Though Pusha T refers to himself as a “cocaine superhero” on King Push — Darkest Before Dawn: The Prelude, it wouldn’t be wrong to refer to him as a lyrical superhero as well. With the exception of Kendrick Lamar (and maybe even Kanye West on a good day), there are few rappers in the game as lyrically gifted as Pusha. Darkest Before Dawn, the surprise companion piece to next year’s long-awaited King Push, only reinforces that.
Clocking in at just over half an hour, Darkest Before Dawn is a concise, murky and downright bleak album, packed with the kind of fearlessly experimental beats we’ve come to expect from rap’s cocaine cowboy. Lead single “Untouchable” heavily samples Biggie Smalls’ own stake at lyrical greatness, but uses it to establish Pusha’s. “I drops every blue moon / to separate myself from you kings of the YouTube,” he raps, calling out an entire generation of rappers more concerned with view counts than quality.
The quest for quality over fame is a theme that appears again and again throughout Darkest, and its a trait that Pusha’s believes separates himself from his contemporaries. On “M.F.T.R.,” he lambasts rappers who’d rather be more famous than rich. And it’s true — there are few artists of any genre who care about the quality of their music as much as Pusha T, going back all the way to his Clipse days. But it’s also not the only trait of his that sets him apart from the pack.
I’m talking, of course, about coke. Whereas much of rap is now bending the truth in Brian Williams-esque fashion in an attempt at sounding harder, Pusha actually lived it, selling cocaine since his teenage years. Granted, he undoubtedly exaggerates a bit (if he was pushing the kind of weight he raps about, there’s no way in hell he wouldn’t be locked up right now), but for the most part, Pusha T is the last of a dying breed of gangsta rappers. Album highlight “Keep Dealing” is a portrait of the fast life of a young King Push, complete with a killer guest verse from Beanie Sigel.
Inventively produced and filled with lyrical twisters about cocaine, money and more cocaine, King Push — Darkest Before Dawn: The Prelude is the kind of album we’ve come to expect from Pusha T. The G.O.O.D. Music president is synonymous with quality and experimentation. Now that he’s become more of a behind-the-scenes guy, when he does step into the spotlight, everyone listens.