Pusha T Says Jay-Z Gave The World a Rap Culture ‘Tutorial’ His Entire Career, Making Him The Greatest Songwriter of All Time
· Vice
When thinking about the greatest of all time, it’s hard not to imagine Jay-Z somewhere in the conversation. The resume speaks for itself; decades worth of strong, quality albums and some of the best rapping you’ll hear.
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He’s a master lyricist and songwriter who impacted hip-hop the way Bob Dylan impacted folk music. So when the New York Times tackled who the best living songwriters were, Pusha T immediately staked his claim for Jay-Z.
The Virginia rapper argued that no other artist spoke to young Black kids and the many complexities of street life quite like Hov did. “There haven’t been many people who can speak for a generation, and speak to the mentality of what Black youth was going through, for everyone who indulged in the allure of street culture.
Pusha T Details What Makes Jay-Z Such a Great Songwriter
“He gave us such a tutorial, his whole career — about street life, drug culture, luxury, the pitfalls as well as the floss. And then he took ‘Allure,’ from The Black Album, and basically admitted, ‘Man, I fell victim to the game,'” Pusha T argued.
Then, the Clipse legend detailed how people from a certain era had moments in their lives where that lifestyle started calling back to them. No matter how much they’re trying to grow from their past, the allure keeps calling back to them.
“That chorus and bridge really captured the feelings of anyone living that life,” Pusha said. “And the hook spoke to a level of admission of, like, ‘I know I’m doing wrong. I see clearly. I’m over it. I’m done.’ But everybody, you know, folded and ran back, like an addict. “
Jay-Z and Pusha T’s most acclaimed collab is the 2016 track ‘Drug Dealers Anonymous’
“He’s talking about a real experience, and his mission is to articulate, in the best possible way, his feelings at the time. When you draw from real experience, there’s a level of passion that comes across — I’ve always felt like that was something he did very well,” Pusha T continued.
The 48-year-old MC marveled at how even the mainstream hits had an impeccable measure of songwriting and craftsmanship lyrically. However, what really floored him was “Hovi Baby” from The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse.
“Lyrically, it is by far one of the best [expletive]-talking, acrobatic, philosophizing — I mean, come on. Listen: At that point, I was scared of Jay-Z,” Pusha T admitted. “This is another stride of lyricism, philosophy, I’m-the-best braggadocio, bravado. And he’s, like, tap-dancing all over this beat. Later on in the song, he starts talking about how he’s chasing the snare around — and he’s actually doing it. To me, that was a Super Saiyan moment. “Hovi Baby” scared the hell out of me.”
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