Pusha T - DAYTONA
Critic Score
Based on 24 reviews
2018 Ratings: #19 / 890
Year End Rank: #4
User Score
2018 Rank: #15
Liked by 1,190 people
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CRITIC REVIEWS

100
Pretty Much Amazing

Another rare instance of an artist coming up with a classic a decade after what seemed like the peak of his career (Clipse’s Hell Hath No Fury), and the only thing that could’ve made it better was if he pre-released “Infrared” so that Drake could’ve responded and we could’ve had an album with “The Story of Adidon” on it.

94
Sputnikmusic

Daytona is the sound of Pusha-T being pushed to pursue perfection.

91
A.V. Club

It’s all dope-boy come-up stories, subliminal shit-talk, and luxury at a level only possible to convey via fine-art name-dropping and whatever the fuck a “caviar facial” is. For the first time since going solo, it all feels of a piece.

91
Consequence of Sound
Only seven tracks long, coke rap’s poet laureate continues to amaze with age as he pontificates on the hustle and grind.
90
Albumism
Pusha offers an album that appeases fans' hope for razor sharp bars, but will leave some listeners in search of his growth.
90
The Young Folks
Regardless of that shape, Pusha T is always lurking in the grass, eyes wide open and waiting for his next mark to sink his fangs into.
90
Highsnobiety

DAYTONA is an album with few wasted moments, a lean project that’s made for repeat consumption to ensure that you catch every punchline and revel in every sample.

90
Clash
By staying small, focussed and concise here, he makes the biggest statement of his solo career so far - going against the excess and all-you-can-eat approach that’s trapping the rest of the game is truly a stunt. Pusha T is timeless.
86
HipHopDX
The seven-track album goes the distance to add further refinement and distillation to the steely, luxurious drug raps that earned him rap relevance.
85
The 405

It’s evident that Pusha T is at his most confident on DAYTONA; his rhymes carry confidence and clarity paired with a high head and a release that was well worth the three-year waiting period.

83
Pitchfork

Daytona is Pusha’s best work as a solo artist, a tightly wound record that doesn’t recapture the highs of peak Clipse, but finally makes ideal use of the now middle-aged rapper’s considerable skills.

80
Rolling Stone

In many ways, Daytona replicates Jay-Z and No I.D.'s 2017 rap highlight 4:44: two older men who simply practice their craft, their legacies already secure.

80
The Needle Drop

At seven tracks and just over 21 minutes, the Kanye West-helmed DAYTONA is pretty much watertight and finds Pusha T in top form.

80
NOW Magazine

The record’s simple presentation and briefness make for an engaging change from the epic crossover attempts of his prior LP Darkest Before Dawn.

80
The Guardian

Despite his success, Pusha T is still rapping about drug dealing – but the sheer pleasure of his flow, and Kanye West’s productions, smooth over any quibbles about authenticity.

80
XXL

Daytona is undoubtedly Pusha-T's best solo work to date. Casual fans will focus primarily on the Drake feud (centralized on album closer "Infrared") but it's the seven songs in totality that make the album—and this star moment for Push—great. Don't get caught up in the hype; Daytona is the real, uncut raw

80
Exclaim!

DAYTONA, the long-awaited new LP by Pusha T, boasts a mostly sinewy and understated sound that'll leave hip-hop heads in revelry.

80
AllMusic
Throughout, Pusha's in typically percussive and phonetically advanced form with melodicism evidently eschewed as a potential distraction. It's a testament to the rapper's excellence that he can release a 20-minute album that withstands West's ostentatious art direction and shoddy guest verse.
80
PopMatters

It may not be the most uplifting album of the year. It may not be the most woke album of the year. But nothing is going to touch the "YUGH" factor of DAYTONA this year.

80
musicOMH
This is not the King Push we were led to expect, but it is a quality record in its own right.
78
GIGsoup
Although it’s not a deep project, it’s appreciated and met expectations.
75
Spectrum Culture

Throughout Daytona’s seven songs, there’s a refinement to his on-wax aura, presenting himself as an older, sager throwback in a world full of Lil Yachtys.

60
The Observer
Brevity sharpens the ex-Clipse rapper’s focus ... rarely has he sounded as urgent.
Doublez
87

hip hop think tank – episode 4 – Hip Hop's investigation via Pusha T's example.

A Sick Hip Hop

Almost 3 years ago, the GOOD Music label, founded by Kanye West and now presided by Pusha T, was about to deliver a series of "innovative in format" albums, reducing the album to only 7 songs. Among these 5 projects, we can still say today that 3 of them are among the best Hip Hop albums of the last 3 years. Of course, we think of the psychedelic adventure proposed by the duo ... read more

BradTasteMusic
88

Solid album with some great highlights. Lyrically dense and exciting! way too short though.

Edit: I am really coming to appreciate just how god damn solid this album really is. There is no filler

barcooper
86

The only thing I do know is that this shit goes HARD.

While I'm not the biggest Pusha T fan in the world, and even though I've heard a couple of his albums and didn't really find myself returning to them too much, I have to admit, he is one of the best lyricists in modern rap. Coming back to this album, it actually grew on me quite a bit, and I find way more enjoyment in it than I initially had.

DAYTONA is probably the most praised Pusha T album to date, and it's not hard to see why. He ... read more

1leslieliver
91

Infrared.. yeah.. you know what I mean?
Favorite - If You Know You Know
Least Favorite - Hard Piano

NR

I love when Pusha T raps about drugs

Jago
90

This album is super tight, I love the fact that there really is no bullshit track here. Great way for Kanye to start his 4 7-track album producer run, and an amazing showcase of his lyrical ability by Pusha.

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Track List

1If You Know You Know
3:22
93
2The Games We Play
2:46
92
3Hard Piano
3:15
feat. Rick Ross
86
4Come Back Baby
3:26
89
5Santeria
2:56
89
6What Would Meek Do?
2:33
86
7Infrared
2:50
85
Total Length: 21 minutes
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Added on: May 23, 2018