Pusha T is a hip-hop veteran who has stayed relevant for more than a decade without crazy marketing schemes, endorsements or toned down lyrics. In a genre that has had a love-hate relationship with tough-delivered lyrics in recent years, Pusha T has managed to spit some of the hardest bars in the game. He undeniably carries the torch into the new generation of hip-hop as the boss of “coke rap.”

Pusha T and his brother, No Malice, emerged onto the Hip-Hop scene in the late 90s as the hailed duo, Clipse. With the help of Pharrell Williams, they were signed to Elektra Records in 1997, and released “Exclusive Audio Footage.” Clipse made a major dent in mainstream hip-hop during the early 2000s with an appearance on Justin Timberlake’s first cross-over hit, “Like I Love You” and their gold-selling album “Lord Willin’.” “Lord Willin’” had some of their most well-known tracks, including “Grindin.’”

Pusha T started to accumulate more respect among hip-hop loyalists in the 2000s. Clipse was bounced from label to label in a storm of industry politics, which caused their second album, “Hell Hath No Fury” to be delayed for almost three years. Upon its release in November 2006, it had subpar sales, but was lauded by critics as one of the best albums of the year. It received the rare “XXL” rating from XXL Magazine, and was called “one of the best coke rap albums of all time” by Rhapsody.

After a few years of obscurity, Pusha T and his brother musically split ways, and Pusha’s career skyrocketed. He signed with Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music imprint in 2010 and had one of the most successful years out of any rapper. The Kanye association put him front and center to the masses as a revered spitter, crushing tracks on other rappers’ albums (including Kanye’s), and making himself one of the most sought-after featuring artists through the early 2010s.

After signing with Def Jam in 2011, Pusha T released “Fear of God II,” a sequel to his critically acclaimed mixtape, “Fear of God.” “FOGII” was a Billboard success that cemented everything he started with G.O.O.D. Music. In 2012, he was heavily featured in the G.O.O.D. Music compilation Cruel Summer,” on smash hits like “New God Flow” and “Mercy” alongside the likes of rap giants such as Ghostface Killa.

In 2013, he released his first solo studio album called “My Name is My Name.” The album was produced by hip-hop’s most prestigious producers, including NO I.D., Kanye West, Pharrell Williams and Swizz Beats, and had features from Rick Ross, 2 Chainz, and Kendrick Lamar.  It stands as one of the best albums of the decade.

Pusha T is a hip-hop head’s emcee. He’s in that special niche of rappers who have seen commercial success but remain strongly rooted in underground culture via his personality and his music. His live performances are known to be really energetic, and his cult following will be sure to be a great crowd to be in the middle of. This is one of Hopscotch’s best picks for rappers to hit the stage at the festival.

Pusha T will perform at Lincoln Theatre, Friday night at 12:30 a.m. 

For more Hopscotch band profiles and Hopscotch tips, check out WKNC’s blog: http://blog.wknc.org/