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Pusha T

Source: James “JMP” Pereira / James “JMP” Pereira

Pusha T‘s highly anticipated album It’s Almost Dry was released last Friday (April 22). To celebrate the occasion, the multi-platinum artist premiered his live radio show on Amp, the new live radio app from Amazon. On the first episode of It’s Almost Dry Radio, Push streamed music from the new album. During a live virtual listening party moderated by respected media and music executive Noah Callahan-Bever, Push also took calls from listeners and revealed details about the album.

As he spent time breaking down some of the album’s most notable tracks and sharing the backstories behind them, Pusha T was also joined by his longtime manager, music executive Steven Victor. The 44-year-old rapper discussed what it was like to work with Pharrell Williams and Kanye West on the project. He also touched on reuniting Clipse for the final track of the album.

While on air, Push shared:

On working with Pharrell & Kanye West and how the project came about:

“The project got started from me playing “Hear Me Clearly” for Pharrell…And he told me that, it was okay. He shrugged….He said, ‘Man I just think that you need to be more of a character.’

I told myself, once it was etched in stone that [Pharrell and Kanye] would each produce half of the album, I was going to go through the process. Whatever their process is, I’m going to go through it in full to make sure I have exhausted whatever they wanted to do. I wanted it to be produced because my biggest thing was making an album better than Daytona.”

On “Dreamin’ of the Past”:

[“Dreamin’ of the Past” was] Something that I had to actually fight for because me and Ye worked on our albums simultaneously. That means he has a folder [of beats] that he thinks is all his, and I think my folder is all mine. He had a beat in his folder which was “Dreamin’ of the Past,” and I was like, bro, you know that’s for me…After a while, I noticed he still hadn’t written to the record. Ultimately, he gives me the record, but it is always very finicky when that happens. I get on the record and he was like, ‘Man I can’t get on it with you after that. You’re saying all this stuff now.’ I said, ‘Man you have to realize that everything isn’t heavy lifting. Sometimes it’s for me to heavy lift. You got to think about B.I.G. When B.I.G. came in on “Queen Bitch” for like three bars.”

On featuring Malice and a Clipse reunion:

[On a Clipse reunion] “I hope so. I would love to as well. I feel like those last two offerings from my brother [Malice] really showed that it could. It could really be a thing and it would be awesome…Maybe it could happen.

Honestly, I wanted everything to outdo Daytona and I felt a Clipse song on It’s Almost Dry helps with that. I personally just know what people miss.”

On new music:

“You put so much into albums always trying to create a masterpiece, always trying to give the fans what they want to see. You don’t want to leave anything on the table. Musically, what I do is street Hip-Hop. Hip-Hop has evolved and has so many sub-genres. It’s just great to compete.”

Garnering 4 stars in Rolling Stone, It’s Almost Dry has been hailed by music critics as a superb follow up to 2018’s Daytona and a contender for rap album of the year. “Diet Coke,” which was the first single released from the album, was produced by Kanye West. The track is the biggest debut and fastest-rising single of Pusha’s illustrious career. The album was completely produced by Kanye West and Pharrell Williams.

Pusha T, born Terrence Thornton, surfaced in the hip hop scene centered in Virginia Beach, not too far from where he was raised in Norfolk. The revered platinum-selling rap duo, the Clipse, was formed by Thornton and his brother Malice in 1992. After making waves with the group, Pusha signed to G.O.O.D. Music in 2010 and eventually was named its president in 2015. Push broke into the Top 5 on Billboard’s Hip Hop albums charts with his 2014 solo debut My Name Is My Name and 2015’s King Push: Darkest Before Dawn.

Have you listened to It’s Almost Dry yet? If so, what are your thoughts on the album? Be sure to let us know in the comments.