Live Report: Pusha T – Electric Brixton, London

G.O.O.D. Music mainstay grabs centre stage...

Pusha T tore it down at the Electric Brixton this week with an energetic performance front-loaded with jams from his superb ‘King Push: Darkness Before Dawn (The Prelude)’ LP.

The album’s woozy intro and the majestic ‘M.F.T.R.’ kicked proceedings off in grand style, as a pair of huge neon crucifixes – emblazoned with the words ‘Sin Will Find You Out’ – loomed ominously over the stage. Together with the relentless downpour outside, it all conspired to add a murkier edge to Pusha’s atmospheric street parables, with ‘Crutches, Crosses, Caskets’ and ‘Untouchable’ proving particularly potent.

The show’s midway point saw Desiigner – the newest signee to Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music imprint which is headed by Pusha – hit the stage with a frantic rendition of his massive single ‘Panda’. While the surprise appearance was largely well-received – the Brooklyn rapper’s frenetic guest spot ended with a stage-dive into the hyped crowd – there were more than a few stifled giggles moments earlier when the Future sound-a-like (who also guested on ‘Ye’s ‘The Life Of Pablo’ LP earlier in the year) attempted to spin his mic in his hand and clumsily dropped it on the floor.

Such mirthful moments aside, the set firmly regained momentum once Desiigner had exited and Pusha delved deeper into his back catalogue. Backed by an explosive laser show, cuts like ‘Pain’ and ‘New God Flow’ hit hard while ‘Nosetalgia’ had the entire crowd rhyming along to that killer line about Ivan Drago. The former Clipse rapper also rolled out a verse from the group’s breakout classic ‘Grindin’’ which segued splendidly into the awesome ‘Numbers On The Board’.

In the end, it was a commanding, confident performance from Pusha, who remains one of rap’s most compelling voices some 15 years after first emerging, and one that ups the anticipation for his new LP ‘King Push’, which is set to drop later in the year.

Words: Hugh Leask

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