Dave East Announces 'Paranoia 2' Release Date and Tour

The Harlem rapper has been taking his time with his first album. Almost a year after signing his first major record deal with Def Jam, he placated expectant fans with an EP entitled Paranoia: A True Story this summer. East previously described the 13-track EP as a “appetizer” to an upcoming full-fledged studio album. Since Paranoia, East released Karma, 16-track mixtape hosted by DJ Holiday, featuring Offset, Lil Durk, DonQ, and Chris Brown, with production by Mally Raw, 808 Mafia, and Black Metaphor.

As far as the long-awaited album is concerned, it’s all about timing, according to East. He previously told Billboard, “...I still want to run around a little more. I still ain’t tour yet, There’s a lot of things that I still want to do before I say, ‘Alright. Here’s my album.’” Well, it appears East is ready for both now. Paranoia 2 is said to include more stories about the rapper’s life from before he reached his celebrity status. The East Harlem native grew up with aspirations of becoming a basketball player, but things didn’t workout at the collegiate level, where his attitude alienated him from his coaches. East (David Brewster, Jr.) started selling drugs in Baltimore, earning him a 6-month prison-sentence where the former Catholic discovered Islam. He got into the rap game shortly after getting out, and as the story goes, Nas discovered the up-and-coming star on YouTube.