KRS One, Rakim, Phife Dawg, J Dilla, Lil’ Kim. “Listen, bro – keep going!” Pusha T exclaims, imploring NME to continue listing seminal rappers whose careers never had the longevity they deserved.
As a student of rap, a connoisseur of the genre, he is visibly affected by this roll-call of fallen artists, his voice breaking at certain points to convey his frustration. Many of these rappers are ones he grew up listening to, the ones that shaped him – artists whose cadence, production, flow and rhyme schemes he studied before embarking on his career.
“A lot of our forefathers, the greats, they didn’t stand the test of time,” Pusha says. “As great as they were, I don’t know how much they are [still] appreciated. [I want] to show that rap doesn’t have to age out. When people look at me, they need to understand that I can do this forever.”