Pusha T has left everything to the last minute, but such is the case when you're a perfectionist. The 7-track album was up until recently named King Push, and a tracklist was only revealed days before the project was set to drop (tonight I might add). After slight modification, drastic enough if you give credit to conceptual framework, the album is now Daytona and the cover art does little reflect the chosen title. We are looking at actual images of Whitney Houston's bathroom at the worst stage of her life.
Pusha T's web page is the first sighting of the cover art. The pre-order form depicts a pink rest room completely ransacked and littered with unfinished cans and cigarette packs. Although descriptive, the image feels more like a manifestation of Kanye West's influence, than something Pusha T has demonstrated in the years following the split of The Clipse. Figurative imagery feels more à propos in the hands of Kanye West, as he's already demonstrated a certain level of ambiguity in his work. Pusha T's decisions are meant to "represent the overall message of (his) body of work." It may serve him well to continue in this direction, since this generation of music fans respond favorably to themes of "mild detachment." It's as if narco rap has been decommodified to reflect a changing of the guard.
