Pusha T Says Kanye West Asked For Explanations About His Bars On "Daytona"

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Rapper Pusha T speaks at Harvard University on March 31, 2016 at the Harvard-Yenching Library in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Pusha T breaks down the bars on "If You Know You Know."

G.O.O.D Music have redefined the "G.O.O.D Friday" series this year. Instead of dropping new music every Friday, Kanye's lined up the next month with several incredible releases from the camp. Last week, Pusha T dropped off his album Daytona which was received with nothing but praise. The beauty behind the record is that it's simply Pusha T and Kanye West bouncing off each other. 'Ye on the production and Push with the bars. In a recent episode of RapGenius' Verified, he explained how the album's intro came together.

Pusha T has always made sure that he spoke to the streets with his music. In a recent episode of RapGenius' "Verified," Push said that he speaks in cryptic code and often times, Kanye West asks him to clarify lyrics for him.

"I talk in cryptic code. Some people it goes right over their heads." he said, "A lot of time, I'm in there with 'Ye and he's like, "Man, what does that mean?" To other people in the street, it's like "Oh my God, he's speaking the language, he's speaking directly to me!" If you're in touch and in tune with the life, then it's gonna mean the world to you. So if you know, you know."

Push revealed how the a capella like intro came to be on "If You Know You Know."

"Me and Kanye were just in the studio. He made the beat. He felt my first four bars were super strong. He stripped the beat down and that's why you hear this amazing acapella almost, first four to eight bars, and then the track just comes in crashing."

Peep the full episode below where he breaks down the lyrics on the track. 


About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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