of XXL 360. To East, the varying sounds and approaches to showmanship make the newest crop of NYC artists a strong one.

"I love it," East tells XXL. "I feel like it's a lot of different sounds. I feel like nobody really copying each other. I feel like everybody got they own wave, they own crew, they own...like it was before. And I feel like that just keeps it competitive, get what I'm saying? Me seeing what A-Boogie and them is doing, what [Don Q] and them is doing, what (Casanova) is doing, what Young M.A is—like, me seeing what all these people is doing, it keep me on my toes just as far as the city go," he continues.

East, who released his Paranoia: A True Story EP last month, isn't ignoring the rest of the U.S., but having that homegrown talent gives him something to be proud of. "I'm thinking 'bout the rest of the nation of what artists is doing as well, but just knowing that's right in my backyard, it feel good, you know what I'm saying?"

See what else East has to say in the video below.

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