Claude Brun
Originally Published June 8, 2018

At seven songs and 21 minutes, “Daytona” isn’t much more than a glorified mixtape. However its impressive production from Kanye West and Pusha T’s characteristically aggressive delivery makes this glory almost feel deserved. The production feels like a natural blend of Kanye and Pusha’s styles and acts as the primary highlight of the album. Sadly, Pusha doesn’t try anything very original with his lyrics, flow or delivery so if you don’t already like Pusha T, “Daytona” isn’t likely to change your mind. Because of this however, the album is a great starting point for anybody interested in his sound. While Kanye and Pusha hit the nail on the head as far as the general vibe of the album goes, it sadly feels fairly one-dimensional. Absent are the beat switches and massive tonal changes from something like “The Life of Pablo” or “Testing.”  While this was clearly intentional, it explains why the project is so short, as another 20 minutes of this may have gotten tedious.

Despite the sameness of the album, there are a few standout moments such as the absolutely infectious flow Pusha breaks into at the end of “Santeria” as well as the song’s awesome hook. Kanye’s verse on “What would Meek do” also gives me more faith that he hasn’t lost his touch after the his past year of mental breakdowns and abnormally fervent freakouts. The two rappers play off each other perfectly in this song, even if the lyrical themes leave something to be desired. At the end of the day, Pusha T’s “Daytona” is 21 minutes of solid rap music, but may leave some disappointed by Pusha’s apparent refusal to experiment.