* En anglais uniquement
First making a huge impression as one-half of
Clipse,
Pusha T's solo career came after years of honing his lyrical skills and grinding in the music industry. After reaching legend status in a lengthy run with
Clipse, the rapper signed with G.O.O.D. Music in 2010 and took his intricate wordplay and imposing presence to albums like 2018's critically lauded
Daytona. His complex depictions of both drug hustling and emotional struggles continued on his fourth solo album, 2022's
Kanye West- and
Pharrell Williams-produced
It's Almost Dry.
Pusha T was born
Terrence Thornton in the Bronx but was raised in Virginia Beach, Virginia along with his brother Gene Thornton. With Gene taking on the name Malice, the brothers formed
Clipse in the early '90s, quickly forming a relationship with
the Neptunes'
Pharrell Williams and embarking on a career that would include major-label record deals and critically revered albums. In 2010, the duo announced they were taking a break to focus on solo careers.
Pusha would sign with
Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music imprint and land on his new label boss' album
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy that same year.
In 2011, he issued both the Fear of God street-level mixtape and its officially released sequel,
Fear of God II: Let Us Pray, which appeared via G.O.O.D. The label released his official debut album,
My Name Is My Name, in 2013, with guest appearances from
Rick Ross,
2 Chainz,
Kendrick Lamar, and others. The "Untouchable" single arrived in 2015, along with the album
King Push - Darkest Before Dawn: The Prelude.
King Push peaked at number 20 on the Billboard 200 and rose to the number three spot on the R&B/hip-hop chart. In 2017, the rapper appeared on tracks by
Linkin Park ("Good Goodbye") and
Gorillaz ("Let Me Out"). He returned to his own material in 2018, recording a follow-up to
King Push with
Kanye West,
Daytona, which arrived in May. His highest-charting release to date,
Daytona was a critical and commercial success for
Pusha T, appearing on dozens of year-end Best Albums lists and receiving a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album. A rivalry with
Drake that had been simmering in the form of restrained lyrical slights and diss tracks came to a head in 2018. Things had been escalating in songs where
Drake questioned
Pusha T's drug-dealing past and
Pusha T accused
Drake of not writing his own rhymes. In May of 2018,
Pusha T released "The Story of Adidon," a vicious track aimed directly at
Drake that included references to his illegitimate child, his producer 40's failing health, and other non-stop low blows. The song, a self-released standalone track, received overwhelming critical acclaim and led many to declare
Pusha T the winner of the ongoing rap battle. Moving on from there, he continued to release new music, including "Sociopath" with
Kash Doll and "Coming Home" featuring
Lauryn Hill, both in 2019. "Diet Coke," produced by
Kanye West and
88-Keys, appeared in 2022 as the lead single for
Pusha T's fourth solo album,
It's Almost Dry. Released in April of 2022,
It's Almost Dry was produced entirely by industry giants
Kanye West and
Pharrell Williams, both of whom also appeared on different tracks on the album. Along with those big-name producers,
It's Almost Dry featured guest contributions from
Kid Cudi,
Jay-Z,
Don Toliver,
Lil Uzi Vert, and others. ~ David Jeffries