Pusha T and Malice’s GQ interview has been making the rounds on the internet. There has been a lot of noise particularly about Push describing why he can’t work with Ye anymore, “He knows I don’t think he’s a man.”
While I found the phrasing surprising, the sentiment was understandable. Push has been one of Ye’s longest and most loyal collaborators. The duo have made it through a very long list of Ye’s controversies, drastic political differences, and even more personal clashes of values. For example, Push has never understood Ye’s and Drake’s on-and-off friendship, publicly describing them as, “fake friends with each other.”
A few years ago, I wrote about Pusha T’s career for Trapital, noting how he’d positioned his work for longevity. Push’s latest comments drew to mind the different ways he and Ye respond to similar situations:
Pride: When Drake insulted both of them, Ye eventually apologized publicly while Push responded to his insults. In spite of all of their disagreements, this seems to be one of the more significant disappointments Push has expressed to Ye.
Effectiveness: Their collaboration started when Ye invited Push to Hawaii to work on what became My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Nothing happened for a few weeks, leading Push to leave and decide not to return—until his manager Steven Victor returned and locked down a more serious opportunity. Even years into Push’s career, he had to deal with what he would call an atmosphere of “foolishness.”
Relationships: Ye has burned the bridges on many of his relationships, leaving mostly transactional collaborators. Even high profile managers like Scooter Braun don’t stick around for long. Push has sustained many of his relationships, including his brother, Steven Victor, and Pharrell. He even maintained his working relationships with Ye, in spite of their disagreements or personal feelings.
Patience: Ye tends to want things done the same day, juggling multiple projects, and publicly calling out collaborators who don’t do what he wants them to do. Push waited a year to get this next album out, remaining silent until his situation was ready for the public.
It remains impressive to me how Push not only overcame so many label setbacks, to a solo career (when No Malice left Clipse), and maintained his core fanbase and style. Ye was effectively fired by Adidas, but Push still has a deal with the company—and Louis Vuitton signed Push to be an ambassador. That’s not to say Push doesn’t have his own share of shortcomings or failures—just that he seems to be a much more mature artist than Ye is. Push would find a more elegant, luxury street rap way to say this: perhaps maturity is what it takes to be a man.