Pusha T Says Kendrick Lamar’s “Mr. Morale” Is “Great Competition”

BYAron A.Updated on September 26, 202212.6K Views

Pusha T at The Recording Academy DC Chapter Women In Hip Hop Brunch on June 18, 2022 in Washington, DC.

Pusha T welcomes the competition in his campaign for Rap Album Of The Year.

We're nearly into July, and it's safe to say that it's been an excellent year for hip-hop so far. We've certainly received some solid albums so far but it's safe to say that Pusha T and Kendrick Lamar's respective bodies of work have reached the levels of expectations that fans drummed up over the past four years. While Push is unequivocally declaring It's Almost Dry as the Rap Album Of The Year, Kendrick Lamar is certainly giving him a run for his money with the release of Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers.

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During our recent conversation with Push, the G.O.O.D Music president shared his thoughts on Kendrick Lamar's latest project, describing it as a "conversation piece" and applauding Kendrick's lyricism across the double-disc project.

"I think he made a strong album. I think his album is definitely a conversation piece, for sure. I think that Kendrick does what he does lyrically," he explained. "I think it was impressive, for sure. I think it's great competition. It's a matter of what you want to hear. I feel like for what it is that I do and what I was going for, and like I said, this is rap album of the year to me. It's Almost Dry. That is the mood and that is the energy. I think I put out that type of energy."

The two rappers released their respective projects within weeks of each other. And while that wasn't something that was strategically planned on either end, the celebration of both is evidently reflected across streaming service numbers. When asked why he thinks both albums were so important for 2022, his answer was simple: "Because we are the best rappers."

"I’m just talking about in a sense of being like really good rappers [laughs], fundamentally good rappers. You know that from those two artists you are getting the truth. That's it. People know that they are getting quality. You know that you are getting taste. You know that you are getting well-thought-out compositions," he said. I haven't heard anybody say that they hated my album or his album. I feel like you're gonna like both, for sure. But it's just a matter of what you are feeling and what mood you prefer to be in."

Check out our full interview with Pusha T here.

About The Author

Aron A.

Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.