Pusha T’s latest effort, “My Name is My Name” is in short, satisfying.

Throughout the album Pusha T chooses to let his guests sing hooks, while he focuses on his thickening plot of drug dealing in Virginia.

Typically, these hardcore, hammering verses would be discarded in an age of dual threat rappers, but Pusha has a secret weapon that few others possess on their album.

That weapon’s name is Kanye West, one of the executive producers on “My Name Is My Name,” and the man who signed Pusha to G.O.O.D. Music Records.

Kanye’s presence is felt throughout the album with memorable beats, bizarre background sounds and prolific tidiness. The ingenious of Kanye’s producing in “My Name Is My Name” is that the connection between all the layers of the beat is a cleanliness that rarely overshadows Pusha’s flow.

While production is extraordinary, Pusha still showcases much of his rapping skill. The 36 year old has timely and decisive deliveries throughout. Pusha raps hard about life on the streets selling. There is no sympathy or happiness in his verses, only frankness and struggle, which is reminiscent of early 1990s gangster rap.

In “Hold On,” featuring Rick Ross, the production and rapping flow together perfectly. It is not joyous, rather a dark insight into the fake rap game and real drug game. The delivery is on point, as Pusha makes sure to loudly explain why he differs from other rappers, especially Drake. It is so obvious that Pusha thinks lightly of Drake, and even goes as far to say he is soft.

A perfect album would have entailed that Pusha have more of a solo act. He has a guest on 10 of the 12 songs on “My Name Is My Name.”

Although “My Name Is My Name” is not going to sell as many records as Drake or Jay-Z’s recent releases, the album is a throwback that proves with solid production and plenty of passion rapping can still be dark. Maybe Drake can learn from this. 

4/5