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Dave East is here with his fifth official studio album, Living Proof, and he’s not dropping this alone. This is a new first for the Harlem spitter too, as he got to work with producer araabMUZIK exclusively for this venture. It’s worth noting though that they do have some history together, with the latter laying down beats for projects like Survival and Karma 3. Clearly, those times shared in the studio sold each other on just how great a full project could be between them. Sure enough, their assumptions were correct, because Dave East’s work with araabMUZIK might be some of the best chemistry he’s shared with another beat crafter.

Leading up to the release of Living Proof, “Buss Down” and “Percocet” were the singles kicking the rollout off. Overall, the jazzy, grand, and sort of grimy boom bap sounds you hear on both are a very accurate representation of the project’s direction. The beats on these two tracks, including many others such as “Walk Wit Me” and “The Other Side” are of high quality and really embrace East’s gravelly tone and the overall spirit of New York hip-hop. It makes sense though due to araab’s decorated past with Dipset and many other legends from the state.

Living Proof – Dave East & AraabMuzik

Living Proof Tracklist:

Percocet
Bet My Life
Solid N****z (feat. Cruch Calhoun)
Buss Down (feat. Fabolous)
Walk Wit Me
Lift Em Up (feat. Swizz Beatz & Benny The Butcher)
Roll Up
Joe Jackson (feat. OT The Real)
All I Know (feat. Quany Gz)
Same S*** (feat. Giggs)
Everything For Sale (feat. Ransom)
The Love Fake (feat. Lyrivelli)
Run Down (feat. Millyz)
The Other Side (feat. Stacy Barthe)
Barbara

About The Author

Zachary Horvath is one of the Music Freelance News Writers at HotNewHipHop and has held that title since August 2023. Prior to this position, he held another freelance gig covering local high school football, girls and boys varsity basketball, in addition to recapping Cleveland Cavaliers games remotely.

He’s taken the previous experience and used it to become a jack of all trades at HotNewHipHop. Zach has thoroughly enjoyed tackling some of the trending topics in sports, with a larger focus on hip-hop and pop culture. Some of those include Bronny James’s draft stock, a multitude of angles swirling around the Drake and Kendrick Lamar beef, as well as Diddy’s arrest and lawsuits. Separate from the headlines that everyone wants to hear about, he was fortunate enough to help spread Zaytoven’s current thoughts at the time around mid-December in 2023.

Even though being able to give his expertise on these stories is fulfilling, being able to share his passion for releases trumps that ever so slightly. Having the chance to express his excitement indirectly about what he thinks our readers should be checking out/revisiting grows his passion for writing that much more.

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