Virginia rapper and former Clipse member Pusha T is considered one of hip-hop’s exciting artists. His 2022 project, It’s Almost Dry, received critical acclaim and his 2018 body of work, Daytona, is regarded as a classic.
Although Pusha T has never been the most ingenious artist, as a former member of G.O.O.D. Music, under the wing of Kanye West, the emcee (real name Terrence Thornton), has managed to stand at the forefront of the culture.
Thornton has been surrounded by fantastic producers and great minds all his life. As a prominent figure on the Virginia Beach hip-hop scene during the early 2000s, Pusha T had the opportunity to work extensively alongside Pharrell Williams, who was also a part of the Virginia hip-hop scene at the turn of the millennium.
Clipse rose to fame alongside Virginia Beach natives The Neptunes and cemented their place in hip-hop with their 2002 hit ‘Grindin’. Ever since, Pusha T has remained a relevant and potent figure within rap music.
However, although his rise to fame was very organic, throughout the 2000s, his feuds have undoubtedly amplified his presence within hip-hop. From his beef with Drake to his Lil Wayne feud, Pusha has received more than a bit of negative press. Fortunately for Thornton, the publicity he received from tracks such as ‘The Story of Adidon’ made tastemakers respect him more, with Noisey crowning the diss track as their 2018 ‘Song Of The Year.’
Although he had his fair share of feuds, the emcee was untarnished, and people became more interested in him. That said, in 2015, he spoke to Rolling Stone about his hero, The Notorious B.I.G.
Thronton began by confidently declaring, “I believe the Notorious B.I.G. was the greatest rapper who’s ever lived. I remember in ’94, when Ready to Die came out, I was in 11th grade, living in my mother’s house in Virginia. There was a frenzy at my high school, arguing and talking about that album.”
He continued, We used to spend hours in the car, reciting his raps, trying to figure out what in the hell made him veer off in this way or that way. Some rappers just say a punchline, and it’s like, ‘OK, we get it.’ But Big delved deep. He was a master painter with words. And his flow was just so effortless. Big had all these intricacies, all these colours, all these witty things – and it didn’t sound like a rap. It was a conversation.”
You can watch Thornton explain his love for the Notorious B.I.G. track ‘Young G’s’ in the video below.
