Pusha T has paid tribute to Kendrick Lamar for keeping an emphasis on lyricism throughout his career.
Speaking as part of a panel at REVOLT WORLD in Atlanta this past weekend, Pusha gave his “Nosetalgia” collaborator his flowers for both his rap skills and rejecting pressure to water down his music for wider appeal.
“I’m sure people have said and have told him his whole career, ‘You rap good. You’re great, but you rap too much. You need to make a song like this. You need to do that.’ It’s amazing to watch him be exactly who he is, be the lyric king,” he said.
The Clipse rapper added: “People who never even listen to lyrics are reciting his freestyles, his battles, his songs. It’s great to watch. And it’s great for what it is we do in lyric-driven Hip Hop.”
Kendrick Lamar’s commitment to lyrics has’t hampered his commercial success — as displayed by his recent announcement that he will headline next year’s Super Bowl halftime show, a stage reserved for the biggest names in music.
While some, including Nicki Minaj, Birdman and Cam’ron, feel that Lil Wayne should’ve been given the nod due to Super Bowl LIX taking place in his hometown of New Orleans, Pusha T was one of the first to pledge his allegiance to Kendrick.
In a promo video announcing himself as the Super Bowl performer, K. Dot seemingly responded to a recent video from Drake promising a “game two” victory, saying: “You know it’s only one opportunity to win a championship; no round twos.”
Pusha reposted Kendrick’s quote on his Instagram Stories and appeared to reference his own 2018 beef with Drizzy, which saw him have the final word with his scathing diss song “The Story of Adidon.”
“This is true… [shrug emoji],” he wrote underneath the image while congratulating the Compton rapper on the coveted gig.
King Push has been firmly on Kendrick’s side in his high-profile feud with mutual enemy Drake.
In June, he shared his reaction to K. Dot namedropping him on the diss song “Euphoria” (“Fuck all that pushin’ P, let me see you push a T [Pusha T]”) and was not shy in showering him with praise.
“Incredible. Incredible display,” he said in an interview with Vulture. “Incredible display of battle raps. Listen man, Kendrick…”
