The game of hip-hop is a competitive one. MCs are as happy to go up against each other as professional athletes are happy to slam their bodies against one another in the name of gaining the extra yard. One only needs to look at the ongoing feud between Drake and Kendrick Lamar to see just how volatile the genre can be. But while those two artists have fallen foul of each other in the rankings, rappers aren’t always afraid to pick out their favourites, just like when Pusha T picked his ultimate rapper.
There can be no doubt of Pusha T’s place in the pantheon of rap. the ‘Diet Coke’ performer has routinely showed his kill on the mic, confirming himself as one of the most underrated mCs around. His work with Clipse has always been shrouded in glory but, in recent years, his solo work has begun to showcase a legendary status.
It means that he is perfectly placed to pick out some of the greatest rappers of all time and has, on occasion, done so. Picking out notable names such as Biggie Smalls and Young Jeezy are some of his favourite artists. He has also, during a conversation about his favourite records, landed on impressive names as inspirations.
When picking out his 25 favourite albums, Pusha T selected Wu-Tang Clan’s Enter The Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers. “Wu-Tang was so great, because they provided a whole world for you to come in. They created a whole world through slang, styles, multi-styles throughout the artists, and made a mesh that people can’t make,” the rapper explained.
It would influence, his own group: “Everybody can’t be fly. Everybody can’t be the man. There’s so many groups out here, and how can everybody in the group be solo-worthy in some form or fashion? There’s never been a group that could break themselves down like that. All of those guys shined in their own particular way.”
However, within that list are notable inclusions from one performer, the rapper Pusha T considers the greatest — Jay-Z. Selecting The Blueprint and The Black Album, T also picked out the seismic Reasonable Doubt, which he considers to be perhaps the greatest rap album of all time.
When speaking to Pitchfork about his favourite rappers, Pusha T explained: “Hov is first because he made Reasonable Doubt, and that is the grail of all drug levels, without being all about drugs. It spoke more to the lifestyle.” It’s something he confirmed while speaking with Sirius XM, noting: “Hov, to me, is the best rapper, period.”
Watch the full interview below.
