Pusha T's My Name Is My Name
I cannot remember the last time hip-hop actually felt and
sounded like what it did when I was copping CDs every Tuesday back in high
school. Pusha T’s My Name Is My Name has
restored the feeling, as one of hip-hop’s OGs finally releases his solo debut.
Pusha T dominated the early 2000s with his brother No Malice, where the
legendary duo was dubbed The Clipse.
When Kanye West first re-introduced Pusha T on the smash single “Runaway,” rap
fans quickly grew eager to see what Push could bring to the table on his own.
Mr. West did not hesitate to sign Pusha T to G.O.O.D. Music, and now, after
multiple delays, My Name Is My Name
has arrived.
Originally, Joaquin Phoenix was credited as the producer for
the opening track “King Push,” but he claims that it was actually the son of
one of his close friends who truly made the beat. The way this instrumental
hits in the car, it makes you wonder who the Hell this “son” of Phoenix’ friend
actually is. After just the first listen, it is clear that King Push is going
after Drake with the hook boasting, “I’m King Push, this king push, I rap n****
‘bout trap n****s, I don’t sing hooks.” This track serves as the perfect intro
to Pusha T’s MNIMN.
As the first track ends, the mood abruptly shifts as the
street single “Numbers On The Boards” plays loudly. This song provided Pusha T
with the dominating soundtrack to the summer, as people could hear it thumping
out of cars’ sound systems on street corners nation-wide. Here, King Push brags
with lines like “Givenchy fittin’ like it’s gym clothes, we really gym stars,
I’m like D. Rose, no D-League, I’m like these clothes, ’88 Jordan, leaping from
the free throw.”
On track number three, Pusha T receives some guest
assistance from fellow Virginia native, Chris Brown. At first glance, Chris
Brown does not seem like the right fit for a MNIMN feature. Surprisingly, Mr.
Brown provides a grimacing harmony on the chorus, as Pusha T pulverizes the
gritty production courtesy of none other than the likes of Swizz Beatz and Mr.
West. “Sweet Serenade” features perseverance-inspired lines like “came from the
bottom, no one said it would be fair, now I’m on this money, lounging like it’s
a beach chair.” By track’s end, fans instantly realize they are in for one heck
of an experience, brought to you by King Push.
The following track, “Hold On,” features Kanye West
production at its best plus a stellar guest appearance from Ricky Ross. Here,
Kanye provides Pusha T with a stage-setting, heartfelt backdrop for Push and
Officer Ricky to absolutely crush. This track presents us with an incredibly
honest duo of rappers rhyming together words like “got rich selling hope to the
hopeless, but I’m a thinker, methodic in my motives” and “water colors on my
neck, f*** rhyming when you blinding n****s, we ain’t the same color clarity of
diamond, n****.”
“Suicide” featuring Ab-Liva brings the feeling of late ‘90s
and early 2000s rap back to the forefront. Pharrell must have been saving this
gem for Pusha T for quite some time, as it sounds like Pusha T in his Clipse days.
“I’m still a snow mover, blow harder than tuba, designated shooters, turn weed
to woolers, condo in Atlanta, money counters like the NASDAQ, in that glass
back, the motor is the ass crack.”
In my humble opinion, the next track, “40 Acres” featuring The-Dream,
is the standout track on the entire album. As a matter of fact, it may be the
standout rap song from the past couple years. Here, fans will hear the most
honest Pusha T ever, in the truest form. The-Dream’s hook harmonizes, “trouble
world, trouble child, trouble times destroyed my smile, no change of heart, no
change of mind, you can take what’s yours but you gon’ leave what’s mine, I’d
rather die, than go home.” Pusha T comes on the track with heat, spitting
“unpolished, unapologetic, this cocaine cowboy pushed it to the limit, you
thought Tony in that cell would’ve made us timid, we found his old cell, bitch,
we searchin’ through the digits.” This track discusses his childhood fears and
the nightmares he was actually living, including what pushed him into dealing
drugs in the first place. “I was a goner, punished by karma, called him tar
baby, now he’s transcending genres.”
“No Regrets” featuring Jeezy and Kevin Cossom serves as an
anthem-sounding heavy hitter of a track for MNIMN. He and his fellow
coke-dealing rapper/friend rap with no regrets on this song, spewing out lines
such as “if I leave today, throw the keys away, but I’mma live today, I wanna
see tomorrow, I wanna lead the way.”
The next track, “Let Me Love You” featuring Kelly Rowland,
may be the closest thing to a misstep on Pusha T’s album. For some reason
though, it really is not a bad track in any way, shape or form. Pusha lets
loose his old-school Mase flow on this song, allowing Ms. Rowland to shine on
the highly energetic chorus. The-Dream takes credit for the production on this
song, and he too captures the essence of the late ‘90s with his
nostalgia-provoking instrumental. Here, Pusha provides us with his take on his
commitment in romantic relationships or lack there of, rapping “let’s get past
the nonsense and be honest, all the ones I sponsored clear my conscience, can’t
commit the crime without accomplice, we both to blame, let’s push the shame
behind us.”
On the single, “Who I Am” featuring 2 Chainz and label-mate
Big Sean, Kanye West again provides nothing short of awesome production. Fans
will hear the Ric Flair-inspired Pusha T go in on this track with confident
lines such as “always knew I could rule the world, let’s define what my world
is, knee deep in this dope money, damn near where my world ends… they said be
all you can be!” 2 Chainz and Big Sean both unfortunately accompany the track
with less-than-exceptional guest appearances.
The next track seems to be the rap fans’ favorite Pusha T
song to date, as “Nosetalgia” features Kendrick Lamar and tells the story of
the coke game from two different perspectives. Here, Pusha T explains his
come-up in the cocaine business from a seller’s mindset. Kendrick, on the other
hand, tells his story as a good kid from the mad city of Compton, California as
he watched members of his own family ruin their lives from cocaine addictions.
Generationally, the young Kendrick Lamar truly serves as the perfect feature
for this MNIMN track. King Push opens up with the lines “20 plus years of
selling Johnson & Johnson, I started out as a baby face monster, no wonder
there’s diaper rash on my conscience, my teething ring was numbed by the
nonsense.” Then, Kendrick pounces on the track with “my daddy dumped a quarter
piece to a four and a half, took a L, started selling soap fiends bubble bath,
broke his nails misusing his pinky to treat his nose, shirt buttoned open, taco
meat land on his gold.” Nosetalgia is a very clever title too, wouldn’t you
say?
The next track features the year-old single “Pain” featuring
Future, with a reproduced instrumental provided by Kanye West once again. When
Kanye went back in on this beat, he clearly approached it with the mindset of
totally recreating the entire feeling. As a result, Mr. West was successful. Pusha
T discusses the all-too-familiar feelings of pain he has endured over the
course of his life with lines like “in the kitchen with a cape on, apron,
tre-eight on, coulda been Trayvon, but instead I chose Avon.”
On the final track, produced by none other than Pharrell,
“S.N.I.T.C.H.” serves as the perfect outro to an already stellar MNIMN.
Additionally, Pharrell provides his vocals on the hook, and reveals that the
SNITCH acronym actually stands for “sorry n**** I’m tryna come home.” This
track features King Push taking on the perspective of being in prison and
snitching on old partners, friends and cellmates to shorten one’s prison
sentence and come home early. This track comes off almost as a classic, as it
is a uniquely original concept to discuss through rap lyrics. Pusha’s fierce
delivery features lines such as “nowadays n****s don’t need shovels to bury
you, pointing fingers like pallbearers how they carry you, so much for death
before dishonor, I just sit and wonder, play it by the numbers, when you ride
like lightning then you crash like thunder.”
Through and through, Pusha T’s twelve track, solo debut
effort on MNIMN may just be the best rap album of the year to date. Everything
from production to delivery to content connects with hip-hop fans in a large
way. Since the album is relatively short, less than 50 minutes in total length,
it leaves you wanting even more from King Push in the future. Until next time
however, we will have My Name Is My Name
to carry us through the fall and winter seasons in a major, major way.
Written by Seth Kaplan
RRR Score: 9/10
