By Alan Ventura
The only word I can think to describe the Best Rap Album nominees at the upcoming 2023 Grammys is disappointing. Nominations for the category over the last couple of years have taken critical reception into noticeably higher consideration than in ceremonies past, but with this newest lineup of commercial successes and critical pans, it just feels as though the Academy is reverting back to its old tendencies.
That said, one album that I was relieved to see get the nod was It’s Almost Dry, the latest solo outing from coke rap extraordinaire Pusha T. The Virginia-based rapper has made quite the outstanding name for himself over the last twenty-five years or so, having done it all from putting his face on a certified classic LP in Clipse’s Hell Hath No Fury to releasing inarguably one of the greatest diss tracks and counter-diss tracks of all time against Drake more than a decade later. To the hip-hop enthusiast, there is nothing left for Pusha T to prove; to Pusha T, however, there seems more to prove now with his current superstar status than ever before. Suffice to say, It’s Almost Dry surpasses most expectations set for it—and not by reinvention either, but rather by reinforcement.
On “Dreamin Of The Past” featuring GOOD Music cohort Kanye West, King Push makes known where his ambitions lie on this project: “You hollerin’, ‘Top five,’ I only see top me.” Listening to Pusha T rap is like watching the star center of your favorite basketball team go for fifty in a game in the sense that you know exactly what his next move is going to be, yet the proficiency with which he does it never ceases to mesmerize you. The street talk has been turned up to eleven on this project, and Pusha T’s rock-solid abilities as an emcee on top of his ear for Pharell-Kanye joint production sounding just grimy enough makes It’s Almost Dry as much of a technical showcase as it is a sonic one. Brief moments of topical stagnation aside, it’s an enthralling listen filled with standout moments from guests like wiseman Jay-Z and a Malice sounding in prime Clipse from among others. What’s more, sitting only at just over a half-hour long, it knows not to overstay its welcome.
It’s Almost Dry is definitely deserving of the Grammy nomination it received in more ways than one, and—win or lose—it does my heart good to see “cocaine’s Dr. Seuss” finally receive the recognition accredited to him.
4/5
