On Wednesday, the temperature in New York City touched the 90-degree mark on the same day Pusha T trekked up to Hot 97 to dish out heat of a different kind when he announced G.O.O.D. Music's Cruel Summer album will be released August 7.
That wasn't all the Virginia lyricist spoke about, however: While the rap world has been buzzing for weeks about a Pusha/Lil Wayne rap battle, the Clipse spitter opened up for the first time on the subject with DJ Funk Master Flex. While Lil Wayne and an army of bloodthirsty rap fans speculated Pusha's "Exodus 23:1"contained veiled disses for Weezy and Drake, the "My God" MC challenged Flex to point out the offending references. "I've never seen one record that didn't say a name cause so much of a firestorm," he argued.
The veteran DJ picked out the questionable lyric, which has been heard as a shot at the multi-tiered business structure of YMCMB and Universal Records: "You signed to one n---a, that's signed to another n---a, that's signed to three n---as, now that's bad luck."
Pusha denied it was a dis, pointing out that he, like a number of other rap artists, is signed to a similar deal. "Why would that relate to Wayne or Drake?" he questioned. "I'm signed to Kanye, who's in turn signed to Roc-A-Fella."
Regardless of Pusha's intent, Wayne surely took offense. On May 25, just two days after Push dropped "Exodus," Weezy volleyed back with a response in "Ghoulish," in which he spits, "F--- Pusha T and anybody that love 'em," on the opening line.
To Push, "Ghoulish" wasn't potent enough to warrant an answer. "It was horrible, it was trash, it wasn't good," he said. "I haven't said anything about it because I didn't think it was good enough to respond to."
In an interview with the Associated Press earlier this week, Wayne admitted that "Ghoulish" was a simple reaction, but he didn't apologize, nor did he recant any of his dis. Tunechi said there was no beef with Pusha T, and he would be moving on.
"At the end of the day, I think him saying what he said yesterday, that was in his best interest," Pusha said. "To admit that you were emotional and reacting to something, I still want to know what part pertained, what hit you? I want to know. I don't want to guess — somebody gotta tell me."
Do you think "Exodus 23:1" was meant to insult Lil Wayne and Drake? Sound off in the comments!