Pusha T

Pusha T
Pusha T performing in 2015
Born
Terrence LeVarr Thornton

(1977-05-13) May 13, 1977 (age 47)
New York City, U.S.
Other names
  • Terrar
  • King Push
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • songwriter
Years active1993–present
AgentSteven Victor
WorksDiscography
Spouse
Virginia Williams
​
(m. 2018)​
Children1
AwardsFull list
Musical career
OriginVirginia Beach, Virginia, U.S.
GenresEast Coast hip hop
Labels
Member of
Formerly of
Websitekingpush.com
Signature

Terrence LeVarr Thornton (born May 13, 1977),[1] better known by his stage name Pusha T,[2] is an American rapper. He rose to prominence as one half of the Virginia-based hip hop duo Clipse, which he formed with his older brother No Malice. Mainly active from 1994 to 2010, the duo were discovered by Pharrell Williams and signed with his record label Star Trak Entertainment, an imprint of Arista Records in 2001. They released three studio albums—Lord Willin' (2002), Hell Hath No Fury (2006) and Til the Casket Drops (2009)—to mild commercial success; the former spawned the Billboard Hot 100-top 40 singles "Grindin'" and "When the Last Time", for which they became best known.

After the duo disbanded in 2010, Thornton promptly pursued a solo career. He signed with Kanye West's record label GOOD Music, an imprint of Def Jam Recordings following his work on West's fifth album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010). He guest featured on West's single "Runaway" in October of that year—which peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100—as well as his song "So Appalled" also from the album. He released two of his debut solo projects—Fear of God and Fear of God II: Let Us Pray—in 2011, prior to the release of his debut studio album, My Name Is My Name (2013). Met with critical and commercial success, it peaked at number four on the Billboard 200 and was followed by his second and third albums King Push – Darkest Before Dawn: The Prelude (2015) and Daytona (2018), which peaked at numbers 20 and three on the chart respectively. His fourth album, It's Almost Dry (2022) became his first to debut atop the Billboard 200.[3]

West appointed Thornton to take over his role as president of GOOD Music in late 2015, where he remained one of the label's flagship artists until his departure and dissociation with West in 2022.[4] In 2020, he launched his record label Heir Wave Music Group, which aims as a platform for Virginia-based artists.[5] Throughout his career, Thornton has received five Grammy Award nominations.[6]

  1. ^ @PUSHA_T (May 14, 2014). ""@HotNewHipHop: Wish @PUSHA_T a happy birthday, y'all." *5/13 is my bday...mark your calendars for next year but thanx...*" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  2. ^ Wicks, Amanda; Strauss, Matthew (May 23, 2018). "Pusha-T Details New Kanye-Produced Album DAYTONA". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on May 24, 2018. Retrieved May 24, 2018. A representative for Pusha-T confirmed to Pitchfork that the hyphen has, indeed, returned.
  3. ^ "Pusha T on Generational Wealth and How The DMV Culture Influenced His Next Album". ebony.com. Archived from the original on February 21, 2024. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
  4. ^ Caulfield, Keith (May 1, 2022). "Pusha T Scores First No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With 'It's Almost Dry'". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 8, 2022. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
  5. ^ "Pusha T talks New Record Label and Giving Back to the 757". WTKR.com. August 28, 2020. Archived from the original on October 13, 2023. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  6. ^ "Pusha T Confirms He's Cut All Ties with Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music". December 20, 2022. Archived from the original on February 7, 2023. Retrieved February 7, 2023.