DAYTONA - Pusha T - Album Review

DAYTONA stands as one of 2018s most exhilarating projects. While the album might only have seven tracks, each song manages to strike a sense of swagger, danger, and excessive amounts of cocaine. Pusha T finds himself at his A-game, and manages to capture the glory of his former Clipse days.

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Do not let the beef between Drake & Pusha T overcloud DAYTONA, it truly finds Pusha T at his peak this decade. My Name Is My Name had many bangers such as "Numbers On The Board" and "Nosetalgia", but it also had cringey moments such as "Sweet Serenade" with Chris Brown. Darkest Before The Dawn also had Pusha T exploring darker instrumentals to murder, such tracks include "Sunshine", "F.I.F.A" and "M.P.A", overall the album is an underrated piece within his discography, but did not manage to stick with the mainstream audience.

With DAYTONA, Pusha T makes use of all the seven tracks to make his bars pack a punch. Each track has a glamorous vibe that beautifully compliments Pusha T's tales of drug dealing, "Come Back Baby" makes use of George Jackson's "I Can't Do Without You" for the chorus and it adds to the glittery sun-baked sound of the album. Kanye West makes use of many flashy samples to where they add texture to the album, and tracks such as "The Games We Play" and "Come Back Baby" stand as prime examples. Kanye West truly deserves props for his contributions to the album, however his verse on "What Would Meek Do?" feels lackluster and lifeless.

The album hits a couple of dark ambient moments such as in the much talked about diss "Infrared" and moody "Santeria". At first upon hearing the album, it took a couple of times to truly enjoy it. Pusha T finds himself at his lyrical peak in "Come Back Baby" where he speaks about rappers keeping balance for him in the rap game, and in "If You Know You Know" where he shouts out all his fellow street homies who can recall his years of success and triumph.

Sure, Pusha T may still spit bars about cocaine and the luxuries of life, but at least Kanye's production gives him enough spice to make it feel refreshing. The most shocking thing about the entire project comes to the fact that it barely clocks at twenty minutes, and it never overstay's it's welcome. If you've listened to the album already, then you know what I'm talking about (wink wink). The drug dealing connoisseur is back in top form, and everyone's invited to witness his greatness once again.

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9/10

Released: 2018

Label: GOOD Music

Favorite Tracks: If You Know You Know, The Games We Play, Hard Piano, Come Back Baby, Santeria, Infrared