Pusha-T: My Name is My Name

On the streets of Baltimore in HBO's critically acclaimed series The Wire, Marlo Stanfield is the new jack who is trying to make a name for himself amongst established drug dealers. Pusha-T feels a similar way in the music industry. Although first hitting the scene a decade ago with brother Malice as a member of the Clipse, Pusha-T, real name Terrance Thorton, still feels like he has yet to become a household name in the world of music. Always one to equate hip hop with drug dealing, Pusha's debut solo album My Name is My Name lets listeners know that even if you are not a customer of his product, you will know who he is by the final listen.

Opening his debut is the intro 'King Push' produced by Joaquin Pheonix. Yes, that Joaquin Phoenix. On the first track the bar is set high for the rest of the disc as the Virginia rapper effortlessly flows over a Kanye West laced sample and soldier inspired snare drums. The track also contains a subtle jab at Cash Money's golden boy Drake, who has found himself in a continuous one-sided beef with the G.O.O.D. music lyricist as the line "I rap nigga about trap niggas, I don't sing hooks" echoes numerous times as a reminder that he does not plan to recant anytime soon.

With production from the likes of Just Blaze, Pharrell, and NO I.D., the instrumentation incorporates a perfect combination of hard-hitting trap beats mixed with hypnotizing melodies. Unlike its mixtape predecessor Wrath of Caine (which was financed personally by Thorton himself) MNIMN has the mastering and engineering that only executive produced Kanye West can conjure. The first official single 'Numbers on the Boards' contains a modernistic drum loop and a vintage In My Lifetime era Jay Z sample that any true hip hop head can appreciate. Songs like 'Suicide' and 'Nosetalgia', the latter featuring hip hop's current controversy king Kendrick Lamar, remains true to the minimalist style of production of the album; never sacrificing the lyricism that Pusha-T has made a career of for overproduced beats.

While production may have been constrained to the "keep it simple" principle, the lyricism and rhyme schemes on MNIMN abide by a different set of rules. Pusha-T's niche for witty wordplay and vivid imagery paints an autobiographical picture of the typical drug dealer turned rapper that is too complex for the average emcee to convey. On 'S.N.I.T.C.H.' we hear a retelling of the classic story of trusted friends turned strangers. "Breaks your heart when the man you called your brother is the same one setting in motion all them undercovers" Push rhymes in the final verse followed by an auto-tuned hook sang by the track's producer Pharrell which gives new meaning to the acronym of the song's title. Label mates 2 Chainz and Big Sean join the rapper on 'Who I Am' as Titi Boi emphatically spits the usual grandiose rhymes that have come to be expected while Pusha-T gives the track life with a vibrant verse littered with his Ric Flair-esque ad-libs. Push keeps the year long Ma$e renaissance alive by borrowing the Harlem emcee's slow flow on the Kelly Rowland aided track 'Let Me Love You' as the rapper breaks away from his coke dealing memoir to cater to the ladies.

To say MNIMN is a debut would be doing Pusha-T an injustice. With over a decade in the game, a certified classic under his belt, co-signs from Pharrell and Kanye West, and three solo mixtapes to his name, Pusha is far from a rookie. MNIMN is more of an introduction to the masses. In the fifth season of The Wire, a jailhouse conversation between Marlo Stanfield and members of his crew not only bears one of the most memorable scenes of the show, but also defines Marlo's character and legend as he proclaims that his name is his name, and that's all he has in the streets. For Pusha-T, he may never gain the fame of a Kanye West, or the recognition of his craft through album sales, but his name is his name, and that can never be taken away. No longer one half of the Clipse, or Pharrell's protege, Pusha-T is on his own two feet, and he wants everyone to know. The world knows the braids, the world knows 'Grindin', and after hearing his album the world will know the name.