Rap’s resident kingpin Pusha T has been eyeing his return to the mic since he ordered “Diet Coke” with Kanye West.
Following a slew of appearances on Nigo’s latest album I Know NIGO — and a star-studded collaboration with Jay-Z and Pharrell Williams on “Neck & Wrist” — Push sits comfortably on his throne as the King of Coke Rap with his fourth studio album, It’s Almost Dry.
Debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 (May 1), selling 55,000 first-week units, the 12-track project’s production is a 50-50 shared effort by Ye and Pharrell. This is Pusha T’s first No. 1 album in his 20-plus year career, but his third top 10 record on Billboard.
Separating special editions of the album to cater to each producer’s tracks, It’s Almost Dry sees Pusha T experiment with a slew of different flows, entrancing cadences and classic street-ridden quips that have become synonymous with his discography. Featuring previous singles in “Diet Coke,” “Neck & Wrist” and “Hear Me Clearly,” his first LP in nearly four years also recruits Don Toliver, Kid Cudi, Lil Uzi Vert, Malice and Labrinth.
Initially rolling out the album with a coke-covered portrait of Lana Del Ray, the legendary Clipse lyricist has been talking up the record since its inception, saying that the “album of the motherf—ing year is coming.” And so it did, proving Pusha T’s ability time and time again to enthrall listeners into his world. He viscerates every beat with ease, seemingly having his supervillain moment — held together by hypnotically chopped samples and melted, ethereal synths led by Ye and Pharrell.
“My Joker smile, you know who the villain is,” he raps on “Just So You Remember” as Push maniacally cackles in the background over minimalistic tribal percussion from Ye, BoogzDaBeast and FNZ. Push’s grimacing flow is as refreshing and bold as ever, complementing his introspective bars on “Open Air” and “Let The Smokers Shine The Coupes” with hits in “Dreamin Of The Past” and “Scrape It Off” with Uzi and Don Toliver.
“All I’ll say is this: The album of the motherf—king year is coming. A Pusha album takes a long time. It takes a long time to put this shit together, but when it comes together, ain’t nothing f—king with it. We stamping that on everything. I don’t care what they say, how they act. I don’t care how viral they go, none of that. Nothing is f—king with it.”
Pusha T to Complex
It’s Almost Dry also comes shortly after a pair of listening parties in New York City earlier this week. While the first was held privately in the studio with Dr. Dre and Nas, the second was a release event, fittingly titled Cokechella, that was open to the public Wednesday night (April 20).
Amid the album’s formal reveal, Kid Cudi surisingly took to Twitter to air out his thoughts on his collaboration with Ye on “Rock N Roll,” saying that it would be “the last song you will hear me on with Kanye.” The KIDS SEE GHOSTS duo had a public falling out over West’s behavior in response to Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson’s relationship, and it seems as though Cudi isn’t letting things slide that easy.
Regardless of Cudi and Ye’s tiff, Pusha T is one of the most respected and venemous lyricists in the game — and for good reason. His 2018 Grammy-nominated effort Daytona came in conjunction with Nasir, KIDS SEE GHOSTS, Ye and his now-infamous diss track towards Drake, “The Story Of Adidon.” He’s been hard at work promoting the LP as well, sitting down with Charlemagne The God, Billboard, Complex, Hot Ones and more during his multi-month press tour.
As fans cling to his latest batch of coke-covered bars — slinging rhymes like the dope he’s selling — It’s Almost Dry is truly the album of the year contender Pusha promised.
Check out Pusha T’s ‘It’s Almost Dry’ below!
