It might have been a Cruel Summer for Kanye West, but for Pusha T, it’s all G.O.O.D. One half of the celebrated Virginia duo, The Clipse, Pusha T is all over the new G.O.O.D music project, and he feels like even though this is some of the greatest music ever compiled on a compilation, the best is yet to come.
Pusha T took a few minutes out from his Hawaiian vacation to give AllHipHop.com his thoughts on spirituality and G.O.O.D music:
AllHipHop.com: God has been central theme in most of your album covers. Does this industry make you struggle with your spirit at all?
Pusha T: No, not actually. I think I’m pretty God fearing. My sentiments are usually just sayings, like I am a Baptist, raised in the church, and I am raised in VA, so it’s just Southern life. It’s like our talk, our lingo we use, so it’s a part of my upbringing.
AllHipHop.com: Is Clipse still gonna remain true to the group that we all know and love since one of you is a dedicated Christian?
Pusha T: I’m a Christian! What you tryin’ to say d#####? [laughter] I feel like Clipse is definitely gonna be. First of all, we’re brothers, so the breakup type of talk isn’t gonna happen. Number two, Malice has always been the introspective one, the consequential one. Spirituality has always been in the music. He’s the one who came up with the Lord Willing album cover and title. I just feel like Malice is growing, man, and when we get together musically, he’s still gonna have that because when he speaks, he speaks with that level of consequential thinking. So I think people should just be in store for that great music, and look for that dynamic to come together for something amazing.
AllHipHop.com: You think the time apart has helped make you stronger as an MC?
Pusha T: I don’t know if it’s helped me; I just think it’s opened me up to playing the rap game more. Like I don’t think I’ve been this much of a rapper in my life, and I didn’t have to be when I had my brother with me. I didn’t have to like none of these muthaf*ckas.
AllHipHop.com: Well, it doesn’t seem like you do like a lot of them. Who do you like?
Pusha T: Oh I’m fans of a lot of people, and people would never know that because I never kicked it with people outside of my family, meaning the Neptunes. But everybody knows I’m a true fan of Fabolous…I’m a true fan of Slaughterhouse. I’m a true fan of a lot of people, but it doesn’t mean that I hang out with these guys or anything, and people would think I’m on some snob sh*t, but really, people always said Clipse was on some snob sh*t, because we never really did much kicking it. And being in cahoots with a bunch of m###’s, we never did that. But I’m a fan of a lot of people; that’s just three I like a lot.
AllHipHop.com: Tell me what you like about Cruel Summer since you’re all over it.
Pusha T: The album itself is just like, people are going to look at the high level of the quality of musicianship and rap and it’s just a f*cking…like the songs on this album are like…people don’t treat a compilation album or a crew album like we treated Cruel Summer. Cruel Summer is really somebody’s album.
If Ye had’ve said f*ck all you all and just done this album, and said yeah, I’ll let a couple of y’all feature, but this is my sh*t…it would be stupid, everybody would be goin’ nuts. This album, man, the level of mentality in the verses and the musicality is like opposite worlds coming together on a record, and their sh*t comes out crazy! Like Raekwon and Common, yo? Raekwon, Common, 2 Chainz [screams!], and it comes out like we’re a super-group.
AllHipHop.com: Is there anybody, including yourself, who you feel stood out as particularly great on this project?
Pusha T: I think everybody’s great. There is so much greatness on there, but there are some days that I feel like hearing different songs. Like when I was here [Hawaii] about two weeks ago, me and ‘Ye drove around for hours and listened to this sh*t from front to back. It’s like one minute I may want to hear the Teyana and John Legend record, and that ain’t got sh*t to do with Hip-Hop. I mean, people are gonna be so happy to hear this album, because it’s really a strong album. Man, you got Raekwon on records, you got Ghostface on records – you know damn well I wanna hear that, but it’s just a collection of greatness.
AllHipHop.com: How is it your solo album going to differ from what we hear on Cruel Summer?
Pusha T: Just expect the best rap album of the year.
AllHipHop.com: I know you have to go, but can I just get your thoughts on President Obama and if you think we need him in office another four years?
Pusha T: We definitely need Obama for another four years. I feel like if nothing else for motivation and to show how much America has grown. Let’s not get over that so quickly, I need us to process the fact that Obama is really in office and he’s helping work things out. No not everything is being done but one man can never do everything it’s too much for one man to do, but he damn sure has been finding and making his way and I think it’s an inspiration.
Check out Pusha T and his G.O.O.D. Music family’s Cruel Summer – available in stores and online now.