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King Push - Darkest Before Dawn: The Prelude

Pusha T

King Push - Darkest Before Dawn: The Prelude

Second solo album from the former member of the rap duo The Clipse, with Timbaland, Q Tip, Sean “Puffy” Combs, and J. Cole among the production credits

ADM rating[?]

8.0

Label
G.O.O.D. Music
UK Release date
18/12/2015
US Release date
18/12/2015
  1. 9.1 |   A.V. Club

    There’s plenty of style in these songs, but it’s totally overrun by the substance of Pusha’s own precise, illuminating thoughts and opinions
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  2. 9.0 |   The Quietus

    Pusha T has delivered his long-promised "hip hop album of the year". 10 tracks, 33 minutes and a full deck of superproducers doing some of their wildest work to date
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  3. 9.0 |   Gig Soup

    In a year where the competition within rap is fierce as it’s ever been, Pusha T delivers an album equal to all his peers
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  4. 8.5 |   The 405

    Through the sheer intensity of his 10-track sonic zeitgeist, he's supplied a raw and assertive critique of us. And all he sees is victims
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  5. 8.5 |   Earbuddy

    A stunning collection of intensely moody hip-hop that sets the bar high
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  6. 8.3 |   Consequence Of Sound

    He’s as good as he’s ever been at penning slick drug talk
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  7. 8.2 |   Pitchfork

    The beats sound like money, and the raps are whip smart and cleanly tailored
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  8. 8.0 |   DIY

    Each track feels like a different corner of Pusha T’s mind, all coming together to form a complete brain, glimmering with glitz and glamour on the surface and exploring darkness and deep thought below
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  9. 8.0 |   Beardfood

    Aggressive storytelling perfected, every patiently delivered word hits the spot
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  10. 8.0 |   Spin

    However retrograde (or pure) the subject matter, The Prelude is musically somehow grandiose and economical at the same time
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  11. 8.0 |   All Music

    As a mere "prelude" to the next LP, it's miles above "throwaway" and comes with the quality control that would put it in the top tiers of both the mixtape and street release format
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  12. 8.0 |   NOW

    Pusha might be considered an innovator of "coke rap," but his hip-hop references and occasional political edge expand his subject matter
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  13. 8.0 |   The Guardian

    With Darkest Before Dawn, Pusha T has created his own hip-hop Trojan horse
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  14. 8.0 |   The Observer

    An impressive second act
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  15. 8.0 |   NME

    A minor masterpiece of dark, smart, modern hip-hop
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  16. 8.0 |   Q

    It's a collision of classic rap skills and singular beats that makes this album outstanding. Print edition only

  17. 7.8 |   Paste Magazine

    Pusha’s ability to curate such a variety of sounds for such a singular vision is what keeps the album steady, off-kilter but on par
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  18. 7.5 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    The beats are grim as always, and there are still few rappers out there who can find as many ways to discuss a single topic (selling drugs) as the Virginia spitter
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  19. 7.0 |   Rolling Stone

    Though hip-hop gets more melodic and vocally expressive every year, Pusha keeps his cadences steely and his bars hitting like haymakers
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  20. 6.0 |   The Irish Times

    There’s still grizzly grandstanding in the mix but there’s also great moments
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