Return of the Coke Rap King
It’s Almost Dry, G.O.O.D. Music (2022)
By Nick M. W.
When I order a cheese pizza, I don’t complain that it tastes like a cheese pizza.
When I listen to a Pusha-T album, I don’t complain that he only raps about one thing. I expect to hear him kick a lot of rhymes about dealing cocaine and the lifestyle and the stresses of illegal drug distribution, especially when one is as good at it as Pusha-T has been at it for the last 20 years. That’s why I show up for a Pusha-T album.
It’s easy to dismiss his latest album, It’s Almost Dry, as yet another well-crafted but familiar piece of cocaine rap production from an emcee who pretty much only raps about that. It is definitely that album, but what else do you expect from Pusha-T? This is who he is and has been, and he’s exceptional at it.
Kanye and Pharrell oversee the production and lend their magic to an album bereft of skippable tracks. From the moment “Brambleton” pops out of the speakers to the soft coda that closes “I Pray For You”, the album breezes by (running time is approx. 36 minutes). These veteran producers guided a crisp, focused sound that enhanced Pusha’s flow and let the rapper shine.
It’s Almost Dry will give you more of what you love about King Push, Most of the tracks absolutely slap, and, with a stroke of lexical genius, Push stuffs plenty of metaphors and references in his rhymes for fans to unpack.
Favorite Tracks
It’s Almost Dry is a more cohesive sound and vibe than Daytona, which was one of my favorite albums of 2018. If you know, you know.
I flipped several tracks off It’s Almost Dry in and out of my Top 3. They’re so many bangers, but the cream rose to the top. Here are my favorite tracks from It’s Almost Dry.
“Brambleton”
Had a million answers, didn’t have a clue/Why Michael kissed Fredo in Godfather II.
This opener sets the tone for Pharrell’s one-two punch that gets the album cracking and sets the tone for another gonzo adventure with “cocaine’s Dr. Seuss.”
20 years into the game, Pusha rides the menacing synth and brain-rattling bass line with ease as he shares his take on a partnership (with his former manager) gone wrong.
“Let The Smokers Shine The Coupes”
Don’t brag bricks to me/ If they ain’t tell you to bring your skis.
The second half of Pharrell’s opening production suite picks up the tempo and doubles down on thump.
This unapologetic track about flexing what your hustle provided will absolutely destroy your subwoofers.
“Neck & Wrist (feat. JAY-Z & Pharrell Williams)
Bring the cameraman, we can shoot our own Narcos.
Another braggadocios track about all the money these rappers allegedly made from selling kilos of Colgate white coke paler than the bottom of Martha Stewart’s foot.
I mean, this is what we came for when we stayed to listen to the album, and it just so happens to be exactly what Pusha-T is incredible at doing. Oh, and Hova’s on the track, by the way.
