Pusha T has by no means been quiet over the last couple of years, but it has been a while since we heard a new mixtape from the G.O.O.D. music signee. Push has kept himself on the blogosphere with a number of singles, and his part in the G.O.O.D. Music compliation album, Cruel Summer. His name has also been in the news for issues he has had with Young Money’s general, Lil’ Wayne, and his former label mate Consequence. Pusha's penchant for speaking his mind has only added to his relevancy. Nonetheless, a full body of work from Pusha T was called for, as fans have been waiting since 2011's Fear Of God.
The start of Wrath Of Caine sounds promising, as Pusha really grabs the listener’s attention. The first track, entitled “Intro,” was the perfect song to get the tape in gear. The Dready production proved to be the perfect complement to the lyrical onslaught that Push unleashed on the track. The energy on this cut is unmatched and the listener can tell from the beginning Pusha T isn’t playing around on this one. He speaks directly to the competition with lyrics like, “You laptop hot, just internet warm/download for download, don’t get caught up in my storm.”
Pusha Ton goes strong into the second track, “Millions.” The collaboration, which features the head man in charge at MMG, Rick Ross, is sure to have fans bopping their head and scrunching their faces from the moment the beat drops. With the beat booming in the background, Push provides listeners with the hard-hitting lyrics that have made him a fan-favorite in the rap game. Rick Ross steps up to the challenge as well, and he holds his own and then some over the Southside and Kanye West production. Pusha is confident in the record's strength, as he repeats, “this that shit that y'all wanted, this shit sound like God don’t it?”
The track “Doesn’t Matter” is a perfect example of Pusha's ability to speak his mind, although the French Montana feature falls flat. The Renegades gave Pusha a dope instrumental and he decides to use this track as the platform to speak to all the critics and people speaking negatively about him. This track is a slap in the face to the naysayers as he spits about how no matter what they say, their words will have no impact on what he’s doing. The Bad Boy signee, French Montana, takes care of the hook with his off-key sing-rapping. French's feature is a hit-or-miss-- if you're a fan of the Coke Boy you'll probably enjoy the cut, but if not, this track will probably be the one you skip.
The best feature of the tape would have to be awarded to DC’s own, Wale. Being that Wale and Pusha are both from the DMV area it would only make since that this collaboration would happen, and the two definitely did not disappoint on "Only You Can Tell It." Lyricism prevailed on this cut, although we can't forget to mention the crazy beat (which Pusha apparently nabbed from Kanye West's personal batch of beats). The self-anointed poetic genius, Wale, had a verse that was nothing to sneeze at as well. The MMG representative makes the listener pay attention to his verse, with lines such as, “And remove your words, G double O-D, MMG we good/Got Zamunda furs, don't know how Akeem, but Pusha's semi cold.”
This project is a pretty complete body of work however we can't help feeling as though something was lacking on Wrath Of Caine. It wasn't up to our usual standards of the G.O.O.D. music member. Maybe it was Pusha T's beat choice, or choice of features-- but something fell short. Nonetheless, that's not to say this project can't be enjoyed from start to finish-- it can, but we hope that his debut album, My Name Is My Name delivers more of a lasting impact.
Listen and/or download Wrath Of Caine below.