‘HOFFA’ by Dave East and Harry Fraud: New Release Review

Dave East has spent the past few years as one of the most under-appreciated rappers out. Everybody who listens to him can agree on one thing: the dude can rap. With an arsenal of flows and one of the better lyrical senses in the game, East is constantly interesting and always growing. As he continues to garner attention, starting with Nas a few years back, Westside Gunn is the latest to see the spark, bringing HOFFA into existence.

Westside Gunn and the Griselda crew are singlehandedly responsible for the old-school, coke rap renaissance of the past few years. Though Gunn continues to make his own raps, he’s a great executive producer, first for Mach Hommy in May, and now Dave East.

‘HOFFA’ album cover

HOFFA is a direct product of Griselda through and through. Not only because of Gunn’s executive production, but the title, themes, and collaboration with Harry Fraud as well.  Dave East is the fourth MC that Fraud has produced a whole album for this year, Griselda’s own Benny the Butcher being one of them. With that, he’s a perfect vehicle for Gunn and East to fully realize their vision into the music.

If you know East, the news of this album is a bit surprising but very exciting. HOFFA succeeds not only as a clear product of its influences, but comes off as fresh with East and Fraud’s needle-focused approach to it. Released on the anniversary of Jimmy Hoffa‘s death, they keep true to the album’s title, sprinkling Hoffa-related news snippets and interviews throughout the album.

Famous picture of Hoffa that inspired the album cover. PC: Robert W. Kelley

“Funny I’m alive but only concerned with dead guys”

If you know anything about Jimmy Hoffa, the opening track, ‘The Disappearance,’ is a clear indication of their thematic adherence. East sets the scene, plotting with a criminal mind over the Fraud’s jazzy instrumental. His flow is more patient and restrained than his usual bite. While he doesn’t lose his old appeal, this is an immediate indication of growth.

Out of 14 tracks, 8 of them come with features, but many of the strongest cuts are actually East’s solo outings. The first four tracks are all without a feature, proving that East can establish the mood of his album without help. The other two solo tracks are lightly dispersed among the last 8 songs and definitely stand out among the crowd. One of which, ‘I Can Hear The Storm,’ is one of the album’s strongest.

East rocking a show PC: Paras Griffin

Track four, ‘Just Another Rapper,’ is where the album first begins to set itself apart. While the first three establish the HOFFA aesthetic, East takes this time to flex. The beat is an exciting space for East to confidently flow and show off. This also yields one of the main constructive criticisms found throughout HOFFA; East could benefit by switching up the flow for some of his hooks. Beyond that, his verses are strong as ever.

“Really thought I’d get rich off a dime ‘fore I seen a quarter”

The best the many solid features comes, unsurprisingly, from Benny the Butcher. The second single from this album, ‘Uncle Ric,’ is definitely one of the best on it. This is for the true Griselda fans. Not only did Benny and Fraud have a great collab album in March, but this instrumental comes off as a nuanced take of older murky Griselda instrumentals. It’s great to see how East and Benny complement each other, a nice surprise at first, then a no-brainer on second thought.

‘Money or Power‘ featuring Jim Jones is one of the better examples of Griselda’s latest sounds. Brought forth mostly by Benny’s latest projects, Fraud brings in a very brassy and classy New York sound. A necessary transition from low-down to lavish, East and Jones make great use of it. Jones especially, who also boasts a collab album with Fraud.

Dave East and G Herbo at their XXL Cypher. Herbo appears on ‘HOFFA’ too

One standout track, ‘Dolla and a Dream,’ leaves us wanting more songs like it on the album. Fraud’s rich instrumental is riddled with charming, almost adlibbed, sound effects. Likewise, East comes in hard and smart with his verses. It’s Steven Young’s singing chorus that really sets it apart as the only track with this sort of vocalization. While it might appear inconsistent as the one feature of this type among the hard MC’s, its placement on the album is smart. With that, French Montana’s singing hook on the subsequent ‘Count It Up‘ supplements Young’s on the previous song, adding a different and necessary vibe to the album’s latter half.

“He ran off with that work and nobody ain’t never found him”

Dave and the late Kiing Shooter

‘Yeah I Know‘ is another type of track that Griselda fans came here looking for. East’s cocky hook and thoughtful verse perfectly acknowledge the moody instrumental. It’s another perfect example of the classic Griselda sound undergoing a refining. Additionally, the emotion also comes from Kiing Shooter’s inclusion, given his passing away in 2020.

HOFFA‘s themes are wrapped up with a bow in the final track, ‘Red Fox Restaurant.’  Curren$y’s feature isn’t the most memorable but a nice addition, given how his influence led to this LP’s existence. East reflects on his success, just glad to be alive and able to make this album instead of disappearing like Jimmy Hoffa.

Dave East and Harry Fraud made something really special in HOFFA. This is arguably the strongest Griselda-fueled project to comes this year so far. Griselda, Fraud, and East each expand their range through each other in perfect harmony, making for an interesting concept of an album. What’s most exciting is the strong prediction that this will catalyze another movement. Many artists have been dipping their toes into Griselda’s style, using production by the likes of The Alchemist, Fraud, and many others. However, East is one of, if not the first to go all in and join them with a full album, backed by Westside Gunn himself. With the release of HOFFA, we can expect many MC’s to jump all the way and try their hand and this new, exciting, and important style. What a great starting point.

HOFFA Rating: Gold

Dave and Benny in ‘Uncle Ric’ music video

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Written by Jason Heilbronner | Twitter: @JasonHeilbronn1