Hard Piano
by Pusha T (featuring Rick Ross)

Album: Daytona (2018)
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Songfacts®:

  • This song finds Pusha T hooking up with Rick Ross to rap cocaine-coated metaphors about their drug dealing past, run-ins with the law plus their wealth and success. The song title is both a reference to Kanye West's hard piano beat and a play on words on piano keys / keys of coke.
  • Pusha T makes an allusion during his verse to industry head honchos taking advantage of people who work for them.

    I won't let you ruin my dreams or Harvey Weinstein the kid
    Good morning, Matt Lauer, can I live?


    The accusations that Harvey Weinstein and Matt Lauer sexually harassed females who worked for them gave birth to the #MeToo movement. Asked by Pitchfork whether the lines could be interpreted as the rapper supporting such misogynists, Pusha explained that he's "speaking of current events."

    He added: "You have to know what type of era that you're dealing in. You're dealing in the attention era. And when people chase that level of attention, they'll take it from anywhere."
  • Pusha T and Rick Ross previously teamed up on "Hold On" and "Millions." Asked why he likes to collaborate with the Maybach Music MC, Pusha said that he can give him a demo and then relax as he knows he will come up trumps. He explained:

    "I give him my beat, verse and hook. If the hook is on it, I give him all of those things. And give him the track and say, 'Send me my vocals back.' And I can turn my back on the whole thing. I can get my verse in a week, don't got to call nobody, and I get a flawless verse, man."

    Pusha added that Ross' deep voice compliments the highs in his voice and they also talk the same language, "speaking to the things I'm speaking to."

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