Two key figures in New York hip-hop whose respective come-ups were tied to their shared city, Dave East and Harry Fraud rightfully earned respect amid distinct paths to success. The former, a Harlem rap hero, and the latter, a sonic architect out of Brooklyn, began building the foundation for a new mafioso rap saga with 2021’s HOFFA. Judging by the series of samples that bookend Price of Pain opener “Papaya Juice,” they remain committed to further fleshing out that thematic world on this veritable sequel. Even after a five-year wait, the contents of the project mirror the meaningfulness of their preceding work, with songs like “Minding My Business” giving East ample space to showcase his lyricism over Fraud’s fittingly cinematic beats. Riveting anecdotes from the neighborhood give “Hot Peas & Butter” and “Life Cycle” more character and heft than most modern gangster narratives tend to offer. The guests carry their share of the weight too, be that Benny the Butcher on the hustle narrative “Everything Is Up” or Styles P on the power projecting “Alley Oop.”