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Album reviews Music

>>> Pusha T

Few musicians can boast a career that includes being signed to Pharrell’s and then Kanye’s labels, picking up a Grammy nomination for Justin Timberlake’s debut solo single and serving as president of Kanye’s record label. Expectations are appropriately high for Pusha T’s new solo album.

Darkest Before Dawn, the prelude to King Push (out in the spring), is the answer to hip-hop’s generation gap. The former Clipse member combines 90s-style lyrics with haunting modern beats on several songs produced by Timbaland (Untouchable, Got Em Covered, Retribution) and even Puff Daddy (Crutches, Crosses, Caskets Keep Dealing), their best productions of late. Pusha might be considered an innovator of “coke rap,” but his hip-hop references and occasional political edge expand his subject matter.

Darkest Before Dawn’s only shortcoming is its prelude status most of its 10 songs last just two or three minutes. It’s too good to be a mixtape and too short to be an album, raising the stakes even higher for the album proper.

Top track: F.I.F.A. (produced by Q-Tip)


Pusha T plays the Danforth Music Hall on April 2.

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