In September 2010, Pusha T signed to Kanye West's GOOD Music imprint, under the aegis of Def Jam Recordings. Later that year, he was featured on West's single "Runaway," which peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2011, he released his first solo project, the mixtape Fear of God, which was followed up with his debut solo album, My Name Is My Name, released in 2013. In November 2015, West appointed Pusha T to take over his role as president of GOOD Music. Pusha T remained a flagship artist for the label until ending his tenure with the company in 2022.
Pusha T has since then released three solo albums: King Push – Darkest Before Dawn: The Prelude (2015), Daytona (2018), and It's Almost Dry (2022), all receiving widespread critical acclaim; the latter was Pusha T's first number one debut on the Billboard 200.
Revolution
Pusha T Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From Virginia, never rated
Before us, no one ever made it
Dope boy lane, a nigga paved it
When every nigga was afraid to say it
Sold a mill, spent a mill
We was grindin’, Lord’s will
Never thought of hiatus
All these bitches, high maintenance
But I love it though, I cater
Deal fell, Tony saved us
After blowing up, Al Qaeda
Feds rushed like Raiders
Took our coach down, Al Davis
Regroup, tears faded
Casket Drop a year later
Three albums, three majors
Only critics to our favor
Crew members turned traitors
Put the spin on it, tornados
Our father, thy neighbor
Couldn’t tell me that God hate us
I was lost, I was jaded
Malice found his way to our savior
Now author, he offers
Where the view it before I see coffins
Where the view it fall before we see vultures
Different way to view it, for the culture
Ross called ‘em, Ye and all them
In Hawaii, Jay and all them
I was honored to be called in
Ran away with the So Appalled them
New catalog gonna hurt you
Go on it, it’s dark like it’s curfew
Goin’ in the vault, it will earth you
I’m back in with P, it’s full circle
In Pusha T's song "Revolution," he reflects on his past and how he paved the way for others in the rap industry. He acknowledges the struggles that he faced coming from Virginia and the pressure he felt to succeed when no one from his area had ever made it before. Despite this, he still managed to sell a million records and spend millions while grinding and never taking a break. He describes the high maintenance of those around him, but admits to loving it as he caters to them.
Pusha T then reflects on a time when a deal had fallen through, but Tony saved them from it. However, shortly after, the group was targeted by the Feds like Raiders taking their coach down. Despite this setback, they were able to regroup and release three albums under major labels that received critical acclaim. He then alludes to the betrayal of some crew members who put a spin on things, bringing destruction like tornados. Even throughout these struggles, Pusha T never lost his faith in God, feeling that God could never hate them. Malice, his brother, found their way to Jesus and began to offer his testimony through authorship.
Pusha T then talks about how he was honored to be called in by Ross, Kanye West, Jay-Z, and others in Hawaii, where they worked on Kanye West's "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy." He teases his new catalog, saying it will "hurt you" and will be dark like a curfew. The final line brings it all full circle as he announces his return to working with P, likely referring to Pharrell Williams, one of his long-time collaborators.
Line by Line Meaning
From Virginia, never rated
I came from Virginia, a place that most people didn't think too highly of
Before us, no one ever made it
No one succeeded in the same way we did before us
Dope boy lane, a nigga paved it
I paved the way in the drug dealing game
When every nigga was afraid to say it
I said what other people were too afraid to say
Sold a mill, spent a mill
I made a lot of money, but I also spent a lot of money
We was grindin’, Lord’s will
We were working hard, and believed it was God's plan for us to succeed
Never thought of hiatus
We never took a break from our success
Only chains, hi haters
We only cared about our jewelry, not the people who were jealous of us
All these bitches, high maintenance
All these women we dated were expensive to maintain
But I love it though, I cater
But I loved the lifestyle, so I made sure they were taken care of
Deal fell, Tony saved us
When our record deal fell apart, Tony came through and saved us
After blowing up, Al Qaeda
After becoming successful, we became a target of terrorism
Feds rushed like Raiders
The federal government came after us like a football team
Took our coach down, Al Davis
They took down the person who was in charge of our success
Regroup, tears faded
We regrouped and continued on after experiencing setbacks
Casket Drop a year later
My friend died a year later and it was a wake-up call
Three albums, three majors
We released three successful albums with major record labels
Only critics to our favor
Our albums were successful, and even the critics liked them
Crew members turned traitors
People we trusted turned against us
Put the spin on it, tornados
They made up lies about us and caused chaos
Our father, thy neighbor
We turned to our faith for guidance
Couldn’t tell me that God hate us
Even when things were bad, I didn't think that God hated us
I was lost, I was jaded
I was feeling lost and struggling with my faith
Malice found his way to our savior
My friend and fellow rapper Malice found his way to his faith
Now author, he offers
He's now an author, sharing his story and faith with others
Where the view it before I see coffins
Thinking about death before it happens
Where the view it fall before we see vultures
Being aware of potential dangers before they happen
Different way to view it, for the culture
A new way of thinking about things, influenced by the hip-hop culture
Ross called ‘em, Ye and all them
People like Rick Ross, Kanye West, and others reached out to me
In Hawaii, Jay and all them
I got to hang out with Jay-Z and others in Hawaii
I was honored to be called in
I felt honored to be a part of that group
Ran away with the So Appalled them
I left with these successful people
New catalog gonna hurt you
My new music is going to be powerful
Go on it, it’s dark like it’s curfew
It has a dark tone, like it's the middle of the night
Goin’ in the vault, it will earth you
Going into the archives of my music will have a profound impact on you
I’m back in with P, it’s full circle
I'm working with my old friend and collaborator Pharrell Williams again, and it feels like things have come full circle
Contributed by Violet S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.