Pusha T Has Beef With Spicy Wings ｜ Hot Ones [LIqpT0_ul8s].webm.wav.txt

 [laughing]
 Yeah, man!
 Hey, what's going on, everybody? For First We Feast, I'm Sean Evans,
 and you're watching Hot Ones.
 It's the show with hot questions and even hotter wings.
 And today we're joined by Pusha T.
 He's a five-time Grammy Award nominated artist,
 including his latest record, Daytona, which was up for rap album of the year.
 Last month, he released his new single, Diet Coke,
 which can only mean one thing.
 A new Pusha T album of the year contender is on the way,
 but in the meantime, a ten-round bout with the wings of death.
 Pusha T, welcome to the show.
 Thanks for having me.
 How are you around hot sauce?
 Before we dig in, I'm just curious, where's your foundation?
 I'm pretty mild.
 I mean, I'm a, you know, I'm a Texas Pete guy.
 I'm a, uh...
 Tabasco sauce. I mean, nothing too crazy.
 Well, today it'll be a crash course in all things hot sauce.
 -Are you ready to get started? -Yeah, let's get to it.
 Okay.
 -And it's already on. -Oh, it's already on it?
 -It's already on. -Oh, man.
 -Easy. -Easy.
 Cool.
 Easy.
 So over the last few weeks, you've been giving people a steady dose
 of new music, from the song snippets to putting on a music video
 for your latest single, Diet Coke.
 What's your relationship between taking time off between projects,
 like separating yourself from the spotlight?
 It's rare in this social media age of 24/7 accessibility
 to have an artist of your caliber lay low for any amount of time.
 I just feel like, you know...
 My brand is all about creating, like, masterpieces.
 And I don't know if masterpieces get churned out
 every six months or every nine months.
 Or every year, actually.
 Some good music can come from it,
 but I'm very specific on what it is that I'm trying to create,
 what I'm trying to make.
 Well, that is a lovely segue to the next wing.
 -Are you ready to move on? -Yeah.
 So this next one is the Dawson's Cedar Smoke Garlic.
 Okay.
 It's cool. Not too tough.
 So recently we had Dave Grohl on the show,
 who's a big believer that music is shaped by its physical surroundings.
 And there's so much lore between the Hawaii sessions
 from my beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
 to recording Daytona in Wyoming and Utah.
 What do you think the influence is of a place on a record sonically?
 Like, how are those albums products of the recording environment?
 You know, going to those secluded places,
 whether it's Hawaii or whether it's Utah or Wyoming, it's...
 Yeah.
 That's really just to get away from people
 and to really be able to hone in and focus on what it is that we're trying to create.
 I've noticed that when we stay in major cities...
 -Too many distractions. -Too many distractions.
 Too many people coming over, you know,
 when really we're just trying to, like, really cook up and, you know, create perfection.
 You're meticulous about putting together a comprehensive body of work,
 but some of your collaborators are a little more spontaneous.
 What comes to mind when you think of the last-minute suggestions Kanye West has had
 when your album is, say, due in 24 hours to the label?
 Oh, man. That's the thing about him.
 I think that's the gift of him. His instincts.
 He's pretty spot on instinctively when, like, he just feels like a song is missing something
 or feels like the art is not as strong as it could be.
 And the good thing about him is he works to the last minute.
 So you always get that opportunity to be great.
 -Pretty easy. -There we go.
 -Yeah. -Enjoy that.
 -And the wings are great. -They are.
 Great wings, enjoying the sauces.
 Enjoy that while you can over here on this show.
 So hustler music has remained classic over the years,
 but the trappings of the lifestyle have evolved over time.
 So what I want to do is play a game where I just hit you with some things
 straight out of a hip-hop time capsule,
 and you tell me if they're primed for a comeback baby
 or if they need to fall back baby.
 -Okay. -Acura Legend Coops.
 Come back or fall back?
 Man.
 I'm not gonna front on that, man. Come back.
 Come back. I love those cars.
 Just a super innovative shape.
 You know, it was a staple just in the streets.
 Like you were actually doing your thing if you had it.
 -You know what I'm saying? -I know what you're saying.
 Throwback jerseys.
 Oh, fall back.
 Fall back.
 I just don't want anything to do with the throwback jersey.
 I don't know, and they were just so oversized and crazy.
 It was like...
 I don't know if we need that.
 G-Shock watches.
 You know what?
 Come back.
 -I'm on the edge of my seat over here. -Yeah, come back.
 Come back. Come back with the G-Shock, man.
 I mean, you know, it's calm, it's cool, it's every day.
 -There we go. -Yeah.
 And then when you think about the cars, the watches,
 the designers that have defined various eras in your rap career,
 is there a Pusha T brand cosign that you think has aged the best?
 Like when you think about the waves that you were on early on,
 are there any that you look back on and are most proud of?
 Hmm.
 I think workwear has really done me well.
 Like all my albums, all my album packaging,
 and all my album art and pictures and press pictures
 are usually workwear inspired.
 And I would say a hot one's fitted the year so far today.
 Oh, awesome. Yeah, you like the color, right?
 -There we go. -Yeah.
 Angry Goat Pepper Company.
 Okay.
 So you grew up in Virginia Beach, miles away from music titans,
 including Timbaland, Chad Hugo, Pharrell, Missy Elliott,
 and that's kind of just off the top of my head.
 What's the significance of Hovercraft Studios on Shell Road?
 Wow.
 Hovercraft Studios.
 Um, it's where a lot of magic happened.
 Um, Hovercraft was a studio that Pharrell and Chad bought, actually.
 Yeah.
 [laughing]
 That, um...
 It was-- Listen, man.
 [laughing]
 It was a studio we used to work out of, and eventually they purchased it.
 Virginia Beach and the whole 757 area
 have a lot of different influences.
 Right, I think that's interesting, right?
 'Cause you have the military base nearby,
 so you're not locked into regional sounds
 that you'd find in California or New York or wherever else.
 So I found a lot of, um...
 There would be, like, a mixtape store,
 and I'd go to it, and they would have, like...
 introduce me to things like Texas screw music and things like that,
 'cause they were catering to the military.
 And, um, I was just, you know, I was introduced to a lot of different sounds that way.
 - Cool? - No problem. No problem.
 That was a setup.
 [laughing]
 Well, I think you've noticed by now
 that sometimes you'll eat a hot sauce, right?
 It'll be okay at first,
 and then it has that sort of, like, ticking time bomb quality to it,
 where 30 seconds down the line or whatever,
 that's when you really start to feel it.
 Right. And then you ask these questions,
 and I gotta talk through, like, my saliva.
 - [laughing] - Yeah, it's tough.
 So you've made the same song, the same album, your whole career.
 A point that you make with Pride is the music is timeless.
 But there's also something remarkable about finding new angles on a singular subject,
 like a push-your-T study in the elasticity of the English language.
 Do you see a connection between your brand of articulate street raps
 and, like, an artist who's done a thousand still lifes
 or a poet who focuses on nature or war?
 Uh, no, I don't. I don't.
 And just recently, I was saying that, like,
 I am like the Martin Scorsese of, like, street raps.
 And that's how I wanna be seen.
 Like, even just creatively,
 Scorsese gives you the departed, good fellas,
 and a host of other joints.
 And you never say, "Hey, I want him to make a love story."
 That's how I want you to look at me rap-wise.
 Because it's still, at the end of the day, like,
 I always kick it up a notch.
 I always keep it relevant to today's time.
 I always still give you the, um,
 the right-here, right-now version of everything that, you know,
 that is the foundation of what it is that I do street rap-wise.
 Is hot sauce your thing? Like, you do this all the time.
 Yeah, believe it or not, we're, like, in the tail end of the 17th season.
 So for, like, seven or eight years, I've been doing this show.
 Oh, so you've, like, done this.
 -Like, you've... -Oh, I've lived it.
 -This is your thing. -It's just a lifestyle for me at this point.
 Now, tell me something. What about, like...
 When do I get to, like, drink water or soda or milk?
 So there's nothing you can right now, if you'd like to.
 -Okay. -And, uh, I kind of have a habit of mirroring the guests.
 So, like, whenever you go in, I feel like then I can go in, too, you know?
 So whenever you're ready, I'm gonna join you at the party.
 Okay.
 It's interesting to me that in the beginning of your career,
 you did $2,000 shows for drug dealers
 and then ended up doing the Pitchfork Festivals
 to an audience of hipsters.
 Looking back, what did those shows feel like while you were doing them,
 the Pitchfork shows? And then looking back now,
 what impact do you think it had on, like, the trajectory of your career?
 Ah, man, at the...
 Listen, at the time when I was doing those Pitchfork shows,
 I was, like, really upset at that time,
 'cause I was like, "That's not what I was used to."
 But fast-forward, looking back in hindsight,
 it really helped establish my base.
 We called them "clipsters."
 They understood and they read deeper into the lyrics than just Coke.
 I think those days and those times and that audience
 really helped shape everything that's going on today.
 This is, like, hot for no reason.
 So I'm not really interested in re-examining headlines from three years ago,
 but I am curious your thoughts on the evolution of rap beef
 and how you think the rules of engagement have changed over time.
 What would you say is the biggest difference
 between how diss tracks were exchanged 20 years ago versus today,
 and why is it still important? Who wins?
 Mm.
 It's really corporate now.
 So it's like, now, like, you'll have, like, a rap beef and, like...
 a record label gets involved, and, like, the CEOs are like,
 "Oh, you can't do this to my artists!"
 And they'll, like... I don't think they end careers anymore,
 'cause people don't have the same, like, pride level about the art.
 Is it less important who wins now than it used to be?
 Yeah, 'cause, like, you know...
 back in the day, it was, like, career-ending.
 -You know what I'm saying? -There were stakes.
 Yeah, but 'cause it was based around the art.
 Nowadays, like, man, they don't...
 People don't care. They're like, "Oh, well, you know,
 they lost today, but...
 whatever. It's no big deal.
 You know, we don't... we don't care as much.
 We're just moving on." And so, you know, so many headlines
 and things going on, and just sweeping under the rug.
 Well, speaking of moving on,
 this next one is Da Bomb Beyond Insanity.
 And I should note, no water, no milk,
 no grape soda through 7.
 -Yeah. -Let the record show...
 this next one might change some things.
 This is Da Bomb Beyond Insanity.
 Really? You sure?
 -You're very confident. -No, I'm just asking.
 [laughing]
 -You ready? -I'm ready.
 All right, come on.
 Ruined a great wing.
 It's not even good.
 [laughing]
 Yeah, man!
 -It's kind of tough. -Yeah.
 -But we'll make it through. -Whoa.
 [laughing]
 -I think I'm gonna... -Go in?
 -Yeah. -I'm gonna try this milk.
 I'll join you. I'll join you at the party.
 -Mm. -Yeah.
 So it's been a while since I've spoken to a musician
 about working with so many high-profile producers.
 So what I wanna do here is just hit you with a few names.
 And while you and I battle the bomb right now,
 you just tell me the first thing that comes to your mind.
 How do you cut this off?
 [laughing]
 It doesn't stop.
 It doesn't stop. It actually kind of just grows, if anything.
 -Like-- -Whoa!
 We might not be at the peak yet.
 We might not have hit the peak of that hot sauce point yet.
 So I'll just hit you with some producers.
 [laughing]
 -You tell me the first thing that comes to mind. -Oh, man, I can't!
 When you think about their process in the lab.
 Diddy.
 Maestro extraordinaire.
 Ha!
 -Bro. -Yeah.
 Mm-mm.
 No way.
 [laughing]
 How do you cut it off?
 Ha!
 Mm-mm.
 -No way. -I'm going for the grape soda.
 OK.
 What a hack. This is the first time.
 -Seventeen seasons. -The milk doesn't do it.
 Yeah, first time somebody's brought grape soda. Game changer.
 [gurgling]
 OK.
 -Forell. -Forell is all things.
 Whoo!
 Come on, man.
 I can't.
 I know, I know. I know what you're going through.
 I know what you're going through.
 I can't go no further.
 How do I get this off me, man?
 I know, I know.
 [laughing]
 How?
 So, you can do whatever you want, but this is where I try to talk you.
 OK.
 So, that wing is the worst.
 -Which one? -The one that we just ate.
 Mm-hmm.
 By miles and miles and miles.
 It's worse than these last two.
 Mm-hmm.
 These next two will kind of feel like a walk in the park by comparison.
 -Mm-hmm. -The fans will root for you.
 -And we're so close. -Too bad I can't hear them.
 I'm gonna keep it-- I'm not doing it, man.
 I-- I-- when I'm done.
 Oh! It's really hot!
 Oh, my God!
 [music playing]
 Ice cream coming in.
 Yeah, I can't.
 Alright, well, I just have a couple more questions, then we'll--
 -we'll bring this to a close, alright? -OK.
 This is a set up, man.
 [laughing]
 What makes Shaq and Biggie's "You Can't Stop the Rain"
 -one of your favorite rap tracks? -Wow.
 Man...
 'Cause Big was so great on it, and...
 I thought Shaq was gonna be bad, and he really wasn't.
 They call it ill verses, ill melodies.
 They just found their way through that track.
 What do you think is the most perfect Biggie line
 off the top of your head and without thinking about it too much?
 Oh, man.
 ♪ You niggas got some audacity ♪
 ♪ You sold a million, now you have for me ♪
 ♪ Get off my dick, kick it, bitch ♪
 [laughing]
 -The last dab? -Forever a mystery.
 Yeah, it's just forever a mystery. Cool.
 To close things out, I wanna jump in the time machine.
 Go back, because we're now just a few months past
 the 15-year anniversary of "Hell Hath No Fury",
 -which you've described as the darkest, best record hands down. -Wow.
 With your brain melting, tongue ablaze, while you enjoy your ice cream,
 what makes "Hell Hath No Fury" the perfect rap album?
 Mm.
 There was absolutely, positively not one compromise on that album.
 Not one compromise lyrically, not one compromise beat-wise.
 I don't think we ever thought about making a hit.
 I don't think we ever thought about doing anything
 other than making just the hardest, hardest record.
 You know, it was a tough time.
 But it made for a great, great, great album.
 Pusha T, the Hot Ones interview, mercifully, has come to an end,
 and now there's nothing left to do but roll out the red carpet for you.
 This camera, this camera, this camera,
 let the people know what you have going on in your life.
 I can't even think.
 [laughing]
 But new Pusha T album coming soon.
 Man.
 I see y'all. I see y'all this summer.
 I'll be in-- I'll be festivals everywhere.
 Y'all come check me out.
 [clapping]
 You're gonna be fighting these people on Twitter.
 Bro, I don't care.
 I'm at eight through ten is bad.
 Just letting you know that when they come at you--
 Wait a minute, who finishes this?
 A lot of people.
 [laughing]
 No!
 [music playing]
 [music playing]
 Hey, what's going on, Hot Ones fans?
 Sean Evans.
 Just wanna say thank you so much for watching today's episode.
 And if while you were watching you thought to yourself,
 "You know what? I would love to try that at home."
 Well, guess what? Now you can.
 Because the season 17 Hot Ones hot sauce box is now available.
 Heatness.com, Heatness.com, Heatness.com
 to get your hands on the sauces.
 Look at how it looks on the inside.
 So pretty.
 Whoa, whoa, we got boom mic problems.
 The box is so big.
 And you know what? Always with the cautionary tale.
 Be careful around the eyes.
 Hot Ones season 17, the full sauce lineup,
 now available at Heatness.com.
 (upbeat music)
 [music ends]