G.O.O.D. Music MC's gritty new visual accompanies fiery track that Weezy took exception to.
By Rob Markman
Pusha T in his "Exodus 23:1" video
Photo: Universal
If Pusha T was challenging Lil Wayne on "Exodus 23:1," he makes no allusion to Weezy in the song's video, which he dropped on Tuesday morning (May 29).
Not that Wayne waited for the visual to respond. On Friday, Tunechi dropped "Ghoulish," a venom-laced dart aimed directly at the G.O.O.D. Music MC. Still, in Pusha's new vid there's no hint of rap beef, just a gritty look into a street life where dealers sell to soulless junkies and live to reap the profits.
In the Old Testament, Exodus 23:1 warns: "Do not spread false reports. Do not help a wicked man by being a malicious witness." On Pusha's track of the same name, he chastises rappers who he feels embellish their street ties; he then proceeds to cast ambiguous stones at unnamed figures — widely believed to be Drake and Lil Wayne. With the "Exodus 23:1" video, the Virginia lyricist presents a realistic look at the underbelly of the frequently glamorized drug game. Though the scenes are staged for the camera, it's plausible that the man smoking crack (or heroin) from a beer can is no actor.
The Samuel Rogers-directed video is set in the rough-and-tumble Berkley section of Norfolk, Virginia, on Walker Avenue to be exact. "Beef is best served like steak/ Well done, get a gun in your face," Push begins, evoking the Notorious B.I.G. and clearly inspired by the late rapper's 1997 track "What's Beef."
Push continues to rap in a number of different settings: riding atop a bicycle handlebars, on a street corner surrounded by his street family and in a kitchen while a buddy sniffs coke from a dollar bill seemingly unaware of the camera's gaze (or quite aware).
The Clipse rapper throws up gang signs when he spits the lyric, "Throwin' that flag up, runnin' 'round you hot sh--/ Takin' half of everything you get." And though Wayne openly has played up his affiliation with the Bloods, Push could be rapping about any number of individuals with gang affiliations. The same can be said for the next line, which many believe is aimed at Drake: "Contract all f---ed up, I guess that means you're all f---ed up/ You're signed to one n---a, that's signed to two n---as, that's signed to three n---as, now that's bad luck."
There are also no visual references to Wayne, Drizzy or any member of the YMCMB camp in the four-minute, 23-second clip. But there is a clear message that Pusha T is sending: mainly, that he takes street life very seriously. Though we may see him on the VMA stage with Kanye West or out in Cannes with his G.O.O.D. Music crew, his background isn't all bright lights and billboard hits, and Push raps it all with one figurative hand on the bible.
What do you think of Pusha T's "Exodus 23:1" video? Let us know in the comments!
Related ArtistsSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1685964/pusha-t-lil-wayne-exodus-23-1.jhtml
