Listen to the mixtape >> Pusha T - Wrath of Caine
Chestology presents "the Heard Records Show" | Pusha T: Wrath of Caine (S1E5)
Pusha T, the Bronx-born/Virginia-bred lyricist who comprised half of the legendary "actual-brothers-in-rhyme" duo, "the Clipse", found himself at an interesting career crossroads around 2009. His brother Gene (aka Malice) had grown increasingly immersed in his burgeoning relationship with his Lord and Savior; in turn, his urgency and desire to embody the trappings of a subgenre he and his brother Terrence had a strong role in revitalizing (Coke Rap) was quickly waning, . The pair that had weaved tales steeped in authenticity- the good, the bad, and the ugly aspects of that particular powder-centric trade, became more like ships passing in the night, as opposed to the two Haitian pirates operating together to establish their route, machetes at the ready. While Pusha T seemed increasingly insatiable with each Clipse release, even crowning himself "King Push", Malice, in an act of rare rap "anti-bravado" also put a twist on his moniker: he would now rap as "No Malice". Unsurprisingly, most fans said, "No Thanks".
But what then for Push? Well, for one, he announced his debut solo album, "My Name is My Name", featuring production from a who's who of hip hop luminaries. Knowing the level of work expected with those legends manning the sonic palette, Pusha chose to take his time crafting fully developed conceptual songs for the album, a wise, but bold choice in this current age of "Now".
In order to get fans familiar with what Pusha T, as a solo artist, as opposed to half of a group, would be creating, a series of mixtapes hit the streets starting in 2009-ish. "Fear of God" made a splash when that mixtape dropped, but from the moment "Wrath of Caine" was announced, you could feel the powerful vibe around the artist born Terrence Thornton.
Join Domincello and PREZZY for an insightful conversation about this landmark mixtape, including the impressive feat of having the unquestionable song of the summer come from a mixtape ("Millions"), as opposed to a record label's best formulaic approach.
A truly "Artist Defining" mixtape, "Wrath of Caine" is clearly a singular artist's vision, brought to life in a way that is truly "Untouchable".