WRATH OF CAINE - PUSHA-T - MIXTAPE REVIEW

Yesterday (January 28th) GOOD Music's infamous dope dealer, Pusha-T, dropped his second solo mixtape: Wrath of Caine. Before getting into detail I just wanna start off by saying this mixtape is PURE FIRE. With yet another biblical-themed title, this 11-track release contains a few songs that have already been leaked for some time, as well as some new unheard material. The mixtape features guest appearances from Rick Ross, French Montana, Popcaan, Travis Scott, Troy Ave, Kevin Gates, Andrea Martin and Wale/with production coming from Kanye West, Young Chop, Jake One and The Neptunes among others. Wrath of Caine can best be described as a collection of lyrically-driven street anthems, reminiscent of Push back in his Clipse days. 

Here's what Pusha himself had to say about the mixtape:

 "When I drop music, I aim to make u muthafuckas cry!! My true fans/family know I strive for perfection. If Def Jam is waiting on my album, what the fuck makes u think u aint gonna wait on this mixtape? It’s like when a women/man is a virgin, if u love that bitch/nigga U WILL WAIT!!"

 Well, the wait is finally over. Here's a brief track-by-track review:

Intro

"Now we don't gotta fake it no more, the line's drawn, I'm too much dope dealer for rap niggas, too much closer to every trap nigga, I'm just preachin' facts, nigga"

With this hard-hitting introduction, Pusha assures us that he is back with that system-banging street music we all love to hear from him. With some dope production from Dready, Push rides the beat with his smooth, drug-infused flow, making sure that his presence is felt by all competitors, especially the haters.

Millions (feat. Rick Ross)

"This that shit that y'all wanted,

This shit cook up hard, don't it?

Y'all gotta beg my pardon on it,

But this shit sound like God, don't it?"

You know what happen when GOOD Music and MMG get together right? Well, for one thing, its a certified banger. This track will definitely have you repeating these monotonous, yet catchy words ALL day: MILLIONS, MILLIONS IN THE CEILING/CHOPPAS IN THE CLOSET. Also, this one was co-produced by Southside and 'Ye. Definitely one of my favorites off this release, with 2 hard verses from Pusha and a nice feature from the Boss.  

Doesn't Matter (feat. French Montana)

"Since y'all claim I'm Illuminati tell me why would you try me?

Kennedy, John F. or Bobby. Almost caught Reagan but they stopped us at the lobby. And that was broad day so how the fuck you gon' stop me?"

To be completely honest, I wasn't really sure about this song at first due to French's off-key crooning on the hook. However, it really grew on me after a few listens, as most of French's strangely calming singing does. This song really portrays Pusha as some type of street-philosopher, and even if you aren't a fan of the hook on here, this is definitely a song worth checking out for the verses.

Blocka (feat. Popcaan & Travis Scott)

"Square nigga, you a brick hater. We see a bitch; you fall in love, I fall back 'cuz my bitch date her."

"Teamwork make the dream work." Easily my favorite track on the whole tape. THIS IS A BANGER. I had a hard time choosing my favorite line because there is just so many dope quotables in here. From the reggae inspired intro by Popcaan to the ominous/dope hook by Travis Scott all the way to the gritty production, this is just an all-around perfect song to me. Pusha, of course, comes extra hard as expected. You can expect to hear me bumpin this joint everytime I roll by. Ha. 

Road Runner (feat. Troy Ave)

"One man cowboy, speed limit timid

Chevy Malibu; we graduated from them renteds
Lost 100 large on the last time we sent it
It's only four letters, I ain't worried 'bout a sentence"

As always, Harry Fraud comes through with some real mesmerizing production to create the chill vibe for this track. The hook on this song (Troy Ave) is so-so, at times seeming like he's slurring his words, still, its not exactly a song I would skip over. Pusha definitely still delivers on this smooth track and although its not my favorite one, its worth a listen.

Revolution

"Sold a mill, spent a mill

We was grindin', Lord's will
Never thought of hiatus
Only chains, hi haters
All these bitches, high maintenance
But I love it though, I cater"

Of course you can expect Push to have a Neptunes track somewhere on this release! With this quick track, Pusha delves deep into his VA roots and gives us a slight view of his come-up and the overcome of struggle. I really feel that this song brings a positive type of message, basically telling how no matter what hardships you endure through life, it'll only make you stronger. Nice job, P. 

Only You Can Tell It (feat. Wale)

"Aston Martin, DBS, James Bond cool as James Todd

Best nigga to make hits and run base since A-Rod
Hands dirty like Exxon, I’m grindin’ nigga, you J-Kwon"

This track opens up with a really smooth/relaxing sample as the hook. Teaming up with MMG once again, Push brings Mr. Folarin himself for the ride. 2 SOLID ASS VERSES. That's all I need to say. Listen to this track ASAP!

Trust You (feat. Kevin Gates)

"Started out as just a fuck mission

Who'd have thought I'd have fucked with ya
Dope boy, they got trust issues
Never imagined being stuck with you"

LOVE this track. Anybody that's had trust issues in the past can really relate to this one. Kevin Gates comes with a fire hook to accompany 2 verses from Push and then adds his own on the end. Great song to just lay back to and bump when you're by yourself just doin some thinkin or some shit. 

Take My Life (feat. Andrea Martin)

"Where was you when I was bleeding, disappointed and battling my demons?"

Great "fuck you" track to all those "pussy motherfuckers" out there, as P says. Basically this song is just a diss track to all of Pusha's competitors claiming that he feels they want to take his life. Another raggae-type hook, which is something Pusha and his features really accomplish well on this tape. Dope production from Jake One, by the way.

Re-Up Gang Motivation (feat. Ab-Liva)

"Mami in Monolos, I'm in that Gucci polo
With the multi color moving dolo on my solo"

With similar production and Ab-Liva on the beat, this song is very reminiscent of "I Still Wanna" off Push's last release. However, the song does not feature Pusha rapping on it at all, and actually, I was ok with that. Ab definitely does his thing and Push can still be heard a little bit shouting ad-libs in the background. 

I Am Forgiven

"This track dictates everything I'm supposed to say
So have mercy on this soul that I've thrown away
Although its cliche the devil had a hold of me
This greedy motherfucker couldn't put the blow away"

This song here is basically Pusha venting to God about his past/current life. Struggling with the evils of selling drugs and things associated with it, he is asking the Lord for forgiveness for all the cruel things he has done. Proclaiming that after all the shit he had to go through, regardless of how God feels or not "I am forgiven".