Hello and welcome back to Decoded where we take your favorite content across all media, break them down piece by piece, and see what’s left standing. I’m Michael Smyth and let’s get started with today’s review of Pusha T’s 2015 album, “King Push – Darkest Before Dawn: The Prelude”
HISTORY:
Pusha T was born May 13, 1977 in The Bronx borough of New York City under the name Terrence Thornton, this would not last forever as Terrence would eventually relocate to Norfolk, Virginia. Pusha T alongside his brother Gene, going by No Malice, initially gained notoriety as the hip hop duo Clipse and with the help of record producer Pharrell Williams, signed to Elektra Records in 1997. This would lead to Terrence’s featuring on the singles “Good Stuff” by Kelis in 1999 and “Run Away (I Just Wanna Be With U) by Nivea in 2001.
Real progress would come in 2004 when the Clipse duo would launch their own record label imprint ‘Re-Up Records’ which led to the inception of the group, “Re-up Gang” with additions Ab-Liva and Sandman. Throughout the next 7 years much would change from the release of “Hell Hath No Fury,” gaining critical acclaim for the duo, a hiatus in 2009, and Pusha T signing to label ‘GOOD Music’ which led to his featuring on Kanye’s stellar rebirth track “Runaway.”
Pusha T refused to be a featured artist or just one-half of something so after an initial delayed his first solo record, “My Name is My Name” was release in October 2013 to great praise and a number 4 on the US Billboard 200, selling 74,000 copies in its first week. The bar was set pretty high for this rising star and many were questioning if he had peaked out and a return to Clipse was inevitable so does “King Push-Darkest Before Dawn: The Prelude” leave him at the round table or just another jester?
The SINGLES:
Untouchable:
A good introduction to the album, the single begins with a vocal sample from The Notorious B.I.G.’s off of Pudgee’s 1995 single “Think Big.” It’s most likely a tribute to him as Pusha T has been on record as stating that Biggie was the greatest rapper who’s ever lived in a 2015 interview with Rolling Stone. The first verse has probably one of the most standout lines in the entire album: “I am more U2, I am like Bono with the Edge. In Mexico, fuck Donald and his pledge.” The U2 reference is Pusha basically claiming that he wants to be ‘the biggest in the world’ as U2 was considered for decades, and reference to U2’s guitar Edge is definitely not lost, but also a double entendre for his advantage over the competition. The second line is an obvious blast at Donald Trump’s political rallying movements. The best part has to be the production work by Timbaland and Milli Beatz as the simple hypnotic loop does not take away from anything Pusha is laying down, this single is a must-buy for any true hip hop fan.
M.F.T.R.:
Now this single caught a lot of attention as it has a hook that makes one think it’ll be a hit in the clubs with it’s smooth beat and rhythm that will have one ‘waving at everything’. M.F.T.R. stands for More Famous than Rich, which is a reference to the current state of society in which social media and YouTube has made the average Joe famous without the influence of money. The single features The-Dream who performs the hook. This single is also a must-buy as it shows enough promise and intrigue more so than the final single on the album.
The Rest of the Album…
Intro:
When it comes to rap and hip hop albums, tracks labeled “Intro” are typically just skits or in the case of Mike Jones, him just repeating his phone number over and over again, which can lead to an auto skip for an music fan. In the case of this Intro it begins with Mr. Lee, who was previously featured on Clipse’s “We Got It for Cheap,” the intro on Hell Hath No Fury – which is widely regarded as one of the best album intros of all time. Then Pusha goes pretty hard in this track and drops a strong verse before going back to Mr. Lee who makes bilingual (in Spanish and English) references to the drug game and a “Pablito” (probably a reference to Pablo Escobar) before jumping to the next track “Untouchable.”
Favorite Song:
M.P.A.:
Since everyone else has two favorite songs on the album this album seems to garner two as well. Now there is greatness in the album’s singles; but “M.P.A.” must be an honorable mention as it features Kanye West, A$AP Rocky, and The-Dream, with production by Kanye and J.Cole. M.P.A. stands for ‘Money, Pussy, and Alcohol.’ When you hear the melody and the hook, It’ll become obvious why it is a ‘buy it’ as if it does not become a hit something is wrong in the industry.
Now let’s talk FIFA:
No, not the soccer organization or video game, though it can bring one about as much joy listening to the song as playing the game (not really), but is surprisingly less scandalous than the organization. The song is not very long clocking in at a mere 2:18, but it has a smooth beat with a sick hook, like a free kick from Lionel Messi – Sorry for all the soccer references… It’s one of four solo tracks on the album, and features production from Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest.
In all, Pusha T delivers what should have been a nominee for Best Hip Hop Album of 2015, if it wasn’t for its Mid-December release. This is the album people have been waiting for him to put out, as most people probably know him more for his featured work than his own albums. It’s been a long time coming for him, but this could be the album that defines his career – or series, as the album is labeled ‘the Prelude’. In all, I give Pusha T’s “King Push – Darkest Before Dawn: the Prelude” the rating of ‘Buy It’
BUY IT: “Untouchable”, “M.F.T.R.”, “M.P.A.”, “Got Em Covered”, “F.I.F.A.”
HEAR IT: “Crutches, Crosses, Caskets”, “Keep Dealing”, “Retribution”, “Sunshine”
IGNORE IT: “Intro”
Overall Opinion: BUY IT!
