"I was like 'Damn,' it was feeling wack to me, writing another verse I'm like, man I'm just run-on rapping."

Photo Credits: Setor Tsikudo / Chris Ayala

Fresh off the release of DAYTONA, Pusha-T made it to Drink Champs to discuss some of the fine print of his album, namely, why he chose Rick Ross ("Hard Piano") as his only featured artist not named Kanye West.

"Because Rick Ross is one of the only rappers that I could give a beat to,” Pusha explained. “I give him my beat, I give him my verse, and I know I could turn my back on that situation, and he's gonna deliver—period. He gon' say everything on topic, on par.

“Sometimes I'm rapping and I may over-rap, but then you need that dichotomy for him to just nail shit like that and he kills it... Actually, he was in Africa, Ross was in Africa, and I had said everything I wanted to say in that verse. I was like 'Damn,' it was feeling wack to me, writing another verse I'm like, man I'm just run-on rapping. Let me just reach out to the go-to, to Ross, and he was actually in Africa... I swear to God he sent it back in two days."

Good for Pusha-T. Even as a veteran MC, sometimes it’s difficult to see the forest through the trees and know when to exercise restraint for the greater good of the music. For Pusha to be aware of, and open to remedying, his perceived weaknesses as a rapper is only a testament to his overarching strengths as an artist.

No wonder DAYTONA sounds so luxurious and finely crafted. Thanks, Rick Ross.