''Survival'' is the debut studio album by American rapper

Dave East David Lawrence Brewster Jr. (born June 3, 1988), better known by his stage name Dave East, is an American rapper. East began his career in 2010, and gained attention in 2014 from his eighth mixtape, ''Black Rose''. Its release garnered the attent ...

. It was released on November 8, 2019, through

Def Jam Recordings Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop. The ...

Mass Appeal Records Mass Appeal Records is an American independent record label founded in 2014. The label is the music division of the Mass Appeal Media Group. In May 2014, it was announced that American rapper Nas was launching an indie label with Mass Appeal wi ...

, and From the Dirt. The album features

guest appearance In show business, a guest appearance is the participation of an outsider performer (such as a musician or actor) in an event such as a music record or concert, show, etc., when the performer does not belong to the regular band, cast, or other p ...

s from

Teyana Taylor Teyana Me Shay Jacqueli Shumpert ( Taylor; born December 10, 1990) is an American singer, actress, dancer and choreographer. In 2005, she signed a record deal with Pharrell Williams' Star Trak Entertainment imprint. Afterwards, she choreographe ...

Rick Ross William Leonard Roberts II (born January 28, 1976), known professionally as Rick Ross, is an American rapper. Prior to releasing his debut single, "Hustlin'", in 2006, Ross was the subject of a bidding war, receiving offers from Sean Combs, D ...

Nas Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air ( ...

E-40 Earl Tywone Stevens Sr. (born November 15, 1967), better known by his stage name E-40, is an American rapper. He is a founding member of the rap group The Click, and the founder of Sick Wid It Records. He has released 26 studio albums to date, a ...

The-Dream Terius Youngdell Nash (born September 20, 1977), better known by his stage name The-Dream, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. His co-writing credits include songs with "Me Against the Music" (2003) for Britney Spears, "Ride ...

Fabolous John David Jackson (born November 18, 1977), better known by his stage name Fabolous, is an American rapper. Raised in Brooklyn, he first gained recognition while still a senior in high school, when he performed live on American music executive ...

, Gunna,

Jacquees Rodriquez Jacquees Broadnax (born April 15, 1994), better known as Jacquees (pronounced jah-kwees), is an American singer, songwriter, and rapper from Decatur, Georgia. In 2015, he signed a recording and management contract with Cash Money Reco ...

Lil Baby Dominique Armani Jones (born December 3, 1994), known professionally as Lil Baby, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He rose to mainstream fame in 2017 following the release of his mixtape ''Perfect Timing''. *Alt URL* * His deb ...

, and

Ty Dolla Sign Tyrone William Griffin Jr. (born April 13, 1982), known professionally as Ty Dolla Sign (stylized as Ty Dolla $ign or Ty$), is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. He first gained major recognition in 2010 for his feature on Ameri ...

, among others. It was supported by one

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

: "Alone" featuring Jacquees.

Background

In anticipation of the album, Dave East released a 5-part eponymous titled documentary showing the recording process of the album. On November 27, 2018, Dave East announced his debut album's title and projected release date, however, it was ultimately delayed.

Commercial performance

''Survival'' debuted at number 11 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart, earning a total of 24,000

album-equivalent unit The album-equivalent unit, or album equivalent, is a measurement unit in music industry to define the consumption of music that equals the purchase of one album copy. This consumption includes streaming and song downloads in addition to traditi ...

s in its first week of release. The album also debuted at number eight on the US

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated J ...

chart, becoming his third top-ten album on this chart.

Track listing

Credits adapted from Tidal. Notes * signifies a co-producer * signifies an additional producer * "Everyday", and "Wanna Be a G" were originally from Dave East's ''Survival Pacc'' EP. * "They Wanna Kill You" features additional vocals by Mike Kuz, Cousin Chet, Hood, and Melvin Brown * "Penthouse" features additional vocals by

Nipsey Hussle Airmiess Joseph Asghedom (August 15, 1985 – March 31, 2019), known professionally as Nipsey Hussle (often stylized as Nipsey Hu$$le), was an American rapper, entrepreneur, and activist. Emerging from the West Coast hip hop scene in the mid- ...

* "Godfather 4" features background vocals by

The Soul Rebels The Soul Rebels (also Soul Rebels Brass Band, Soul Rebels or The Rebels) are an eight-piece New Orleans based brass ensemble that incorporate elements of soul, jazz, funk, hip-hop, rock and pop music within a contemporary brass band framework. S ...

* "Need a Sign" features additional vocals by Dave East's father David Brewster, Sr., and Cousin Chet, and background vocals by

Desiigner Sidney Royel Selby III (born May 3, 1997), better known by his stage name Desiigner, is an American rapper and singer. In December 2015, his debut single "Panda" reached number one on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100. In 2019, he was released fr ...

* "On My Way 2 School" features additional vocals by Jariuce Banks, Faye, and AJ and background vocals by Desiigner * "Mama I Made It" features additional vocals by Faye * "What's Goin On" features background vocals by Kali Pop, and additional vocals by Cousin Chet * "Baby" features additional vocals by Marjorie Aristilde * "What You Mad At" features additional vocals by Madd Rapper * "Devil Eyes" features additional vocals by King Drew and Melvin Brown * "Wanna Be A G" features background vocals by

Bibi Bourelly Badriia Ines "Bibi" Bourelly (born July 14, 1994) is a German-American singer-songwriter signed to Def Jam Recordings. She has co-written several notable songs including Rihanna's "Bitch Better Have My Money" and "Higher", Demi Lovato's " Anyone" ...

* "Daddy Knows" features additional vocals by Dave East's daughter Kairi Brewster * "The Marathon Continues (Nipsey Tribute)" features additional vocals by

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...

Sample credits * "They Wanna Kill You" contains a sample of "

Survival of the Fittest "Survival of the fittest" is a phrase that originated from Darwinian evolutionary theory as a way of describing the mechanism of natural selection. The biological concept of fitness is defined as reproductive success. In Darwinian terms, th ...

", written by Kejuan Muchita and Albert Johnson, and performed by

Mobb Deep Mobb Deep was an American hip hop duo from New York City. The duo consisted of rappers Prodigy and Havoc. They are considered to be among the principal progenitors of hardcore East Coast hip hopEdwards, Paul, 2009, ''How to Rap: The Art & Scien ...

, and a sample of " The Rain, the Park, and Other Things" written by Steven Duboff and Arthur Kornfeld, and performed by

The Cowsills The Cowsills are an American singing group from Newport, Rhode Island, six siblings noted for performing professionally and singing harmonies at an early age, later with their mother. The band was formed in early 1965 by brothers Bill, Bob, and ...

. * "Godfather 4" contains elements of "I Just Couldn't Take a Goodbye", written by Tom Brock, and performed by Gloria Scott. * "Mama I Made It" contains a sample of "

U Send Me Swingin' "U Send Me Swingin'" is a song performed by Mint Condition, issued as the second single (music), single from their second album ''From the Mint Factory''. The song was produced by the band and written by the band's then-keyboardist Keri Lewis. Rel ...

" written by Jeffrey Allen, Ricky Kinchen, Keirston Lewis, Homer O'Dell, Lawrence Waddell, and Stokely Williams, and performed by

Mint Condition Mint condition is an expression used to denote the quality of a pre-owned good as displaying virtually no imperfections and being in pristine condition relative to its original production state. Originally, the phrase related to the way collect ...

. * "Baby" contains elements of "

Just To Keep You Satisfied "Just to Keep You Satisfied" is a song by Soul music, soul singer Marvin Gaye. The song was the b-side to Marvin's modest 1974 hit, "You Sure Love to Ball" and was the eighth and final song issued on the singer's 1973 album, ''Let's Get It On''. ...

" written by

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gay Jr., who also spelled his surname as Gaye (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984), was an American singer and songwriter. He helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo ar ...

, Anna Gaye, and

Elgie Stover Elgie Rousseau Stover (September 12, 1938 – July 11, 2011) was an American songwriter, composer, producer and background singer, most famous for his associations with cousin Harvey Fuqua and Marvin Gaye, co-writing two of Gaye's songs from t ...

, and performed by Marvin Gaye. * "Alone" contains an interpolation of "

Feenin' "Feenin'" is a song by American R&B group Jodeci, recorded for their second album, '' Diary of a Mad Band'' (1993). It was released as the second single from the album in March 1994. Music video The music video for "Feenin'", filmed in a menta ...

", written by Donald DeGrate, Jr., and performed by

Jodeci Jodeci ( ) is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B quartet consisting of members DeVanté Swing, Dalvin DeGrate, Mr. Dalvin, K-Ci (singer), K-Ci, and K-Ci and JoJo, JoJo. Formed in 1989 in Charlotte, North Carolina, Jodeci's members began their mu ...

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal. Performers *

- primary artist *

- featured artist *

- posthumously featured artist *

- featured artist *

- featured artist Musicians * Maki Athanasiou – electric guitar *

Keyon Harrold Keyon Karim Harrold (born November 18, 1980) is an American jazz trumpeter, vocalist, songwriter, and producer. Early life and family Keyon Harrold was born and raised in Ferguson, Missouri, United States, one of 16 children in a family of music ...

– trumpet * Shaun Thomas – keyboards , guitar , bass guitar, organ, strings * Abraham Orellana – arranger, orchestrator *

Timbaland Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer, rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. He has received widespread acclaim for his innovative production work and distinc ...

– drums * Luca Starz – keyboards * Tim Friedrich – flute * Jordan Mosley – flute * Justin Mosley – flute * Dwayne Shippy – keyboard Technical * Michael Kuzoian – recording , mixing * Garnett Flynn – recording * Dwayne "iLL Wayno" Shippy – recording * Mike Snell – recording * Todd Hurtt – recording * Najee "Sonny" Lane – recording * Mark "Exit" Goodchild – mixing *

Chris Gehringer Chris Gehringer (born May 27, 1962) is an American mastering engineer, known for having mastered recordings such as Gwen Stefani's '' Love. Angel. Music. Baby.'' (2004), Rihanna's '' Loud'' (2010), Lady Gaga's '' Born This Way'' (2011) and Drake' ...

– mastering

Charts

References

{{Authority control 2019 debut albums Albums produced by AraabMuzik Albums produced by DJ Green Lantern Albums produced by Murda Beatz Albums produced by Street Symphony Albums produced by Swizz Beatz Albums produced by Timbaland Albums produced by Beat Butcha Dave East albums Def Jam Recordings albums Mass Appeal Records albums