As a writer, you have a huge ego. You think that every line means something to everybody the same way it means to you. And that's not true.
Pusha TComing up, you [got new] sneakers and you had to run outside to make sure everyone saw. It was on display. That's just part of Hip Hop culture, part of the competitive spirit of Hip Hop. This is not new, I don't believe it's new.
Pusha TAbout the Sauconys, there are a lot of sneakers that are not as marketed as heavily as like Nike but those silhouettes are still fresh. I'll always go to a Saucony.
Pusha TWhen I think back to my influences and icons musically, they were my icons musically because, for example, I would look at Rakim and be like man he said the freshest things and then I look at him and he would have on the pair of Nikes that I wanted and I'm like, "ma' please!" It was everything. Now, I sort of feel like if you are fresh then your music doesn't have to be that good because people are so keyed into the fashion. That's just the times I guess.
Pusha T