Clipse emcee drops solo mixtape

Pusha T has spent most of his time being part of a whole, whether that’s half of Clipse or Kanye’s partner during his G.O.O.D. Friday run last fall. The dude’s been around, but we haven’t heard from Pusha in great solo volume.

On his solo debut mixtape “Fear of God,” Pusha has his feet fully planted in two spheres, prophesying his rise in hip-hop while celebrating his well-publicized drug dealer past.

In fact, “God” almost solely revolves around those two mutually exclusive worlds. Shoutouts to Soulja Boy and anecdotes about Wesley Snipes at the Oscars show how far from Virginia the former dope boy has come, but his constant harping on coke just shows his unwillingness to just put down the goddamn rock.

“I Still Wanna” illustrates that about as unsubtly as possible — here Pusha’s vocals get a steely effect as he rips through one liners: “Security blanket of cocaine/ I am Linus.” Rick Ross polishes off the song as the mixtape’s biggest guest besides 50 Cent on the East Coast banger “Raid.”

Freestyles over classics like “Can I Live” and “Money on my Mind” keep this technically a mixtape, but Pusha’s lyrical prowess and his good buddies’ beats (ahem, Kanye) elevate it to one of the best of the year, building the hype for his forthcoming solo debut.