Pusha T On Hot Ones
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Pusha T, a five-time Grammy Award nominated artist, joined host Sean Evans on the popular YouTube series "Hot Ones" to discuss his distinguished hip-hop career while sampling increasingly spicy chicken wings. As Evans noted in his introduction, Pusha's album "Daytona" was "up for rap album of the year" and his recently released single "Diet Coke" signaled that "a new Pusha T album of the year contender is on the way." When discussing his methodical release schedule, Pusha T explained: "My brand is all about creating masterpieces. And I don't know if masterpieces get churned out every six months or every nine months." Pusha T emphasizes quality over quantity in an industry often driven by rapid release schedules. Throughout the interview, Pusha maintained his calm demeanor until facing the notoriously hot "Da Bomb" sauce, which proved challenging even for a self-described "Texas Pete guy."
The conversation explored how physical locations have shaped Pusha T's musical output, particularly the Hawaii sessions for "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" and the Wyoming/Utah locations for "Daytona." Pusha explained that these secluded recording destinations serve primarily to eliminate distractions: "That's really just to get away from people and to really be able to hone in and focus on what it is that we're trying to create." When Evans inquired about Kanye West's last-minute creative decisions, Pusha offered insight into their working relationship: "That's the thing about him. I think that's the gift of him. His instincts. He's pretty spot on instinctively when he just feels like a song is missing something or feels like the art is not as strong as it could be." He added that West's commitment to working "to the last minute" creates valuable opportunities for artistic refinement.
A significant portion of the interview examined Pusha T's Virginia Beach roots and the region's impressive musical legacy that includes Timbaland, Chad Hugo, Pharrell Williams, and Missy Elliott. When Evans asked about Hovercraft Studios on Shell Road at, Pusha reflected: "It's where a lot of magic happened. Hovercraft was a studio that Pharrell and Chad bought, actually." The rapper attributed the diversity of musical influences in Virginia Beach partially to the nearby military base, which exposed locals to various regional sounds. Pusha explained: "I'd go to [a mixtape store], and they would introduce me to things like Texas screw music and things like that, 'cause they were catering to the military." This unique cultural environment helped shape Pusha's distinctive style and sound, demonstrating how geographical context influenced his artistic development outside mainstream hip-hop centers.
When questioned about maintaining consistent thematic content throughout his career, Pusha T made a comparison to filmmaker Martin Scorsese. He stated: "I am like the Martin Scorsese of street raps. And that's how I wanna be seen. Like, even just creatively, Scorsese gives you The Departed, Goodfellas, and a host of other joints. And you never say, 'Hey, I want him to make a love story.'" He defended this approach by emphasizing continuous evolution: "I always kick it up a notch. I always keep it relevant to today's time. I always still give you the right-here, right-now version of everything that is the foundation of what it is that I do street rap-wise."
Pusha T provided insights into his career trajectory when Evans asked about his progression from performing "$2,000 shows for drug dealers" to playing Pitchfork Festivals for hipster audiences. He admitted: "At the time when I was doing those Pitchfork shows, I was, like, really upset at that time, 'cause I was like, 'That's not what I was used to.'" However, he acknowledged the importance of this audience transition: "But fast-forward, looking back in hindsight, it really helped establish my base. We called them 'clipsters.' They understood and they read deeper into the lyrics than just Coke." When discussing the evolution of rap rivalries, Pusha observed that modern conflicts have become "corporate now," with record labels intervening to protect commercial interests: "Now, like, you'll have, like, a rap beef and, like...a record label gets involved, and, like, the CEOs are like, 'Oh, you can't do this to my artists!'" He contrasted this with earlier eras when battles could end careers, noting that today "People don't care. They're like, 'Oh, well, you know, they lost today, but...whatever.'"
As the interview approached its conclusion, Evans noted they were "just a few months past the 15-year anniversary of 'Hell Hath No Fury', which you've described as the darkest, best record hands down. Pusha articulated what made this album special: "There was absolutely, positively not one compromise on that album. Not one compromise lyrically, not one compromise beat-wise. I don't think we ever thought about making a hit." The Hot Ones interview concluded with Pusha T announcing that the "New Pusha T album coming soon" and "I'll be in festivals everywhere. Y'all come check me out."
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