Infrared

Album: Daytona (2018)
Charted: 65
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • In 2015 Meek Mill accused Drake of not writing his own raps, alleging Drake employed Quentin Miller as his ghostwriter. The pair then exchanged a series of diss tracks aimed at each other. Here, Pusha T fires a number of direct shots at Drake, which include the ghostwriter accusations.

    The lyric pennin' equal the Trumps winnin'
    The bigger question is how the Russians did it
    It was written like Nas but it came from Quentin
    .

    In the same way that Donald Trump allegedly had outside help from the Russians in becoming President, Pusha claims that Drake gets assistance from ghostwriters.
  • Infrared light has longer wavelengths than those of visible light, and is therefore generally invisible to the human eye. However, using special kinds of film or devices, we can see things we wouldn't normally see. Pusha uses infrared light to illustrate the way he sees such rappers as Drake who he believes aren't real.
  • Drake and Pusha have been trading shots at each other for years on different tracks. "Two Birds, One Stone," for instance finds the Toronto MC calling out the Virginia Beach native for relying on his drug dealing past for much of his content. Explaining to Genius' On The Record why he mentions Quentin Miller during this song Pusha pointed to Drake's disses on "Two Birds." He said: "You know I heard it, I felt like, 'Okay.' I can't have an argument about how real I am. It all depends on what you know, what you claim to be, you know what I'm saying?"
  • Jay-Z is credited as a writer on the track as it interpolates Hova's Kingdom Come song "The Prelude."
  • Within 24 hours of Daytona's release, Drake responded to "Infrared" by dropping a song titled "Duppy Freestyle." During the joint he responds to Pusha's ghostwriting allegations and mocks him for exaggerating his drug dealing past in his rhymes.
  • Pusha has some regrets about referencing Quentin Miller's name during this song. "[Quentin] doesn't want no parts of it. He's really trying to chase his dream. If there was anything that I didn't like about 'Infrared' it would probably be that," King Push told Hot 97's Funkmaster Flex. "Just because I know somebody is really trying to do something outside of all this fiasco."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Cheerleaders In Music Videos

Cheerleaders In Music VideosSong Writing

It started with a bouncy MTV classic. Nirvana and MCR made them scary, then Gwen, Avril and Madonna put on the pom poms.

Shaun Morgan of Seether

Shaun Morgan of SeetherSongwriter Interviews

Shaun breaks down the Seether songs, including the one about his brother, the one about Ozzy, and the one that may or may not be about his ex-girlfriend Amy Lee.

Real or Spinal Tap

Real or Spinal TapMusic Quiz

They sang about pink torpedoes and rocking you tonight tonight, but some real lyrics are just as ridiculous. See if you can tell which lyrics are real and which are Spinal Tap in this lyrics quiz.

Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull

Ian Anderson of Jethro TullSongwriter Interviews

The flautist frontman talks about touring with Led Zeppelin, his contribution to "Hotel California", and how he may have done the first MTV Unplugged.

Stan Ridgway

Stan RidgwaySongwriter Interviews

Go beyond the Wall of Voodoo with this cinematic songwriter.

Dar Williams

Dar WilliamsSongwriter Interviews

A popular contemporary folk singer, Williams still remembers the sticky note that changed her life in college.