Longevity in any career is hard to achieve, and in the world of entertainment, it can be nearly impossible. The keyword, of course, being “nearly.” And the trend is something that 44-year-old rapper Pusha T is hoping to fight back against with his most recent album It’s Always Dry.
Speaking with NME on the eve of his album release, Pusha T talked about old hip hop, and how he hopes that his music finds a way to stand the test of time:
“A lot of our forefathers, the greats, they didn’t stand the test of time,” Pusha says. “As great as they were, I don’t know how much they are [still] appreciated. [I want] to show that rap doesn’t have to age out. When people look at me, they need to understand that I can do this forever.”
It’s Almost Dry is street rap at its most intense and honest, which is the kind of music Pusha T has been making his entire career. Now multiple decades into stardom, he still wears his heart on his sleeve:
“It’s all about creating the best product you can create. That’s just the standard. I want people to look at this street rap narration that I’m painting and understand that this is all I want to make. Don’t ask me for anything else. I’m not entertaining you. I’ve been a realist. I’ve shown you everything. I’ve won the wars. I went through label dramas. I withstood everything. Now is the best time for me to be more creative and fully uplift the genre.”
Pusha T knows that he has his critics, and that’s okay with him, as long as he is staying honest to himself and honoring the roots from where he came.