To all who read me on this site, this is my first music/album review. So this is a new thing for me. But, as someone who does love hip-hop (in-between every Japanese opening/OST I listen to) it was great to get to review the newest Pusha T album, Daytona. The former drug dealer-turned-rapper who is well known for his cocaine flows and life on the streets is back again with … well, the same shit as before. Does that make it bad? Nope, because Pusha T makes it work as he is a lyricist first and knows how to get it done with all his knowledge.
The overall album is short, very short. A collected total of 21:08 that consist of just 7 songs, but each one goes hard in their own way. “If You Know You Know” gets it going soundly, and “Hard Piano” is also a great song that gives one of the the best opening sentences ever. “Never trust a bitch who finds love with a camera/She will fuck u, then turn around, and fuck the janitor.” Fantastic. “Santeria” also gives us the line “Leave you like Malcolm/Where X marks you grave,” as Pusha tells it how it is. With “What Would Meek Do?” Kanye West is also appearing on here. And as you know, he’s been in the news lately for reasons. I’ll get to all that another time, but for now, just know he is fully aware of everyone talking about him on here, so he knows.
The one thing you will notice on here is the production and the beats that are on Daytona. And you can thank Kanye for that. However you judge him lyrically, you cannot deny that Kanye is one of the best producers out there, as the beats he made for this album are as great as any other Kanye-produced song. Hell, they almost overtake Pusha himself because of how well they are made. It’s the highlight of the album, which is kinda unfair to Pusha, even if he is good on all these tracks.
For me, the best songs on here are both the first and the last one, as “Infrared” is the hardest one on this album. From dissing the Academy, to dissing another “rapper” on here with the lines “Written like Nas/Came from Quinton” and “How can u write these wrongs/When u didn’t even write ur songs?” So, of course, this “said rapper” wouldn’t take this sitting down and make his own diss right? Well yeah, you’re right. He didn’t even last a day when Daytona came out, basically overshadowing it all.
Drake had to come back with his own, and while it does sound like a typical Drake rap beat, you can’t deny that he does go in with talking about Kanye, going “Album Mode,” saying Pusha “ain’t top 5 on his own label”, and the kicker, talking about Pusha’s fiancee. So yeah, Drake won this one standing up, right? AAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Sorry, Drake, but you should know what rap beef is, and knowing Pusha’s character and where he was from, he should’ve seen this coming.
Where “Duppy Freestyle” sounds like a modern-day beef song, “The Story of Adidon” is almost like the old-school rap beefs that had no chill at all, and went there and beyond. From Drake’s dad not being there, to his porn star baby momma, to him not seeing his secret kid with said porn star, and even going so far as to say Drake’s main producer is going to kick the bucket soon because of his disease. It’s one of the best modern diss tracks I have heard, and I didn’t even get to the part where Pusha found a pic of Drake in blackface, and used it for the photo cover. To put it in better terms, Lebron gave the Toronto Raptors 4 straight L’s, but Pusha T gave Drake the biggest L that puts that to shame. It must suck being Toronto these days.
Overall, while “Adidon” may have been the highlight over the past week with Pusha T, it shouldn’t overlook Daytona. Is it his best stuff? No. But it is a damn good album, with some good production and, even short, a quality playlist that I recommend listening to.
Final Verdict: A good album that led to Pusha destroying Drake’s pride and image.
Daytona is available from GOOD Music and Def Jam Recordings on digital download and streaming services.