Harlem's Dave East joins forces with Mike & Keys for his 4th LP. Breaks out in 2014 from his 8th mixtape Black Rosethis resulted in the man signing a joint deal with Def Jam Recordings and even Nas' independent Mass Appeal Recordsas well as a spot in the iconic XXL Freshman 2016 class. However, his full-length debut Survival it wouldn't come out until 3 years later and was very disappointing in the sense that it tried to appeal to a more mainstream audience that just wasn't there. Harry's cheating produced a sophomore effort Hoffa turned out to be better as was his latest Def Jam offering Fortune favors the boldso it already piqued my interest to hear him bring it back to its indie roots APT 6E.
After the intro, first song “Doin' Great” opens with pianos and hi-hats explaining the ways to get out of this life, while “God Produced It” laces an instrumental snare with samples that tells himself he can does is over and over again. “Snow White” discusses the biggest gang takedown in Queens history over a psychedelic-rattling beat before “IDRN (I Don't Regret Nothing)” goes in a ratchet direction so she can talk about having no regrets .
“Me vs. Me” jumps over instrumentals and psychedelic guest vocals from Stacy Barthe, making it clear that the hardest fight of his life was within him just before “This Lifestyle” on which Kurupt mixes hi-hats and synths as they break it down with the way they both live right now. “Ballin'” featuring Buddy finds the 2 smoking good and popping another bottle, while “Dangerous Riddim” featuring Shaggy comes with summer vibes from top to bottom overall.
Stacey returns with the whimsically raucous “So Much Changed” which tackles his grown man locally, but then “Intervention” talks about his past with pianos and hats. “Can't Even Know” jumps over a soul sample, making it clear that he's not worried unless he's over the guap and has a lot more to learn. “Out the Way” passionately explains his passion has overcome doubters and critics, while the final song “I Remember” before the outro ends APT 6E in the form of a deep ballad dedicated to all sorts of people.
Dave's R&B EP For love Scram Jones' production since the beginning of the year has been disappointing, as much as I was intrigued by the concept going into it from the start, but APT 6E finds him regaining his independent spirit and longing for me Hoffa 2 since hinted at a while ago. Mike & Keys bring their west coast sound and combine it with Dave's hard hitting east coast lyricism.
Rating: 7/10