It’s likely that Dave East was both ready and willing to lock in for a full-length Harry Fraud
produced album well before he heard Fraud’s work with Jim Jones (The Fraud Department) and
Benny the Butcher (The Plugs I Met 2). But it’s just as likely that the synergy and flawless execution
of those projects couldn’t have hurt East’s inclination. Fraud shows up for East on HOFFA the same
way he did for Jones and Benny, finding a sturdy balance between moody synth lines, obscure rock
samples, and ’90s-hip-hop drum patterns to act as an idyllic backdrop for East’s hand-to-hand
street-life memories, basketball references, and straight-faced acknowledgment of the way drugs
have affected his own family. Fellow barsmiths Jim Jones, G Herbo, Benny the Butcher, and
Curren$y round out the features, but longtime Dave East fans might be most excited to hear a new
verse from Kiing Shooter, the Queens-hailing Dave East associate who passed away in 2020
following complications from COVID-19.