photo credit: Power 106

Described as the “personification of what hip-hop should be”, by Nick Cannon himself, Dave East came through to the Power 106 studios to discuss his role as Method Man in Hulu’s new Wu-Tang: An American Saga, staying authentic in the entertainment industry, who inspires him and much more.

While East confessed that his fans have noted his resemblance to artists like Chris Brown and Meth Man, East says that his ability to take on the role as one of the original members of Wu-Tang was due much to his extensive research and relationship with the Staten Island rapper. Dave tells Cannon:

I always was a fan of Meth. Always kind of like idolized him, from the Wu-Tang era into him doing the dolo era, to him and Redman, to the movies he was doing, all of that. He was one of the first ones that showed me from the real street rap that transitioned.

I couldn’t play that role unless I spoke with him because he was such a vibrant person, I didn’t want to dim that. I had to really catch a vibe with him. I was on YouTube everyday looking up old Method Man performances, Wu-Tang interviews, all of that. I did all the research I could do.

Coming up in a new generation of culture and hip-hop music that some would say is divided down the middle, Dave expresses his take on current hip-hop. “I feel like this era is the best and the wackest at the same time. You know what I mean? It’s like, the money and all the opportunities; the things you could do with it now is like insane but you can’t have an opinion. That part is gone.” East goes on to continue explain his stance on authenticity in the industry, saying, “I feel like a lot of people don’t want to miss out on something or like miss out on an opportunity to work with somebody. And, you might not even like that person, or like their music, but they might be so big, or so popular, that you would bypass how you feel about their music and be like, no, we need to do something. “

Dave East goes on to name his top five rappers list, which includes Styles P, goes through a round of the Firing Squad and gives details about his forthcoming ‘Survival’ album.

Peep the full Dave East x Close Conversations with Nick Cannon Mornings below!