King Push returns.
Teaming up with Mike WiLL Made-It on a war-ready beat with sparse drums, Pusha T’s “H.G.T.V.” — the first hint of his forthcoming album King Push — unleashes a flurry of new lines likely aimed at his longtime nemesis, Drake.
“It’s too far gone when the realest ain’t real,” he raps. “I walk amongst the clouds, so your ceilings ain’t real / These ni**as ‘Call of Duty’ ’cause they killings ain’t real / With a questionable pen so the feeling ain’t real.”
While those lines reference Too Far Gone and possibly Nothing Was the Same’s cloudy artwork, the barrage of bars continues. Later, he adds: “The bar’s been lowered, the well’s run dry / They beefing over melodies, but no, not I / See, I’m so top 5 / If they factor in the truth, I just might blow by.”
During the scathing verse, Pusha also references Drizzy’s alcohol brand Virginia Black with clever wordplay. “Me, myself, and I, we like a hamster in the wheel,” he rhymes. “Rose emblem, black Virginian.”
King Push was frank about his rivalry with Drake in a 2013 interview with Rap-Up. “I think we’re polar opposites, really,” he said. “Polar opposites who can rap…The attitude of mine and the attitude of his, people wanna compare that. It’s cool. I think it’s good for hip-hop. People always compare, but if you ask me, nah.”
In addition to dissing Drake, G.O.O.D. Music’s president defends his signee Desiigner against the haters. “Oh mama, they question my starting lineup / You only find a diamond from digging like coal miners,” he spits. “Don’t listen to ’em, Desiigner / The same rappers talkin’ next year will be Uber drivers.”
The music video for “H.G.T.V.” was shot completely in black and white and premiered on Snapchat, hence its phone-ready format. It features Push sitting down on everything from a school desk to a concrete bench to an executive’s chair. Eventually, however, King Push has to stand up for the finale.
“H.G.T.V.” is a preview into Pusha’s forthcoming album King Push, the follow-up to last year’s Darkest Before Dawn: The Prelude.