By: Loreal Curtis
When the It’s Almost Dry album was released, I was in complete awe of the production, sample choices, variety of flows and overall swag it had. After hearing that both Pharrell and Kanye West produced the album, I was interested to see what all of these legends could create together. Soon after Pusha T’s surprise performance with Clipse at the 2022 BET Hip Hop Awards, my anticipation for this concert was at an all time high. Although this was my first time seeing him in concert, this was my second time seeing his opening act, IDK. The last time I saw IDK was back in 2017 when he was opening up for an Isaiah Rashad’s show in Florida. I already knew IDK was going to come out with all of the energy. And let me tell you, IDK did just that! He warmed up the crowd and had everyone hype.
Pusha T, also known as King Push, is looked up to as a living legend in the hip hop community. With nearly 30 years in the game, Pusha T’s stage presence and confidence came with no surprise. He’s truly a seasoned professional and this was so evident seeing how comfortable he was on stage. It was so refreshing to see him rap and not just recite adlibs with the track playing. I was so impressed by his breath control and articulation when he performed. I’ve been to a lot of concerts in my life and to see a rapper rap all of their songs word for word with such ease was not common.
The venue was filled with such a diverse group of fans. It was so beautiful to see how passionate everyone was rapping to every song along with Pusha T. This was my first time seeing the merch line long for the entirety of a show. The first song performed was Let the Smokers Shine The Coupes and from that moment on everyone stayed on their feet the entire time. Whether you were a new fan or a Clipse fan, you were definitely pleased with the set list. Songs from his previous album, Daytona, were performed as well as some of his covers and features. Pusha T is the type of rapper that spits bars with precision, in addition to that both his cadence and flows are unmatched. When his hit song off the album, Diet Coke, started playing with the intro, the entire venue went crazy. Pusha T made sure to remind us of his longevity in the industry by performing one of the hit songs from Clipse, Grindin’. We couldn’t get enough of Pusha T so his encore performance of So Appalled was much appreciated.
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