Part of the once acclaimed Virginia Beach hip hop duo Clipse, Pusha T is a veteran rapper who’s been on the back burner for a while. Prematurely assuming his influence was dead set in the early 00’s Neptune’s revolution; he triumphantly emerged on that album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Somewhat a small fry in Pusha’s peak, Kanye West has blown the breath of life in his career. Now signed to West’s GOOD Music label (as well as Decon records), Pusha returns with a chip on his shoulder and a mark to make on this signature single.
‘My God’ begins with a statement of intent: marching band drums and horns on loop, this song is a rallying cry. With the title of the song referring to the otherworldly, Pusha hollers in his understated raspy vocal “This is the end for all my unrecognised greatness”. He wants to put the doubters firmly at bay, to tell those who underrated him that, with a little help from Mr West, he is back on form basking in no-one’s limelight but his own. But, free from association with his compatriot (and brother) Malice and the genius of The Neptunes, can he write the second chapter of his career on his own, with aplomb?
Based on this song? Not quite. The track leaves a lot to be desired from Pusha himself; its one of those tracks where the producer’s talent is showcased more than the rappers. For a great hip-hop track, you need both components working to complement each other. In comparison to Eminem’s ‘Like Toy Soldiers’ which uses a similar style, Pusha is fairly limp when pitted against Eminem’s presence. This song, therefore, is a mere ‘good effort’ or ‘gold star’ rather than platinum plaque. He’s like everyone else, hanging onto the coattails of the greats, despite his ego-centric spitting.
“no pain, no gain nigga / they say I’m heatin’ up / welcome to the fame nigga:" This claim is not a lie. He is heating up and he is returning to fame. Most likely a song popular on hip hop blogs and purist hip-hoppers alike, any chance of making the top of the Hot 100 is slim. Pusha wants to restore his integrity amongst genre’s loyal fan base first anyway. He is certain to do this, despite this song being far from legendary. Welcome back Pusha T - your statement has been made, but more is desired.
6/10
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‘My God’ begins with a statement of intent: marching band drums and horns on loop, this song is a rallying cry. With the title of the song referring to the otherworldly, Pusha hollers in his understated raspy vocal “This is the end for all my unrecognised greatness”. He wants to put the doubters firmly at bay, to tell those who underrated him that, with a little help from Mr West, he is back on form basking in no-one’s limelight but his own. But, free from association with his compatriot (and brother) Malice and the genius of The Neptunes, can he write the second chapter of his career on his own, with aplomb?
