Did Kendrick Lamar Murder Pusha T on “Nosetalgia”? Posted by Lucas G. on 09/16/13 | Filed under Debates, Kendrick Lamar, Pusha T

It happens to the best of us. One minute you are checking out the Drake album and you wake up in a bubble bath of your own tears, calling every ex you’ve ever had, only to find out you have spent the entirety of your paycheck on monogrammed velvet pillowcases and vanilla scented candles…or is that just me? Anyway, if you need a little attitude after "Nothing Was The Same", I suggest bumpin’ Pusha T’s latest “Nosetalgia”. After the Drake album and some unreleased Kanye get unearthed, Monday gets even better now that we've got King Push and Kendrick Lamar on this shit, off his forthcoming album, "My Name Is My Name".

Remember that little song called “Control”? Well, when we were anxiously awaiting the responses of some of the game's biggest names, Pusha T came up as someone who could give King Kendrick a run for his money; what better way to settle the argument than using “Nosetalgia” as the battlefield.

I think we can still follow the same guidelines Nathan set up the Jay Rock Vs. Kendrick on “Money Trees” piece . A song can fall into three categories: Fucking Murdered on Your Own Shit (self-explanatory). Got Got, where the host doesn’t get murdered, but gets shown up by the guest, and Dope on Dope, where they both give the verse of a lifetime. So, what category does Pusha-T's “Nosetalgia” fall under??

It’s still early, but if I have to chose, I'm going to send flowers to Pusha T's mom, because he got fucking murdered on his own shit. I know it might seem like it's just the popular thing to say, but hear me out. As someone who very casually listens to Pusha, I was very impressed by his verse; mainly his flow. I love how pronounced and cutting it is, but it's nothing that knocked me on my ass or had me rewinding the cut. It was solid, but in order to compete with Kendrick you have to be more than just good. Pusha’s verse revolves around clever, but not quite subtle, references like “Johnson & Johnson” and “Pyrex” for drugs, and while K. Dot keeps in line with the theme, his imagery and metaphors are on a whole other level. What really sold me on Kendrick’s verse was the last few bars where he stages a conversation with his dad about how he is going to make him rich with a different kind of dope, his rhymes.

"I said 'daddy, one day I'mma get you right with 36 zips
1000 grams of cocaine then your name will be rich
Now you can rock it up or sell it soft as leather interior
Drop some ice cubes in it, Deebo on perimeter'
He said 'son, how come you didn't be my connect?'
Said 'pops, your ass is washed up with all due respect'
He said 'well nigga, then show me how it all makes sense'
Go figure, motherfucker, every verse is a brick
Your son dope, nigga
Now reap what you sowed, nigga
Please reap what you sowed,nigga
I was born in '87, my grand daddy a legend"

Kendrick takes a subject that has been rapped about more times than I can’t count and manages to make it new. Where most rappers simply say “my rhymes are dope” in one way or another Kendrick does it by putting a whole narrative behind it; not to mention a Friday reference. Kendrick does more with his flow too. Pusha’s flow is cool but it is relatively stagnant. Kendrick does more with his voice and cadence. They way he  fluxes his pitch and inflection, putting something dynamic over the straightforward beat, makes for a more engaging interesting listen and is yet another rason why I think Kendrick murdered Pusha-T on his own shit.

So what’s the verdict? What category does “Nosetalgia” fall under for you, RefinedHype Nation?

See Also:  Did Jay Rock Murder Kendrick on “Money Trees”? An Absurdly Detailed Investigation
See Also:  Kendrick Lamar Just Murdered Every Rapper Ever On Big Sean’s “Control”