[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] Pusha T - It’s So Dry (24 Hours Later) - HipHop

For Pusha T, cocaine is a way of life. Since his emergence two decades ago, he's been lacing enough wit and malice into his music to turn idle references to drug dealing into a modus operandi thrilling enough to build a career off of. After committing that much dedication to just one topic, you might assume the narrative would be getting repetitive, but Pusha's fourth album, It's Almost Dry, mixes his usual unquenchable appetite with new insight into the highs and lows of his unlawful hustling. Its hip-hop made the way he thinks it should be, which makes it the apex of his lore. Behold, King Push.

Although coke is still his balm, Pusha makes an effort to weigh in on the toll his lifestyle has taken on him. Pusha's drug dealer reputation is no longer just a glorified one as he traverses the tragedies that have accompanied his triumphant musical legacy. "My n\*gas get money, get money, get money like Ye samplin' (I began to lose control)", he exchanges with a Kanye West sampled excerpt from Donny Hathaway, whose trembling coo adds tension to a situation that still troubles Pusha on *Dreamin Of The Past. Pusha can no longer repress the deep-seated regret that has evaded his career so far, and it adds maturity to his music. It's at its most palpable on opener Brambleton, where Pusha addresses his knotty fallout with former manager Anthony Gonzales.

On the rapping side of things, though, it's business as usual; attentive, intrusive, and mean-spirited. Emotions never get the better of Pusha, who chooses to not let vulnerabilities mar his rugged exterior. Lead single Diet Coke attests to that steely concentration. It's reported that the sharp piano-based beat was made in 2004 with 88-Keys in mind, but Pusha makes the song his own with assertion, donning a sweat-free coolness that doesn't give anything away. He never cracks. Lest we forget, this is the same rapper who publicly edged out Drake in one of hip-hop's most lethal feuds, and can now refer to himself as "Cocaine's Dr. Seuss" (Let The Smokers Shine The Coupes) with seething freneticism, without fearing any valid dispute.

Pusha isn't just fortifying the rapping techniques that have made him worthy of the kingly title he's ascribed himself, he's finding new ways to apply them. Longtime acquaintances Kanye West and Pharell Williams have their fingerprints all over the album. The album's songs pivot between gritty, sample-heavy beats adjacent to 2018's DAYTONA and a brighter, more intrusive format akin to Hell Hath No Fury. Pusha welds the two veteran producers' styles together with his brash voice. There are differences too vast to bridge, Neck & Wrist is so cacophonic on its own that there's hardly space for a flimsy JAY-Z verse, but more often than not, they get the balance right. It suits Pusha far better than the score-hop that soundtracked his early solo albums, too.

Not everyone adapts so well, though. Kid Cudi never stands out over tinny synths that are as scratchy as his chorus on Rock N Roll. Don Toliver coasts on one note during his time on Scrape It Off. He is stationary and sleepy, whereas the Pharrell beat roves with shimmering jubilance. Speaking of Pharell, he's a total buzzkill during Neck & Wrist. Neither he nor Kanye, for that matter, seem to understand the appeal of the songs they're producing. Pusha usually remains unaffected even when everyone else around him is operating on autopilot. His guidance on how to skillfully navigate an unorthodox beat is evident, though rarely reciprocated.

Then again, there aren't many artists that can do what Pusha can. Closer I Pray For You isn't that dissimilar to the gospel rap that Kanye (who co-produced the song) has made popular. But unlike recent forays that are made with the intent to work with Ye, and little else, Pusha and brother No Malice come prepared and stand tall against the garish organ backdrop. It's a reunion spurred on by a shared love of hip-hop, and an exemplary display of the basics; rap, rap, and more rapping. It justifies Pusha's firmness when he says, "A song with any of you n\*gas, I'm disinterested/The needle is sharp, but they ain't shooting insulin/You missing the point, these drums ain't Timberlands", on *Just So You Remember. He's going on record to correctly separate himself from the competition.

The cynics may continue to say Pusha's craft is too preordained, but if you listen closely, his story is changing. Now a middle-aged man, he fully understands the weight of the empire he's built himself, imparting knowledge that could only come from someone who's loved and loathed every second of his conflicting success. Pusha returns to his roots on It's Almost Dry adding wisdom, turning old tropes into gold once again. In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Pusha claimed "you have to wait on masterpieces". The wait is finally over.

It's Almost Dry - Pusha T - 8/10

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[FRESH] Cam'ron - Don't Blow My High

Posted: 22 Apr 2022 02:26 PM PDT

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Daily Discussion Thread 04/22/2022

Posted: 22 Apr 2022 10:55 AM PDT

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