Pusha T – Fear of God II: Let Us Pray

Pusha T, the younger half of seminal Virginia hip-hop duo Clipse, has been making a conscious move towards the mainstream arena in his own right, as even a cursory glance at the guest spots on his first official long-player – Fiddy, Pharrell and Yeezy – will confirm. Then there's the content of the tracks themselves; bass-heavy beats, twinkly keyboard samples, colossal horn-parts – every component that comes to mind when one utters the words “mainstream rap”.

Considering the spaced-out vibe on some of Clipse's past work, Let Us Pray paints an alienating backdrop for Pusha. Still, it's unapologetically huge and – far from some mercenary arrangement – his acquaintances bring out their big guns in style: Tyler, The Creator's Yonkers-referencing appearance on Trouble On My Mind is typically brutal, and Rick Ross's hyper-confident bawl on I Still Wanna is a bare-knuckled triumph, even if it does overshadow the presence of our host.