The classic album that floored Pusha T: “That was the changing of the guard”
Specific albums are responsible for cultural shifts, and hip-hop has a range of projects considered culturally significant for advancing the genre. With each decade comes a new generation of artists and ideas. Pusha T once identified a body of work that arguably influenced “everybody” when it was released.
Pusha T insists that the 1980s was a turning point in hip-hop, and it is hard to argue with that proposition. As the genre moved forward, it is indisputable that the decade saw a shift concerning how lyricists utilised the art form. Following its funky beginnings, the 1980s saw a move towards a more political and socially conscious hip-hop.
However, certain artists saw the necessity for lyrics to become slightly more free-flowing, rhyme schemes to become less rigid and production to embrace a more worldly sonic. That said, during a 2011 interview, Pusha T expanded on this and delved into his love for the 1980s and some of the art it spawned.
One of the essential figures highlighted was KRS-One of the duo Boogie Down Productions (BDP). Alongside Scott La Rock, as part of BDP, KRS-One put an end to the Sugar Hill Gang’s happy-go-lucky style and injected a dose of real life into hip-hop.
Recalling KRS-One, his fantastic tales and messages of Black unity, Pusha T asserted, “KRS-One was the epitome of hip-hop and storytelling. KRS-One is a rap god”. Reflecting on the subject matters of the 1988 BDP project By All Means Necessary, T lauded KRS-One and how he pushed a positive message of solidarity.
Insisting that they pushed against the negativity that plagued countless communities, Pusha T continued, “We sort of succumb to the bullshit and the negativity, and these guys fought against all of that shit. They fought and put out music with the best of them. They still prevailed.”
As he left the subject of Boogie Down Productions, Pusha T pivoted to one of the most revered lyricists of the 1980s, Rakim. It is indisputable that Rakim’s emergence is a marker in hip-hop that lives on to this day. Many failed to wrap their heads around his way with words and were simply awestruck.
Pusha T was one of these individuals, and while speaking about Rakim, he admitted that he was “floored” when he heard his debut album Paid In Full. The renowned project changed the course of lyricism in hip-hop. Rakim was most definitely the first MC to break the mould of basic rhyme schemes and, to the shock of many intertwined different syllables with rhyming that sat in the pockets of the offbeat.
Highlighting the cultural shift led by Rakim, Pusha T recounted, “That was the changing of the guard. That’s when hip-hop couldn’t get any louder or more rambunctious than Run-DMC. These guys were just as loud, but the style was different. Rakim was just that motherfucker.”
Admitting that Rakim surpassed the abilities of Run-DMC, Pusha T added, “Run-DMC was street, but the Rakim era took it to street-corner fresh. The Rakim era influenced everybody”.
Pusha explained that his cousins in the South Bronx brushed aside all artists that had come before and insisted Paid In Full was “the new shit”. Initially he was confused why his family were so adamant. However, as he concluded his interview with Complex, Pusha T stated that once he heard the project, “[He] was floored”.