Fear of God

Fear of God

Who would have thought 10 years ago that the dynamic duo of brothers Malice and Pusha T, who formed The Clipse, would be parting? As Malice found his way to the church, Pusha T continues to live out his rap ambitions with the release of his highly anticipated mix tape, “Fear of God”. Using the booth as his confessions, Pusha tells stories of his fetish for high-end clothes, one night stands with models, and his ever so prevalent obsession with the “white”. Pusha metaphorically mixes his Virginia state of mind ideologies through the lenses of Christianity; perpetuating the religious themes that him and his brother used in a lot of their material throughout their tenure.

Opening up with a snippet from the classic movie Scarface, Pusha makes it clear that he wants the world and everything in it. The G.O.O.D. Music rep has not changed his style one bit since his signing to Yeezy’s label.  On the second track, ‘My God’, Pusha goes on a punch line rampage; bar after bar as if he was reminding the listener that if anything his solo voyage has allowed his flow to become stronger as oppose to weaker. Nevertheless, lines such as “I see the future like the car show floor models”, is retro Pusha T to say the very least. The track is defined by the beat in itself, which is composed of accordion sounds, which creates a church like feel for the record.  The production is accompanied by Biblical citations made by Pusha with catchy lines like “the second coming is in the second verse” and “the last supper for you niggas now repaint it”. These religious connotations are consistent, which helps correlate the content with the meaning behind the title of the project.

My God

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Pusha takes the mix tape from the dirty money filled trap to the V.I.P. section of premiere clubs. Tracks such as, ‘Blow’ (freestyle) and the ever so popular ‘Cook it Down’, which has become the unsaid single of the mix tape, connect the listener with Pusha’s constant battle with his alter egos of the rap star versus the trap star. “Rap shit will drive you crazy, it done drove Shyne Jew”. Explaining his depiction of the evils of the rap game, which has casted him into the perils of the drug game based off of his precarious situations encountered during his career and his attachment to the rush found in the street life. However, though Pusha T continues to relay lines on how much the life as a hustler intrigues him, he makes it apparent that his goal is to share his trials with the people through his music. “I asked God for forgiveness, now I’m asking you to listen”.

Cook It Down (Freestyle)

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With every debuting mix tape, the question of what beat did the artist hop on is something that usually arises for potential audiences. Of course, Pharrell had to bless the project with an original beat of his own. Pusha T definitely set his standards high by hopping on the classic Jay Z ‘Can I Live’ track and surprisingly Weezy’s ‘Money On My Mind’, which is not a typical joint that artists attempt to body. Pusha also added a few tracks that altered the aura of the project while still incorporating the main theme behind FOD. Tracks like ‘Open Your Eyes’ gives Pusha the opportunity to show a more intellectual persona, as he touches upon controversial issues such as race relations in entertainment; “Lohan’s get the breaks, TI’s we just stare through them”.

Open Your Eyes

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I Still Wana (Feat. Rick Ross & Ab Liva)

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If its not Pusha’s vivid descriptions of his first hand accounts of life in the “trap” or his rendezvous with women who were merely one night stands, then it’s his fascination with materialistic gain that might just capture the listener. He uniquely delivers his story much like a guilt stricken individual seeking closure from the priest. With special surprise feature artists such as, MMG boss, Rick Ross, Re Up Gang team member, Ab- Liva, and many more, Pusha definitely has a strong supporting cast. Lines like “always think big, so they praying on my downfall”, God may not be the only one feared after this one!