SEARCH FOR: PUSHA T

It’s been a minute since we last heard from Nashville multihyphenate $avvy. Following the release of his last project Boys Wear Pearls early last year. Save for last summer’s lone single “Calling It Quits”, it’s been mostly radio silence from our young king. If you live on the east coast you might have been able to catch $avvy perform live, but chances are you’ve been just like me – patiently waiting for new music from one of Nashville’s most exciting newcomers. Luckily today fans are treated to a project many months inthe making, POOR, the newest LP from $avvy himself. Known for his unique take on R&B and hip-hop, POOR sees $avvy flexing his artistic talents even further while sounding more concentrated than ever before. This is a theme that comes up frequently on POOR, as each track showcases a new musical style and aspect of versatility from the young Tennessee artist that fans have missed over the past year. POOR‘s opening track “CALL” features a serene and shimmering mix that sees $avvy leveling his own modern style with a vintage 90’s R&B sensibility. The next minute he’s spitting bars on “CRUCIAL” with laid-back confidence over a nostalgic mix that sounds like it could …

I believe the last time I wrote about Pusha T, it was a week or two ago when the music video for “Hear Me Clearly” off of Nigo’s album came out and considering those are two bonified legends, I believe I said something to the effect of how when superstars get together, they can’t be stopped, and the results are always out of this world. Well, I still stand by this statement, and I might even have to reinforce it once again because with a brand-new song called “Neck & Wrist” hitting streaming platforms yesterday, this rings true even more than ever. That’s because this song not only features JAY-Z and Pharrell who are two individuals who need absolutely no introduction, but Pharrell even produced this record, bringing even more of his inimitable influence to the party. In this one, the beat is mysterious, poignant, and light yet it has this deep, lingering sensation that just keeps looping in my head over and over. King Push kicks things off with a slightly tamer flow than normal, but this only lasts for a few bars before he resorts back to his aggressive, unapologetic ways prior to Pharrell jumping in on the …

I think it isn’t a stretch by any means to mention exactly how massive Nigo is as a musician, but also as an influence on others. He is one of the people that you can point to and credit for paving a way for artists today to bring inventive sounds to the forefront of their music, and his legendary status is never going to waiver, and it clearly hasn’t even in a couple of decades without really making music. His album I Know NIGO! was as highly anticipated as it can get, and I think it is beyond clear that he has possibly some of the most pull out of anyone in the music industry. This is abundantly obvious even just looking at his album’s tracklist because when you see names like A$AP Rocky, Pusha T, Pharrell, Gunna, Kid Cudi, Tyler, the Creator, and even the late great Pop Smoke, amongst countless others, all side by side on the same project. So, if this isn’t an absolute spectacle and a half in your mind, then I think you need to pay the doctor a visit ASAP. Although it only lasts about 32 minutes long, it is definitely going to go …

Hip-hop purists and iconoclasts alike can rejoice today, as BAPE founder and cultural paragon Nigo returns this week with his long-awaited compilation album I Know NIGO!. Like the LP title indicates, the almost-dozen tracks delivered to us today are all distinctly rarified – each one a perfectly-polished love letter to hip-hop’s cultural canon and limitless future. Partially previewed at Nigo’s A/W ’22 debut, I Know NIGO! features performances from artists like Tyler, the Creator, A$AP Rocky, Kid Cudi, and Clipse – as well as production from Pharrell, Hector Delgado, Chad Hugo, Carter Lang, Cubeatz, and more. It’s nearly impossible to select standout moments from I Know NIGO! because every track is like that one song on a record where you think “Wow, I can’t believe X assembled these artists together like that”. Though most hip-hop stans might gravitate towards the two cuts involving Tyler, the Creator (“Come On, Let’s Go” and the Slim Thug-homage “Lost and Found Freestyle 2019”), I can’t hide my excitement surrounding the fact that Nigo gave us a Pharrell-produced Teriyaki Boyz banger in 2022. No matter where your affinities lie, every guest on this record refuses to hold back on what might be the best compilation …

It seemed like the artists in Detroit were scratching and clawing for years to find their way to the top of the rap world, so I am beyond excited that they’re finally receiving the respect that they so rightfully deserve. At the same time, I feel like once this very particular style of music was popularized, so many others started to rip off their style, flows, and art, which happens in every genre there is, but it is really easy to see the fakers in this style of hip-hop. One person who seems to have received many more accolades than many of his other Motor City counterparts is Babyface Ray, and rightfully so, because he is as versatile and unique as they come, but he always stays true to himself and never tries to be something he’s not. His latest album FACE which dropped earlier this year makes this as abundantly clear as possible, and after landing at #31 on the Billboard Top 200, I think it’s safe to say that Ray is a bonified star. Although this project came with a slew of features including Pusha T, Yung Lean, G Herbo, and other legends, Ray decided to tap in …

Whether you’re a part of the new generation of musicians or an old head, there should be no question that you’re well aware of the impact that NIGO has had on the world of music. Although it has been around 20 years since he last released an album, which is seriously mind-boggling if you think about it, his impact has spanned almost two decades and continues to influence up-and-coming talents who weren’t even born back then, and that’s not something even a minuscule fraction of the industry can claim to have been able to do. With the release of his extensive hiatus-ending album I KNOW NIGO set to release in the near future hopefully, he has been on a tear proving that he hasn’t lost his touch even a bit thanks to the release of singles featuring massive superstars like A$AP Rocky, Kid Cudi, Pusha T, and others, but he is back and ready to gift us even more with his latest song “Heavy” featuring the Philadelphia phenom Lil Uzi Vert. While I was expecting these two talents to do something very bright and vivacious together, they actually opted for the opposite after NIGO set up a super dark, penetrating …

One thing that never fails to amaze me is the fact that there are musicians who grind for decades and have a solidified following, but I haven’t somehow come across them on my own. Obviously, there are just too many emcees to even venture a guess on a number, but it shocks me more than ever when I find out they’re from the Chicagoland area. Fat Money, formerly known as Ty Money, has built a career that has spanned over a decade long, and while he has grinded every single second of that time span, he is gaining some major traction thanks to co-signs from Kanye himself as well as Pusha T. In fact, he was even writing with Kanye for Donda 2, so even if he isn’t front and center on that album, you know he has a large part in the outcome which is awesome to note. My introduction to the Harvey, Illinois spitter is coincidentally “Introskii”, and it’s definitely something you’re going to want to check out, especially because it’s produced by the notorious hitmaker Cardo Got Wings. The instrumental is quick, energetic, and powerful, but there is a stealthiness to it that I think totally brings …

If the history books write anything about 2022, let it be known that it was the year that Pusha T returned to us. It’s been a long time since fans have been treated to a formal release from the NY rapper, but this week our hero returns with his first (of hopefully many) single of 2022 – “Diet Coke”. I’ll be honest – I’m probably not the audience Pusha T makes music for, but I can’t help but gravitate towards his consistently organized writing, his unparalleled taste for beats, and of course, his references to coke. Luckily for me, “Diet Coke” sees Pusha T returning to us with full force with a newly-minted track and visual. Channeling their inner Biggie and Diddy, Pusha T and Ye vibe out in the monochromatic visual for “Diet Coke”. Over a beat produced almost 20 years ago by 88 Keys and Kanye West – Pusha T flexes his lyrical affinity over a nostalgic mix decorated with classic samples and piano. There’s almost an elegance to his delivery this time around, with the G.O.O.D. Music artist rapping “We became everything you couldn’t be / Everything your mama said you shouldn’t be / The Porsches, horses …

At least once or twice a week, I feel like I have the luxury and the pleasure of writing about yet another magnificent Michigan rap release, and I haven’t even begun to think about growing tired of this trend. I am simply dumbfounded by just how insanely talented each and every emcee is in this region, whether I’m listening to straight lyrical geniuses like Babyface Ray, Icewear Vezzo, and Rio Da Yung OG or more uncharacteristic spitters like BabyTron or Teejayx6. Simply put, there is never even close to a shortage of remarkable music coming from the northern music hub, and I couldn’t be more impressed with the sounds that have been brought to life over the past couple of years. Out of everyone, one of my favorite artists is undeniably Babyface Ray, and while I don’t think this is an unpopular opinion for most, I still think he is grossly underrated based on the amount of indescribably amazing content he has put out for fans. This is just the beginning it seems, though, because my excitement went through the roof once I found out that he has a brand-new album entitled Face dropping in two short weeks on January …

2KBABY is an artist who I heard so much buzz about, but I never got around to checking out his music, somehow. Although Jack Harlow is an artist who can be considered the face of Louisville rap, there are so many incredible talents hailing from the Ville, and 2K is definitely a name you should keep in your head, and this was made obvious to me after I finally tuned in and realized what I was missing out on. He might still be scratching and clawing his way through the ranks of the music industry, but he already has a solidified foundation in the scene after working with numerous other artists including G Herbo, Marshmello, and others as well as a few other promising collaborations on the way with names like Murda Beatz. Most recently, the song that finally got me to listen up and pay attention was “Luigi”, 2K’s latest track with Chicago icon Chief Keef, so when I saw this record and Jay Pusha-directed music video came out towards the end of last week, I couldn’t put it off any longer. In the instrumental, there are some optimistic, resilient piano keys that are brought to new levels once …