Album Review: Pusha T's ' King Push - Darkest Before Dawn: The Prelude' Short But Explosive
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Fans are finally able to hear the first half of Pusha T's King Push - Darkest Before Dawn: The Prelude and it's safe to say that it's what every hip-hop fan wants in an album.
Yesterday Pusha T talked about King Push - Darkest Before Dawn: The Prelude with Pitchfork and there is one thing that was written that stands out. Pusha T didn't really want his album to be referred to as a mixtape. He told Pitchfork's Jayson Greene that he didn't want to cheapen the body of work.
Mixtapes are often released for free but in some cases like Drake's If You're Reading This It's Too Late, artists are pushing that label on paid projects.
So, before breaking into the album it's important to commend Pusha T for one, not confusing the consumer and for also holding high value on his craft.
Jumping right into King Push - Darkest Before Dawn: The Prelude, the "Intro" is hard-hitting and continues an unfiltered and intense slew of lyrics that reflect how real and loyal Pusha T is to those who are loyal to him. There are also a few excerpts where there is an individual speaking Spanglish as he explains the keys to longevity and realness. The album then breaks into "Untouchable" which is still one of the stand out tracks on the album.
The production throughout the entire project is A1 which is to be expected from almost every G.O.O.D. Music artist. "Untouchable" is the beginning of Pusha T's bid to become the rap superhero that he thought was missing.
"M.F.T.R.," is another one of the previously released tracks which features The Dream. Many speculate that Pusha T had been taking shots at Lil Wayne and Tyga and Pusha T has been pretty literal with all of his disses towards Lil Wayne, though it doesn't seem like his mention of Tyga is really a diss to him.
The fourth track is another recently released single, "Crutches, Crosses, Caskets" which featured a pretty awesome music video as a part of previous promotion for the album.
King Push - Darkest Before Dawn: The Prelude (Short Film)
"M.P.A." features Kanye West, A$AP Rocky and The Dream. The acronym represents "money, p*ssy, alcohol," a few of the vices then seems to be hard for men to resist at times.
The track features production from West which is pretty similar to the production you found on his My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy album.
The features weren't exactly verses from artists but the trio worked on an impressive triple-layered hook that fans will appreciate. One can only imagine what this track would have been like if all parties involved spit some verses.
The drug references and braggadocios nature continues in "Got Em Covered" featuring Ab-Liva and it's intensified on "Keep Dealing" featuring Beanie Sigel. On "Retribution" Pusha T enlists the help of Kehlani for another big hook as he continues to call out everyone in rap and life quite frankly.
There is something in the way Pusha T delivers his lyrics which makes his lines so believable. He isn't transparent in any way which makes for an artist fans can respect.
"F.I.F.A." is more of a break from the heavy lyrics on Pusha T's album while "Sunshine" featuring Jill Scott is deeper than rap and drugs. Pusha T addresses the violence going on in urban cities like Chicago or Chi-raq as many refer to it today. He also addresses police brutality and the underlying racial divide that is often overlooked in America. There is something for everyone on King Push - Darkest Before Dawn: The Prelude.
Whether you're a fan of the drug riddles, awesome production, realness or deep lyrics addressing social issues you will take something away with you after listening to this album. The second half will surely be highly anticipated after this one.
Well done Pusha T.