Top tracks — play these first
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Handsome Start here — This track opens the album with a confident tone, showcasing East's charisma and setting the stage for the themes of ambition and resilience that permeate the project.
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Blue Story — In this track, East delves into personal narratives that illustrate the struggles of street life, blending emotive storytelling with vivid imagery that captures listeners’ attention.
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Get the Money — This song exemplifies East’s ability to balance braggadocio with reflective moments, making it an anthem about hustle while addressing deeper societal issues.
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Know How I Feel — With its introspective lyrics and smooth production, this track allows East to express vulnerability, offering a contrast to the more aggressive tones found elsewhere on the album.
Elevation
Our rating, out of 100 — and why.
AI-generated from five scored dimensions. An opinion, not a measurement.
Karma 3 showcases solid lyricism and varied pacing but lacks a fully cohesive structure.
What we noticed
- The first half of the album features a consistent mid-tempo flow, while the second half introduces more varied pacing with several slower tracks.
- Lyrical themes often shift between personal introspection and street narratives, creating a dynamic contrast throughout the record.
- Several tracks feature guest appearances that add different vocal textures and perspectives, enhancing the overall narrative depth.
- Composition 25% of the score
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7/10
- Craft 20% of the score
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6/10
- Durability 25% of the score
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6/10
- Distinctiveness 18% of the score
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6/10
- Sequencing 12% of the score
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5/10
the writing — melody, harmony, structure, lyrics
production, performance, arrangement
whether it rewards returning to it
whether it sounds like itself
running order, pacing, length
Known within its scene. Reported but not counted — how far a record travelled describes its reception rather than the record, and a newer release has had less time to travel than an older one.
Is this for you?
Good fit if you like
- gritty street narratives unfold
- introspective moments for reflection
- quick bursts of energy
- late-night drives with friends
- dynamic storytelling in each track
Maybe skip if you
- seekers of soft melodies
- prefer instant gratification tracks
Where this album fits
- In the catalog
- Breakthrough — Karma 3 solidifies Dave East's presence in hip-hop and received positive reviews.
- Career context
- Karma 3 is Dave East's third installment in the Karma series, released on August 14, 2020. At this point in his career, East was solidifying his presence in hip-hop after gaining recognition from earlier projects like Paranoia: A True Story (2017) and his collaborations with Nas. This album reflects a maturation in his storytelling and production choices, following his first major label signing.
- Stylistic neighbors
- J. Cole· Nas· Kendrick Lamar
Tracklist
- 1 Handsome Start here 2:53
- 2 Unruly 4:11
- 3 The City 2:21
- 4 Get the Money 3:37
- 5 Thank God 4:35
- 6 Said What I Said 3:46
- 7 Broke or Not 3:00
- 8 Mission 3:02
- 9 Menace 2:56
- 10 Fuck Dat 3:41
- 11 Blue Story 3:52
- 12 Stone Killer 3:12
- 13 Envy 2:57
- 14 Know How I Feel 4:50
- 15 Believe It or Not 3:41
Reference: Wikipedia · MusicBrainz · Wikidata
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