Pusha T

First making an huge impression as one half of Clipse, Pusha T's solo career came after years of honing his lyrical skills and grinding in the music industry. After reaching legend status in a lengthy run with Clipse, the rapper signed with G.O.O.D. Music in 2010 and took his complex wordplay and imposing presence to albums like 2018's critically lauded Daytona.

Pusha T was born Terrence Thornton in the Bronx but was raised in Virginia Beach, Virginia along with his brother Gene Thornton. With Gene taking on the name Malice, the brothers formed Clipse in the early '90s, quickly forming a relationship with the Neptunes' Pharrell Williams and embarking on a career that would include major-label record deals and critically revered albums. In 2010, the duo announced they were taking a break to focus on solo careers. Pusha would sign with Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music imprint and land on his new label boss' album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy that same year.

In 2011, he issued both the Fear of God street-level mixtape and its officially released sequel, Fear of God II: Let Us Pray, which appeared via G.O.O.D. The label released his official debut album, My Name Is My Name, in 2013, with guest appearances from Rick Ross, 2 Chainz, Kendrick Lamar, and others. The "Untouchable" single arrived in 2015, along with the album King Push - Darkest Before Dawn: The Prelude. King Push peaked at number 20 on the Billboard 200 and rose to the number three spot on the R&B/hip-hop chart. In 2017, the rapper appeared on tracks by Linkin Park ("Good Goodbye") and Gorillaz ("Let Me Out"). He returned to his own material in 2018, recording a follow-up to King Push with Kanye West, Daytona, which arrived in May. His highest-charting release to date, Daytona was a critical and commercial success for Pusha T, appearing on dozens of year-end Best Albums lists and receiving a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album. A rivalry with Drake that had been simmering in the form of restrained lyrical slights and diss tracks came to a head in 2018. Things had been escalating in songs where Drake questioned Pusha T's drug-dealing past and Pusha T accused Drake of not writing his own rhymes. In May of 2018, Pusha T released "The Story of Adidon," a vicious track aimed directly at Drake that included references to his illegitimate child, his producer 40's failing health, and other non-stop low blows. The song, a self-released standalone track, received overwhelming critical acclaim and led many to declare Pusha T the winner of the ongoing rap battle. Moving on from there, he continued to release new music, including "Sociopath" with Kash Doll and "Coming Home" featuring Lauryn Hill. ~ David Jeffries