Pusha T: My Name Is My Name
It’s what you all been waiting for it, ain’t it? It was a long road to an album release date since the celebrated Clipse MC signed to G.O.O.D. Music three years ago, but finally Pusha T delivers. Inspired by 90s hip-hop, this album plays like one side of a TDK 90 mins cassette tape. You can almost hear the hisses, my nigga.
Off top, the poignant “King Push” finds the Virginia lyric slinger layin the gauntlet down: “I rap, nigga/About trap niggas/I don’t sing hooks.” Yup, Push leaves that to his professional connects. Chris Brown brings soul to the sinisterly smooth “Sweet Serenade”; Kelly Rowland sashays along with Push’s Ma$e imitation on “Let Me Love You” and even Mr. West gets in the act by humming along in autotune to the haunting “Hold On”.
Deeply rich in lyrical content, MNIMN‘s standouts are truly astounding. With The Dream arming him with harmony, Pusha is “unpolished” and “unapologetic” as he bares his soul on everything from his former manager Tony’s incarceration to his brother Malice getting closer to God on “40 Acres”. “S.N.I.T.C.H.” is equally revealing as Push intricately exposes a friend who informed him that he plans to cooperate with authorities. This is the dark side of the drug trade that few tackle in music. Kudos for that acronym, Skateboard P.
Please pardon the previous releases like “Pain” and make sure My Name Is My Name is blasting out your speakers. This dope didn’t spoil and G.O.O.D. Music is always worth the wait.—YN
Just Damn,
So impressed with this one.
Move aside Ye and Jay because Pusha may just have made album of the year.
MNIMN , BORN SINNER , THE GIFTED , STATIK SELEKTAH’S ALBUM , MAGNA CARTER.
Great album___want to hear these songs on radio
….As far as I can tell the diversity of production takes us a musical trip through
the past two decades from the prestige of a drug dealer all the way to Hip Hop
hustler on the brink of Zeitgeist enlightenment. The production is pretty
comprehensive and shows his appreciation of a number of different eras.
The album manages to string together so many
elements beloved from Hip-Hop, from minimalist 90’s beat to theatrical good
music production, R&B hooks that came out of the 90’s, witty sharp
lyricism, as well as an aptitude for clever story telling. And of course, the
constant that ties it all together, testosterone fuelled, yet some how well
collected coke raps something of a signature for the artist.
To me what makes this a truly interesting listen is him drawing parallels from the gang banging lifestyle to being a hip hop mogul. The “Hustle” is still alive and well. One must look no further than SIMPLY the album artwork. The parallel being white albums to white kilos. The bar code indicates, hey this is just another day at work for Pusha T, whether is selling coke or albums, its much the same to him.
Perhaps the only real “issue” with this LP are questionable additions of MC’s; “Big Sean” and “2 Chainz” neither of which can come close to holding their own lyrically against Pusha. Both of there versus feel unintentionally awkward and slightly comical on and all but introspective and fascinating album.
Yet, neither of them are truly enough to detract from the album as a whole.
Surely, a classic in the making.
A truly well deserved, 4.5 out of 5.
I actually listened to this album, I don’t know about deeply riched in lyrical content. What I got was Pusha-T in his own lane aside from the perception that The Clipse has built as a group over the years. I thought it was a good album. I try not to get into tracks because I listen to music ‘straight on-album through’, from beginning to end. As a project it left me content, but not wanting to go back and listen to it again, almost as relevant as J. Cole’s though J. Cole’s melodies were more in sync withe the next approaching track. Pusha-T’s album was more dynamic, a lot of different vibes and production, with his same mono-ish type lyrical content. I’d give it a 3.5 out of 5.
Album of The Year in my opinion! Push gave us what we have been waiting for since Lord Willin. Nostalgia is probably my favorite track because Kendrick KILLED that joint! Only thing I hated was Kanye whining on “Hold On” and the Kelly Rowland joint. Everything else was worthy of 5 mic’s
#3 knock it off YN you know this is #1
its as if YN and his children just have to be fake politically correct when it comes to lists such as these. as if they really believe drake or ems albums are ahead of these. do niggas really drive home from a long days work bumping drake? was niggas really waiting on ems album? OR better yet, if you weren’t a blogger would you have cared about ems album? be fair here RR, MNIM is album of the yr!
ALBUM OF THE YEAR….didn’t get a chance to hop on here in a while. Push KILLED it….sounded like Ma$e on “Let Me Love You” lol