As one of the few artists signed to Mass Appeal Records under Nas, East has a strong history with the iconic New York rapper. On their new collaboration, "NYCHA" (which stands for New York City Housing Authority), the two rappers, despite being from different generations, have a similar knack for storytelling and both flourish over classic East Coast production. In a recent interview with Billboard, Nas spoke of what stood out about East to him. "His drive is impressive," he said. "Being able to rap is one thing but if you don't have the drive to go out there and do things that people didn't ask you to. Go be on call of duty when you're out there, your duty being your job as an artist to get your art out there. Some people drop the ball. I feel like he had so much to offer before he even had an album out. He takes the ball with his hands, and he handles it."
The new track comes off the soundtrack to the Netflix documentary series Rapture. It also features interesting collaborations between T.I. and Rapsody, and Killer Mike and 2 Chainz. You can stream the full project here.
Quotable Lyrics:
New York City housing authority
honor me
Property of the ghetto
Choppers popping
I should receive a medal for surviving
If you snooze, sleep with your snub nose
I did receive a medal
From Harvard and rose above those
Obstacle courses where cops
And shots'll stop you
From reaching your full potential
You dreaming, life'll pinch you