wyoming sessions

Pusha T Explains How Kanye West Took “Follow God” Away From Clipse

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Pusha T and Kanye West have a very complicated relationship, and one that isn’t very amicable right now. Still, that doesn’t mean that they can’t look back on their extensive history, even if some of these reflections indicate more contentious moments. For example, Push and his brother No Malice spoke to Rolling Stone ahead of their upcoming reunion album as Clipse. During this conversation, they recalled pulling up to Wyoming in the late 2010s to work with Ye on his upcoming material, which included a self-titled 2018 album, Pusha’s own solo LP, and the Chicago artist’s 2019 project Jesus Is King.

Furthermore, this was the first time that Clipse worked together in almost ten years, but according to Pusha T, it was frustrating. Kanye West would allegedly “nix” Pusha’s ideas, but there was a lot of back-and-forth inspiration. One instance was when he and No Malice recorded over the “Follow God” beat, a song that eventually became a solo cut on Jesus Is King. “He gave us the beat. Forgot about the beat. We working on the records,” Pusha explained. “We laid [vocals] to it,” NM recalled. “Kanye was like, ‘I need that back,’” the “Nosetalgia” spitter added.

Read More: Pharrell Rocks Out To Unreleased Clipse Collab In New Album Preview

Pusha T & Kanye West Performing In 2009

Pusha T Kanye West Follow God Clipse Wyoming Hip Hop News
NEW YORK CITY, NY – JULY 30: Kanye West and Pusha T attend THE DIESEL U Music Tour 2009 NYC – Arrivals / Performance at Webster Hall on July 30, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by NICK HUNT /Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)

Of course, we all know that Clipse eventually reunited on Jesus Is King‘s “Use This Gospel” alongside Kanye West and Kenny G. As for their next moves, Pusha T and No Malice are just waiting on one feature for their new album Let God Sort Em Out before it drops later this year. “I’m so excited about this new Clipse album,” Push told the Ghetto Runways podcast recently. “That’s what I’m on right now. It’s absolutely finished. Just waiting on a feature. Just waiting on a feature, bro, just one feature.”

Meanwhile, Pusha T recently explained why Kanye West still collaborates a lot despite his volatile and bigoted ways as of late. “I believe that there’s a level of visibility that comes along with being next to somebody like Ye,” he told Complex. “At the end of the day, it’s a level of musicality and genius-level production that comes along with being next to him. So you get a lot of things that I think artists are looking for these days in being next to him. It’s all about the music for me and just making music at a certain level. I’ve been in this game a long time, so it’s about a certain type of hip-hop that I want to make. And truthfully, Ye definitely knows what I like to make, and I only want to be a part of things that I want to do.”

Read More: Kanye West Divulges On Falling Out With Pusha T

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Will Kids See Ghosts Ever Make Another Album?

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Kids See Ghosts is a collaborative effort between Kanye West and Kid Cudi. The duo’s work culminated in a self-titled 7-track album released in 2018. The album was released as part of Kanye’s “Wyoming Sessions” era, which saw the prolific producer serving up 5 albums in the span of 5 weeks, in collaboration with many of his closest musical peers. The Kids See Ghosts record has been widely hailed as one of the greatest outings of the bunch, touting an 84 out of 100 score on Metacritic, and earning the coveted 10/10 from popular music critic Anthony Fantano. Despite receiving massive critical praise for the project, there have been no concrete rumors of a follow-up. The tumultuous relationship between the rappers has led many fans to wonder if the duo will ever produce another album.

Read More: Kanye West & Kid Cudi: A History Of Their Friendship

Kids See Ghosts 2 Was Previously Rumored In 2019

Rumors of a second Kids See Ghosts album began circulating as early as 2019, with both Kanye and Cudi claiming they were prepared to work on new music together. Unfortunately, the first album arrived with unfulfilled promises, leaving fans unable to trust the duo on their word. For starters, the original album was set to be delivered with a cartoon series which never materialized. Furthermore, Kanye’s long-awaited follow-up project to the Wyoming sessions, Yandhi, never officially saw the light of day. Kanye also announced a host of projects that never came to fruition, including a second Watch The Throne album. After moving on to his Donda album cycle in 2021, most fans seemed to agree that these projects had all been abandoned.

Kid Cudi And Kanye Feud Over Pete Davidson

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RIP kids see ghosts 2

♬ original sound – Pay

In 2022, the duo eliminated any possibility of a second Kids See Ghosts album after Kanye started lashing out at everybody involved with SNL’s Pete Davidson. At the time, Davidson had begun romantically seeing Kim Kardashian, resulting in the rapper having a public meltdown. Kanye’s tirade against Pete extended into diss records, music videos depicting the comedian being violently killed, and cutting ties with anyone who regarded Pete as a friend. Kid Cudi refused to disavow Pete Davidson over Kanye’s qualms, resulting in a public falling out.

The pair previously held disagreements in their artistic partnership, but this spat seemed like the end for the duo creatively. During their beef, Cudi referred to Kanye as a Dinosaur, claimed that his contributions to Ye’s albums were the highlight of his creative vision, and stated it would take a full-blown miracle to forgive the “Off the Grid” rapper. For years, it seemed as though there would be no hope for a Kids See Ghosts reunion.

Read More: Kanye West & Kid Cudi’s “Kids See Ghosts” Turns 5

The Pair Made Up In December 2023

Despite high tensions between Kid Cudi and Kanye West, the pair finally reunited in December 2023. This is particularly interesting because Kanye is largely considered even more radioactive by association now than before. After falling out with Cudi, Kanye sank even further, delivering a slew of antisemitic rants, social media posts, and interviews. Luckily, days after linking back up with Kid Cudi, Kanye released a long-overdue apology to the Jewish community.

For the time being, Kanye West seems more focused on his latest musical duo, ¥$ alongside Ty Dolla $ign. The pair’s debut album, Vultures, is expected to drop sometime soon. There are rumors of a Kid Cudi feature on at least one of the tracks. The three previously collaborated on the Kids See Ghosts track “Freeee (Ghost Town Pt. 2)” which is widely regarded as a fan favorite.

While nothing points toward a second Kids See Ghosts album arriving soon, the door seems to be open, once again, for the collaborative rap duo. With any luck, we may see the pair working together again soon, as long as Kanye West can refrain from having another major meltdown in the coming months.

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What Pusha T Album Had The Biggest First-Week Numbers?

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Pusha T albums can be summarized with a quote from the Virginia rapper, himself, straight out of “Untouchables”: “I drops every blue moon to separate myself from you kings of the YouTube.” Push has dropped solo projects in 2013, 2015, 2018 and 2022. The gaps between each release only create more hype amongst his fans, especially since he doesn’t do many features between each album drop.

His most recent album, 2022’s It’s Almost Dry, sold 55K units in its first week and went No. 1 on the Billboard 200 because of streaming. However, 2018’s DAYTONA is his best-selling album, with 77K units sold in its first week. It debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200. Let’s look back at the project that helped amass Pusha T’s significant success.

Read More: Pusha T Delivered An Instant Classic With “Come Back Baby”

A Product Of The Wyoming Sessions

The creative processes of Pusha T albums are often shared by the rapper through interviews. However, the album’s creation made headlines with DAYTONA because of its executive producer, Kanye West. In 2018, Kanye moved to Wyoming and bought a 4,000-acre piece of land home to a $7 million ranch. Here, Kanye produced Pusha T’s entire album – and four others – in a moment known in modern music history as the “Wyoming Sessions.” DAYTONA was the first release from this batch, and the others followed weekly in May 2018. Unfortunately, there was not a livestream for this album listening party like the other releases, but it dropped on time with no errors – unlike some other releases. 

Pusha T Believes In Quality Over Quantity

Listeners know Pusha T albums for valuing quality over quantity, but DAYTONA is the best example of this. With only seven tracks and no intro, outro or interlude, the album is as straightforward as it gets. In an interview with NPR, Pusha shared that this tracklist length was not his original plan. “I probably wanted to be 12. 10 or 12,” he said.

However, Kanye had other plans. He wanted the album to have eight songs but brought it down to seven. Ironically, Push said he sent seven paragraphs to Ye about why he disagreed with the short tracklist. Kanye’s decision worked excellently, with fans having fun debates about which song was truly best and every song having over 25 million streams. The opening track, “If You Know You Know,” has a title that has become a common saying across social media, often abbreviated to “IYKYK.”

Read More: Pusha T Fans Rap Along Word For Word At Belgium Concert

DAYTONA Had Two Major Moments

Like all Pusha T albums, coke bars and lyrical dexterity are running themes throughout DAYTONA. However, Push sometimes delves away from them and dedicates a whole song to a more vulnerable subject matter. “Santeria” finds him discussing the death of De’Von “Day Day” Pickett, his close friend and road manager. 070 Shake’s haunting vocals help this one have a completely different atmosphere than the other songs, but the beat switch in its final moments brings the album’s core sound back.

We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention “Infrared” an integral moment in the ongoing feud between him and Drake. The sparse instrumental gave the song a menacing tone, and listeners quickly picked up on the references to Drake and those he knew. This later led to one of the biggest moments in modern rap history – Pusha T exposing that Drake had a son.

Pusha T’s Success Continues

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – SEPTEMBER 03: Pusha T performs onstage during 2022 Made In America at Benjamin Franklin Parkway on September 03, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Roc Nation)

DAYTONA is a Pusha T album that helped solidify his presence in the rap game for anyone who doubted him. The album would help push him to more commercial success when its follow-up, 2022’s It’s Almost Dry, went No. 1 on the Billboard 200. DAYTONA was released during the “Surgical Summer,” as Push himself called it, that had rap fans talking and its final track had people that didn’t even listen to him talking.

Push said the album’s title, which refers to a Rolex watch of the same name, meant he had the luxury of time. However, the original title of the album was King Push. Still, no matter how long the wait was, listeners would tap in with his music. The album’s success proved this and people are still listening to it today. It’s been called his best and one of the best in all of modern rap. 

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Kanye West & Kid Cudi’s “Kids See Ghosts” Turns 5: A Standalone Classic

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June 8th, 2023 marks the 5th anniversary of Kanye West and Kid Cudi’s self-titled collaborative album, Kids See Ghosts. Released on June 8, 2018, via Def Jam, Wicked Awesome, and G.O.O.D. Music, Kids See Ghosts was the third release from Kanye’s infamous 2018 “Wyoming Sessions.” Earlier that year, he recorded a series of 7-track albums at his ranch in Jackson Hole. Pusha T’s now-classic DAYTONA launched the campaign, followed by West’s Ye album. A week later Kids See Ghosts arrived in its entirety. Nas’s NASIR and Teyana Taylor’s KTSE preceded KSG and each of these projects was primarily produced by Kanye West, along with additional co-producers. 

Kids See Ghosts contains features Pusha T, Ty Dolla $ign, and Yasiin Bey. Upon release, it was one of the most acclaimed albums from those Wyoming sessions. Although their first collaborative album, the working relationship between Kanye West and Kid Cudi created defining moments in hip-hop. Still, the two had a number of fallouts before joining forces as Kids See Ghosts. Here is a look back at the album for its anniversary. 

Read More: Kanye West & Kid Cudi’s “Kids See Ghosts” Production Credits Revealed

The Result Of A Strong Chemistry

Before Kids See Ghosts came out in 2018, Kanye West and Kid Cudi had developed a close working relationship. From 2008-2013, Kid Cudi was one of the flagship artists signed to West’s G.O.O.D. Music label, releasing his first three albums on the imprint. He was also the only artist on the G.O.O.D. Music’s Cruel Summer compilation to have his own solo track. Still, Cudi left an indelible imprint on Ye’s catalog, from 808s & Heartbreak and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy to Yeezus, and The Life Of Pablo. Of course, Ye helped introduce Kid Cudi to the world, having heavily contributed to Kid Cudi’s first two studio albums, Man On The Moon: The End Of Day and 2010’s Man On The Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager. Eventually, Cudi left G.O.O.D Music in 2013.

Kanye West and Kid Cudi have clearly influenced each other and brought the best out of each other on a track, which is what made Kids See Ghosts such a successful effort. Following 2015’s Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1, the two had publicly exchanged jabs before making up. Kids See Ghosts was an artistic triumph following the lukewarm reception to Kanye’s previous album and his pro-Trump rhetoric. The reconciliation between close collaborators is also what made the album so exciting. At 7 short songs and a 24-minute runtime, the album lived up to high expectations.

Read More: Takashi Murakami Describes Kanye West & Kid Cudi’s Artwork For “Kids See Ghost”

An Eclectic Blend of Sounds

The song “4th Dimension” contains a sample of Shirley Ann Lee saying that “you only want two and a half minutes” or “three minutes max” for a good song. Kanye West approached every 2018 project with this idea. Kids See Ghosts still manages to deliver enough quality music to make a strong impact with a short runtime.

The album featured Kanye’s best rapping out of the five Wyoming releases, easily surpassing Ye which was widely considered a disappointment by many. However, there are many similar sonic themes across the project. “Freeee,” for example, is a sequel to “Ghost Town” and certainly outshines its predecessor with the help of Ty Dolla $ign. However, compared to Ye, Kanye’s significantly more clever and focused. Similarly, Kid Cudi also sounds just as revitalized on this project. He sounded healed and confident, especially in emotional songs like “Reborn” and “Cudi Montage.”

Kids See Ghosts is unpredictable in its sound and approach, as evidenced by the explosive “Feel The Love,” “4th Dimension,” which flips a Christmas song, and the Kurt Cobain-sampling “Cudi Montage” — immediate highlights from the project.

A Standalone Classic

Kanye West & Kid Cudi "Kids See Ghosts" performed at Coachella 2019.
INDIO, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 20: Kanye West and Kid Cudi perform during 2019 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival on April 20, 2019 in Indio, California. (Photo by Timothy Norris/Getty Images for Coachella)

Much like their previous collaborations, the two brought the best out of each other. The production of Kids See Ghosts is eclectic and layered, drawing psychedelic influences and flipping obscure samples. However, they only delivered one rare performance of their album together at Tyler, The Creator’s Camp Flog Gnaw festival in 2018. Unfortunately, four years later, they fell out once again. In 2022, Kanye West took issue with Kid Cudi’s friendship with Pete Davidson, who was dating Kim Kardashian amid her divorce from Ye.

Kanye West and Kid Cudi’s supposed final collaboration was on Pusha T’s “Rock N Roll” from 2022, which was recorded prior to their disagreements. Kid Cudi specified that he and Kanye would not work together in the future. Because of that, Kids See Ghosts stands on its own as a landmark collaboration for hip-hop in the 2010s. Five years later, the album sounds fresh as ever and its quality has not been matched by albums from Kanye and Cudi since. 

Read More: Kanye West & Kid Cudi Reveal “Kids See Ghosts” Animated TV Show

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