The Pusha-T and Drake beef will go down as one of the biggest pop culture moments of 2018, memes included. In a new interview with Variety, Pusha discussed how he was prepared to take on Drake in a rap feud, and his surprise when it didn't go past "The Story of Adidon," at least on wax.
"It was always going to be, always going to happen. I was always going to get off. 'Infrared' had to happen," Pusha-T explained. "We were doing the back-and-forth. He had 'Two Birds, One Stone.' This is what rap is. He is… it is a machine in dealing with him. So we deal. But I had to do things at my own time. You can’t just jump out there. We’ve seen how that works when you just treat it like a street battle. It’s really not. You have to play chess."
"Infrared" would set off a quick chain of events, with Drake firing back the same day as its release with "Duppy Freestyle" and delivering an invoice for "promotional assistance and career reviving." A few days later, Pusha countered with "The Story of Adidon," which has yet to receive a proper response.
What we have received: a statement from Drake on those blackface photos, multiple claims from J. Prince that the OVO rapper had a response diss so vicious it would end Pusha's career, a highly publicized spot on LeBron James' HBO show The Shop where Drake broke down his side of the feud, and allegations that Drizzy sent people to fuck with Pusha during a concert in Toronto.
The G.O.O.D. Music rapper didn't foresee the outcome of Drake not answering back taking place.
"I was in it for the long haul… for hip-hop. I thought this was going to be a running thing, back-and-forth. I was sure he’d have a rebuttal."
He continued, "I did what I wanted to do. I only deal in truth, how I see things. When you’re dealing with words, it’s a way of dealing with truth and how the [public] process that, how they interpret that. And what touches them and what touches the person you’re going against. I actually thought we were going to keep on."
You can check out the full interview here, where Pusha-T also talked about the process of putting together DAYTONA with Kanye and his reaction when the album received a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album.
On New Year's Eve, Pusha also did a victory lap of sorts:
