Pusha T

Pusha T

Pusha T performing in July 2013
Background information
Birth name Terrence LeVarr Thornton
Also known as
  • Pusha T
  • Terrar
Born (1977-05-13) May 13, 1977
The Bronx, New York City, New York, United States
Origin Virginia Beach, Virginia, United States
Genres Hip hop
Occupation(s) rapper
Instruments Vocals
Years active 1992–present
Labels
Associated acts
Website pusha-t.com

Terrence LeVarr Thornton (born May 13, 1977),[1] better known by his stage name Pusha T, is an American hip hop recording artist. He initially gained major recognition as one-half of hip hop duo Clipse, alongside his brother Gene "No Malice" Thornton, with whom he founded Re-Up Records. In September 2010, Thornton announced his signing to Kanye West's GOOD Music imprint, under the aegis of Def Jam Recordings. In March 2011, he released his first solo project, a mixtape titled Fear of God. Thornton released his debut solo album My Name Is My Name, in October 2013. In November 2015, Kanye West appointed Pusha T to take over his role as president of GOOD Music.

Biography

1977–2009: Early life and career beginnings

Main article: Clipse
Pusha T performing in 2007.

Terrence LeVarr Thornton was born on May 13, 1977, in The Bronx borough of New York City.[2][3] Thornton and his family soon relocated to Norfolk, Virginia, where he and his brother, Gene 'No Malice' Thornton, grew up.[2][3] In 1992, Terrence and his brother Gene formed the duo Clipse. With help from American record producer and fellow Virginian Pharrell Williams, the duo eventually signed to Elektra Records in 1997 and released Exclusive Audio Footage, their only album under that label. Of the two brothers, Terrence was more open to features, appearing on Kelis' 1999 single "Good Stuff" and Nivea's 2001 single "Run Away (I Wanna Be with U)", respectively. In 2004, he and his brother launched their record label imprint, Re-Up Records, and formed hip hop group Re-Up Gang, along with fellow rappers Ab-Liva and Sandman. In 2006, they released their third studio album and their most commercial album, Hell Hath No Fury, which was praised by critics. After one more album as the Clipse in 2009, both No Malice and Pusha T announced that they were taking time off from the duo to focus on their own respective solo projects.[4]

2010–11: Solo career; GOOD Music signing

Following his signing to GOOD Music in September 2010, Thornton was featured on a number of fellow label mates' projects such as Kanye West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy appearing on his hit "Runaway" and premiering the song with him at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards on September 12, 2010. He was also featured on several tracks from West's GOOD Fridays series and made other appearances on Swizz Beatz's Monster Mondays series, Lloyd Banks' H.F.M. 2 (Hunger for More 2) and tabi Bonney's Fresh, respectively. On the week of December 16, 2010, Thornton signed exclusively with NUE Agency.[5] On February 11, 2011, Funkmaster Flex debuted Thornton's first solo offering on New York City's Hot 97.[6] The track, titled "My God", was produced by Hit-Boy and was generally well received by the public. Soon after, the song leaked onto the internet, however was not officially released through iTunes and Amazon until August 24, 2011.

On March 21, 2011, Thornton released his first solo project, a mixtape titled Fear of God, which included "My God" and featured freestyles and other original songs.[7][8] Soon after he began working on his debut extended play (EP) Fear of God II: Let Us Pray, which initially included four songs from the mixtape and five new songs. On August 31, 2011, it was announced Thornton signed a solo record deal with Def Jam.[9] The EP was originally set to released on June 21, 2011,[10] it was than pushed back to August 23, and for a while September 27, 2011, was believed to be the date, however on October 6, 2011, Thornton announced the EP is set to drop November 8, 2011. In addition it was revealed he added four more songs to the EP making it 12 tracks rather than just the nine tracks that were previously announced.[11]

Pusha T performing "Runaway" with West at Lollapalooza Chile in Santiago, 2011.

The first single from Fear of God II: Let Us Pray was leaked onto the Internet on July 8, 2011. The song, titled "Trouble on My Mind", features Odd Future frontman, Tyler, The Creator. The EP's second single, "Amen" was released September 13, 2011. The song, originally meant for Young Jeezy, was produced by Shawty Redd and features verses from Kanye West and Young Jeezy respectively. After the EP's release on November 8, the project debuted at number 66 on the Billboard 200 with 8,900 copies sold in its first week released.[12][13] It also entered at number ten on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, at number eight on Billboard's Top Rap Albums, and at number 25 on its Digital Albums chart.[14][15]

In 2011, Thornton appeared on the second season of the HBO series How to Make It in America. He played the role of a henchman for Urban Caribbean League.[16] Soon after the release of his EP, Pusha T started working on solo debut studio album, which would be executive produced by Kanye West.[17][18][19] Thornton has stated that after his solo album and the Re-Up Gang mixtape, Long Live the Cane, he and his brother No Malice, would reunite and release another album.[10] In late 2011, English pop singer Pixie Lott released "What Do You Take Me For?", the second single from her second studio album Young Foolish Happy which featured Pusha T.[20] The song was a hit single in the U.K., peaking at number ten on the charts.

2012–14: My Name is My Name

Main article: My Name Is My Name

On October 19, 2011, Kanye West announced via Twitter plans for a Spring 2012 GOOD Music album release. On April 6, 2012, "Mercy", the lead single from the GOOD Music compilation album Cruel Summer was released. The song, produced by newly signed in-house producer Lifted, features Pusha T along with Kanye West, Big Sean and southern rapper 2 Chainz.[21] On May 24, 2012, Pusha T released a song titled "Exodus 23:1" featuring The-Dream. It is speculated that the song is a diss track aimed at Young Money rappers Drake and Lil Wayne.[22] This resulted in a diss-song by Lil Wayne, to which Thornton did not respond, but called "horrible" in an interview.[23] He was then featured alongside West on the third single for Cruel Summer - "New God Flow". In October 2012, Pusha T made an appearance on the soundtrack to the film The Man with the Iron Fists on a track titled "Tick Tock" alongside fellow American rappers Raekwon, Joell Ortiz and Danny Brown.[24]

On October 8, 2012, Thornton released "Pain" featuring southern rapper Future, the first single from his debut album. That same day Spin magazine reported that Pusha T's debut album had been pushed back until 2013.[25] While performing in Vancouver, Canada, it was reported that Pusha T announced he would be releasing a mixtape entitled Wrath of Cain preceding the release of his debut studio album.[26][27] Later in November, Thornton announced the title of his debut studio album to be, My Name Is My Name.[28] On December 5, 2012 Thornton released "Blocka" the first offering from his Wrath of Caine mixtape. The song features Travis Scott and Popcaan.[29] The music video for the song was released on December 11, 2012.[30] The mixtape was released on January 28, 2013 along with his album coming at the end of the first quarter of 2013. In January 2013 it was announced that Pusha would be performing at the 2013 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.[31]

My Name is My Name was scheduled to be released on July 16, 2013, but was pushed back to October 2013. It received universal acclaim from critics.[32] My Name Is My Name debuted at number four on the US Billboard 200, selling 74,000 copies in its first week of release.[33] The album includes production from Kanye West, The Neptunes, The-Dream, Just Blaze, No I.D., Nottz, Don Cannon and Swizz Beatz, among others. In an April 2013 interview with AskMen, Thornton revealed that shortly after his debut album is released, he would finish working on his second album, titled King Push.[34][35] In 2013, Pusha T provided guest vocals over a Vice remix of "I'll Be Gone" for the remix album, Recharged, by American rock band Linkin Park.

2014–present: King Push – Darkest Before Dawn

In a July 2014 interview with XXL, when asked about his plans for his next album, King Push, Thornton said: “This next album is like a heavy proclamation to me. I told people last year I had the 'Album Of the Year'. And I felt that I did. I really feel that King Push has to live up to that same hip-hop expectation… My goal is always to have 'hip-hop Album Of the Year'.”[36] On November 19, 2014, Thornton released a single titled "Lunch Money", produced by Kanye West.[37][38]

In December 2014, Thornton announced his second solo album King Push, for a Spring 2015 release.[39][40] In May 2015, he had announced his second album would be released in June.[41] On November 9, 2015, Thornton revealed to Billboard that he had been appointed president of GOOD Music.[42][43]

On November 12, 2015, Thornton released a single titled "Untouchable", produced by Timbaland.[44] On November 23, 2015, it was then announced that Pusha T would release a new album Darkest Before Dawn before the aforementioned King Push album. It was released on December 18, 2015 and has been described as "a prelude" to the King Push album.[45] According to BLKDMNDS, Darkest Before Dawn has hit over 17 million streams in its first week. On May 31st, 2016, Pusha T released the lead single off his upcoming King Push album called "Drug Dealers Anonymous" ft. Jay-Z,on the streaming service Tidal.[46]

In a June 2016 interview, former record executive Steve Stoute revealed that Thornton had written the McDonald’s “I’m lovin’ it” jingle.[47] Thornton later confirmed the news on Twitter.[48] However, this claim has been disputed by advertising executives who created the campaign, and a McDonald’s marketing executive. Neither Stoute nor Thornton have commented on the dispute.[49]

Controversies

Consequence

After Pusha T released "My God", the first single from his solo mixtape, his former GOOD Music label-mate Consequence took to Twitter and claimed Pusha T stole his flow and lyrics from a song of his that Pusha T was supposed to appear on, titled "The Last Supper".[50] On July 22, 2011, Consequence released a song titled "The Plagurist Society" where he takes shots and questions Pusha T’s coke-dealing raps. Towards the end of the record the Queens native promises to take aim at Kanye West next saying "You're nothing but a body shield, for that coward from the mid-west/ so yes you can bet, that your boss is next". Pusha T responded to the diss track when he appeared on Chicago’s 107.5 WGCI’s The Morning Riot and said nobody is looking for Consequence, as for if he would respond on a record, Pusha T went on to say "At the end of the day I am an artist and this whole rap thing is fun to me, so I can't say you won't hear nothing, but to go back and forth with him, it's not right, I won't get anything out of it."[51] Later that day, Consequence called in to Chicago’s WGCI’s The Morning Riot in retaliation to the remarks Pusha T made about him. He also premiered a song titled "Everybody Told Me 2 (Straighten It Out)" where he disses West, Pusha T and GOOD Music in general.[52][53] Since then Pusha T has responded to Consequence on a record. The song was the remix to Ace Hood's "Go 'N' Get It" which also featured Beanie Sigel, Busta Rhymes and Styles P. In the song Pusha raps "Consequence, nigga, talk is cheap You don't want a problem? Off the beef Before I off his ass with his awful teeth". On August 19, Consequence released Movies on Demand 3 and continued to diss his former label and Pusha T on songs such as "Career Killer" and "Mr.RapFix (Hot Water)". On September 15, 2011 Consequence appeared on MTV's Rap Fix and announced his feud with Kanye West and GOOD Music was over.[54] While out in Chicago in October 2011, Pusha T appeared on WGCI radio for a second time, and confirmed that the "beef" was indeed over, that it had died out and they have moved on. In January 2015, the two officially ended the feud when Consequence took to his Instagram page to let the people know: "All G.O.O.D. in 2015, Pusha [T] and I deaded everything and we creatively vibed with Kanye for this new LP."[55][56]

Lil Wayne

Tension between Pusha T and rapper Lil Wayne had been going on for years, beginning soon after Clipse and Birdman worked on "What Happened to That Boy", the latter's 2002 single. In 2006, Wayne felt the Clipse song "Mr. Me Too" was directed at him,[57] and in 2012 Pusha T's "Exodus 23:1" song caused Lil Wayne to vent on Twitter, later releasing a diss track titled "Goulish", in which he says "Fuck Pusha T and anybody that love him / His head up his ass, I'mma have to head-butt him".[58] Pusha T has called Wayne's diss track "horrible" and said he felt it didn't deserve a response. Both men have downplayed the feud, with Wayne saying he's over it.[59][60] However, in late November, Pusha T dissed Wayne and Birdman on a new Ludacris song titled "Mad Fo" from his "#IDGAF" mixtape. Pusha T later revealed his motivation for the verse: "Oh because it's a Swizz beat. You got to blame Swizz. See, when Wayne got a Swizz beat... with the "Ghoulish" track; he got busy, well he tried to."[61]

Discography

Main article: Pusha T discography

Awards and nominations

Grammy Awards

Year Nominee/work Award Result
2003 "Like I Love You" (as part of Clipse, with Justin Timberlake) Best Rap/Sung Collaboration Nominated
2013 "Mercy" (with Kanye West, Big Sean and 2 Chainz) Best Rap Song
Best Rap Performance

References

  1. ↑ "Pusha T Birthday Correction on Twitter". twitter.com. 2014-05-14. Retrieved 2014-05-14.
  2. 1 2 Mlynar, Phillip (2010-05-05). "Pusha T Presents: A Clipse Guide to New York City - New York - Music - Sound of the City". Blogs.villagevoice.com. Retrieved 2012-11-12.
  3. 1 2 "5-10-15-20: Pusha-T | Features". Pitchfork. 2011-07-14. Retrieved 2012-11-12.
  4. ↑ May 5th 2010 6:00PM by Nadeska Alexis Comments (2010-05-05). "The Clipse Planning Solo Albums for 2010". The Boombox. Retrieved 2012-11-12.
  5. ↑ "ENCORE: The Standard in Live Entertainment News". Encore.celebrityaccess.com. 2010-12-16. Retrieved 2012-11-12.
  6. ↑ Pusha T – My God (Prod. by Hit-Boy) (No Tags) Nah Right
  7. ↑ "Pusha T Signs With Kanye's GOOD Music". Rap Basement. 2010-09-13. Retrieved 2012-11-12.
  8. ↑ "New Mixtape: Pusha T Fear Of God". Rap Radar. 2011-03-21. Retrieved 2012-11-12.
  9. ↑ "Pusha T Signs Solo Deal With Def Jam". Rap Dose. 2011-08-31. Retrieved 2012-11-12.
  10. 1 2 Blanco, Alvin (2011-04-19). "Pusha T Set To Drop Fear of God 2 In June - Music, Celebrity, Artist News". MTV.com. Retrieved 2012-11-12.
  11. ↑ "Pusha T Announces November Release For Solo Debut, 'Fear of God II'". Ballerstatus. 2011-10-06. Retrieved 2011-10-07.
  12. ↑ Jacobs, Allen (2011-11-16). "Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 11/13/2011 | Get The Latest Hip Hop News, Rap News & Hip Hop Album Sales". HipHop DX. Retrieved 2012-11-12.
  13. ↑ "Pusha T - Chart history". Billboard. 2013-10-26. Retrieved 2016-01-01.
  14. ↑ R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Week of November 26, 2011. Billboard. Retrieved on 2011-11-19.
  15. ↑ Rap Albums – Week of November 26, 2011. Billboard. Retrieved on 2011-11-19.
  16. ↑ Pusha T Lands New Role On HBO's 'How To Make It In America' "The Boom Box". May 27, 2011.
  17. ↑ "Bangladesh Talks Producing For Pusha T's Solo Album, Future G.O.O.D. Music Collaborations". Vibe. 2010-12-29. Retrieved 2012-11-12.
  18. ↑ SOHH for Alex Da Kid (2011-01-11). "He Could Be Even Bigger Than He Is Right Now". Sohh.Com. Retrieved 2012-11-12.
  19. ↑ "Pusha T & Ryan Leslie In The Studio | Pusha-T.com | Official Website of G.O.O.D Music Artist Pusha T". Pusha-T.com. 2011-03-06. Retrieved 2012-11-12.
  20. ↑ "Pixie Lott confirms new single". 23 September 2011. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  21. ↑ "G.O.O.D Music - Mercy". DJBooth.net. April 6, 2012. Retrieved April 9, 2012.
  22. ↑ Markman, Rob (May 31, 2012). "Lil Wayne Wasn't Mentioned When Pusha T Recorded 'Exodus 23:1'". MTV. Retrieved June 20, 2012.
  23. ↑ Langhorne, Cyrus (June 21, 2012). "Pusha T Calls Lil Wayne's Diss Track Weak, "It Was Horrible. It Was Trash. It Wasn't Good" [Audio]". Sohh.com. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
  24. ↑ Jeffries, David. "The Man with the Iron Fists [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack] – Original Soundtrack". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
  25. ↑ Martins, Chris (2012-10-09). "Pusha T Ties Trayvon Martin To 'The Wire' In Kanye-Produced 'Pain' | SPIN | SPIN Mix | Songs". SPIN. Retrieved 2012-11-30.
  26. ↑ "Pusha T Performs In Vancouver, Announces Wrath of Cain Mixtape". 2DopeBoyz.com. November 11, 2012. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
  27. ↑ Vasquez, Andres (November 12, 2012). "Pusha T To Release "Wrath Of Caine" Mixtape Before His Album". Cheri Media Group. Retrieved 13 November 2012.
  28. ↑ Kuperstein, Slava (2012-11-25). "Pusha T Announces Album Title & Release Date | Get The Latest Hip Hop News, Rap News & Hip Hop Album Sales". HipHop DX. Retrieved 2012-11-30.
  29. ↑ Greenwald, David (2012-12-05). "Pusha T Drops Reggae-Inspired 'Blocka'". Billboard. Retrieved 2012-12-06.
  30. ↑ Jake Crates (2012-12-11). "Pusha T feat Popcaan and Travis Scott – Blocka". AllHipHop.com. Retrieved 2014-03-30.
  31. ↑ "Check Out the 2013 Coachella Lineup". Complex. 2013-01-25. Retrieved 2014-03-30.
  32. ↑ "My Name Is My Name Reviews". Metacritic.com. Retrieved 2013-10-12.
  33. ↑ "Miley Cyrus, Pusha T & Danny Brown First Week Sales". Complex. Retrieved 2013-10-16.
  34. ↑ Paine, Jake (30 April 2013). "Pusha T Reveals "Ni**as In Paris" Beat Was Offered To Him, Sophomore LP Title". HipHopDX. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
  35. ↑ "Pusha T's 'King Push' Has A Release Date". Fashionably-Early. Retrieved 2015-05-11.
  36. ↑ "Pusha T Wants 'King Push' To Be The Album Of The Year - XXL". Xxlmag.com. Retrieved 2016-01-01.
  37. ↑ "Pusha T Shares "Lunch Money", Produced by Kanye | News". Pitchfork. 2014-11-18. Retrieved 2016-01-01.
  38. ↑ "Lunch Money - Single by Pusha T on iTunes". Itunes.apple.com. 2014-11-19. Retrieved 2016-01-01.
  39. ↑ "Pusha T Says "King Push" Is Dropping Spring 2015". Hotnewhiphop.com. Retrieved 2016-01-01.
  40. ↑ Vozick, Simon (2014-12-22). "Pusha T Promises 'Amazing' New Album in 2015". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2016-01-01.
  41. ↑ Balfour, Jay (2015-12-09). "Pusha T Announces "King Push" Release Date". HipHopDX.com. Retrieved 2016-01-01.
  42. ↑ "G.O.O.D. Music's New President, Pusha T, on His Work Uniform". Vogue. 2015-11-13. Retrieved 2016-01-01.
  43. ↑ Adelle Platon (2015-11-09). "Pusha T Named President of G.O.O.D. Music: Exclusive". Billboard. Retrieved 2016-01-01.
  44. ↑ "Pusha T – "Untouchable" (Prod. Timbaland)". Stereogum.com. 2015-11-12. Retrieved 2016-01-01.
  45. ↑ Kreps, Daniel (2015-11-23). "Pusha T Sets Date for 'King Push' Prelude 'Darkest Before Dawn'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2016-01-01.
  46. ↑ "Pusha T - Drug Dealers Anonymous Feat. Jay Z (Prod. By DJ Dahi) | Stream [New Song]". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved 2016-06-07.
  47. ↑ http://www.mtv.com/news/2888277/pusha-t-mcdonalds-jingle/
  48. ↑ "King Push on Twitter". 2016-06-02. Retrieved 2016-12-04.
  49. ↑ Hogan, Marc (2016-07-14). "The Contentious Tale of the McDonald's "I'm Lovin' It" Jingle". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2016-12-04.
  50. ↑ Consequence Claims Pusha T Stole Lines on "My God" Complex.com
  51. ↑ Pusha T Responds To Consequence 2dopeboyz.com
  52. ↑ Consequence Responds To Pusha T, Drops G.O.O.D. Music Diss 2dopeboyz.com
  53. ↑ Consequence – Everybody Told Me 2 (Pusha T, Kanye West, G.O.O.D. Music Diss) 2dopeboyz.com
  54. ↑ Consequence Says "Feud Is Over With Kanye West," Continues Feud With Q-Tip HipHopDX.com
  55. ↑ "Pusha T & Consequence End Beef To Work On Kanye West's New Album". Hotnewhiphop.com. Retrieved 2016-01-01.
  56. ↑ "Everything We Know About Kanye West's "SWISH"". Hotnewhiphop.com. Retrieved 2016-01-01.
  57. ↑ "A History of Lil Wayne vs. Pusha-T Beef: From "Mr. Me Too" to the "F–k Pusha" Tweet". MissInfo.tv. 2012-05-24. Retrieved 2012-11-12.
  58. ↑ DJ MoonDawg & Pusha T talk Drake, BET Cypher, 2012 Good Music Album on 107.5 WGCI YouTube.com
  59. ↑ "Exclusive: Pusha T Admits "New God Flow" Was Directed At Birdman; Details Issues With Lil Wayne & Drake". Hip-Hop Wired. 2012-10-16. Retrieved 2012-11-12.
  60. ↑ Alexis, Nadeska (2012-10-16). "Pusha T's 'New God Flow' Lyrics Aimed At Birdman - Music, Celebrity, Artist News". MTV.com. Retrieved 2012-11-12.
  61. ↑ "Pusha T Confirms Dissing Lil Wayne and Birdman on New Ludacris Song". Vibe. 2012-11-30. Retrieved 2014-03-30.
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