⁠“I take it with a grain of salt” — Pusha T responds to people critiquing his music for mostly revolving around drugs and violence

Pusha T is pushing back on criticism that his music mainly involves profanity and violence.

During a recent conversation on the pdodcast Joe and Jada, the rapper addressed claims that his music centers around illicit substances and violence. These claims were made about his recent album titled Let God Sort Em Out, the rapper's first Clipse album with Malice in 16 years. Addressing these claims, Pusha T said,

"First of all, rap has always come from a very real place. With that being said, being in it 23 years, I feel like at this point, I liken it to only someone who loves mob movies, or a person that that's what they choose to like. I don't watch horror, I watch A&E—it's scarier. I liken my music to that as well."

He then acknowledged that his music may not be for all.

"I don't know man, you can't please everybody. 23 years in this, I'm not trying to please nobody but myself. That's what I care about. I know my taste, my ear, what it is that I wanna hear, that resonates with a certain type of person. That's the person that I wanna talk to, that I like."

Pusha T then quipped that he likely doesn't gel with people who don't resonate with his music, but that he does take all his criticism with a grain of salt. The veteran rapper also referred to his fans as his family, noting that he knows "who he's talking to."

"The person who says that... man, I'm sure I don't even gel with you anyway. I'm positive I don't like you." He concluded, "I take it with a grain of salt, but more importantly I know who my family is."

Malice weighs in on Pusha T's penchant to write about violence: Read more

Pusha T and Malice's latest Clipse album came out this Friday, July 11, via Roc Nation. It featured 13 tracks and collaborations with Kendrick Lamar, Tyler, The Creator, The-Dream, Nas, and Stove God Cooks, among others. However, fans were quick to note Jay-Z's absence, despite the long-standing rumor that he would be featured on the album.

During a recent appearance on The Breakfast Club, Pusha T addressed these concerns:

"He was sent 'Chains & Whips,' 'M.T.B.T.T.F.', ['So Be It']," He said. "Hov had the album. It was all for him to...whatever he wanted to do."

When Charlamagne Tha God asked him if "nothing moved his spirit," Push said:

"I don't know, man.”

Malice and Pusha T previously opened up about the difficulties of getting Kendrick Lamar to collaborate with them, noting that this move culminated in a feud with their label, Def Jam. The latter reportedly wanted nothing to do with K.dot, given his infamous feud with Drake.

“They wanted me to ask Kendrick to censor his verse, which of course I was never doing," Pusha T said, per Okay Player. "And then they wanted me to take the record off. And so, after a month of not doing it, Steve Gawley, the lawyer over there was like, ‘We'll just drop the Clipse.’ But that can't work because I'm still there [solo]. But [if] you let us all go…"

Steven Victor, the Clipse's longtime manager, echoed the claims:

“If you’re an artist, your whole life is to create art and put it out,” he said. “If someone’s telling you that you can’t do that, or you have to do it within the confines of whatever box they put you in, that’s like creative jail.”

Malice has also weighed in on his collaborator's abrasive music. The pair recently got on Reddit for an Ask Me Anything segment where they answered fans' queries. One user asked Malice how he felt about Pusha T's penchant for writing about violence:

“Malice what’s going through your mind when you hear Push talk smack in interviews or on tracks? I’ve noticed you have a particular look on your face.”

Malice responded with support:

“I let my brother cook,” he wrote. “I’m just seeing the same person I have know my entire life, be himself.”

Ahead of the release of Let God Sort Em Out, Pharrell, the producer of the album, spoke to Complex about how the album came to be:

“That shit changed me…I saw Scorsese… this guy doesn’t f*cking miss, and he just gets better with time,” said Pharrell. “That doesn’t happen in rap.”

During the same interview, Malice opened up about growing older in the world of hip-hop:

“I think hip-hop has kind of jinxed itself into thinking there is such a thing as too old, and that it should never be accepted,” he said. “Either you got the talent or you don’t. You could be old. You could be young. If you ain’t got it, then you don’t have it. You don’t stay young forever, and if you try to stay young forever, you start looking funny.”

Trending

Stay tuned to SoapCentral for more.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback