Pusha T on Kanye West’s Antisemitic Turn: “It’s Been Very Disappointing”

In a new profile with the Los Angeles Times, Pusha T discussed his collaborative relationship with GOOD Music labelhead Ye.

Ye‘s antisemitism has been “disappointing” for Pusha T. The It’s Almost Dry artist recently spoke to the Los Angeles Times about working with Ye on his fourth solo album despite his recent controversies.

“It’s definitely affected me. It’s been disappointing,” Pusha said when asked about his reaction to “everything that’s happened with [West]” in the last several months. “As a Black man in America, there is no room for bigotry or hate speech.”

“So yeah. It’s been very disappointing, let’s talk straight,” he added.

Pusha also discussed working with Ye on It’s Almost Dry being “a very special thing,” as the artist formerly known as Kanye West appears on three songs from the album, including “Dreamin of the Past,” “Rock n Roll,” and lead single “Diet Coke.”

“Creatively, Ye has meant freedom to me. A lot of times, people would try to get me to change certain things about my process, change certain things about me lyrically, change certain things about the content. He never has been like that,” Pusha said about the creative side of Ye. “He always saw me for who I was and knew how to take it to the next level.”

“We actually have a lot of the same taste, we love just barred-out rap,” he added. “He would tell me things like, ‘Man, you just be the extreme version of yourself. And I’m gonna be the extreme version of myself.’”

It’s Almost Dry has been nominated for Best Rap Album for the 2023 Grammy Awards. The nomination makes Pusha’s second time being nominated in the category (the last being his 2018 LP Daytona), and his third Grammy nomination overall.