The cover of Pusha T’s new album, My Name is My Name, is a barcode. The image symbolizes exactly where Pusha T has gone musically since leaving Clipse (a hip hop duo featuring Pusha and his brother “Malice,” now a born-again Christian): a more mainstream approach to the music, designed to sell albums. This approach is exemplified by production on the LP, primarily handled by hip hop’s most infamous mad genius, Kanye West. Trap-esque, synth-led beats cover most of My Name is My Name, with the same sort of minimalistic approach Kanye went with on his latest album, the critically acclaimed Yeezus. The best beat is probably “Hold On,” with a smart, spacey piano lead and a classic Kanye autotune harmony in the background. Complimenting Pusha on this track is Rick Ross, another drug kingpin in hip hop, who delivers a rare introspective verse. It seems that Ross works really well with G.O.O.D. music, harkening back to his stellar verse on West’s “Devil In A New Dress,” back in 2010.

The first two tracks of the LP are also some of the strongest. While Pusha T brags in his raps, his delivery is very low-key and calm. The whole aesthetic is like an edgier take on a classic Jay-Z album. “Numbers on the Boards” features a strong hook as well, “Ballers, I put numbers on the boards/Hard to get a handle on this double-edged sword.”

Obviously Pusha’s hook writing abilities have grown even since his mixtape from earlier this year, “Wrath of Caine.” Some of the hooks run sour, however.  Future delivers another drunken, drowsy, autotuned hook on “Pain,” and Chris Brown’s chorus on “Sweet Serenade” is extremely vapid. Sweet Serenade also is featured a very boring, recycled flow from Pusha with an uncreative vocal sample in the background.

On the track “40 Acres,” Pusha exceled in choosing a feature to sing the hook. The-Dream’s angelic vocals compliment the atmospheric, ambient beat quite well. Pusha delivers a very mature verse here; he didn’t forget about his brother, rapping, “My better half chose the better path, applaud him/ Younger brother me a spoiled child, I fought him.” This was definitely one of the most melancholy moments on the LP. Another sad, introspective moment is on the final track, “S.N.I.T.C.H.,” featuring an urgent hook from Pharrell Williams. The song tells the story about a close friend who betrays Pusha by turning him into the police. The song shows the mature side of the West protégé that really differs from the one we saw on Clipse’s seminal LP, “Hell Hath No Fury.” Unfortunately, he spits the verse over a very generic, synth led beat. To contrast these moments on the album, we get some absolutely hilarious bars on “Who I Am” from 2 Chainz: “Hot fudge sundae, pour it on you hallelujah!”

“Nosetalgia” features the enigmatic and talented Kendrick Lamar, one of the MCs at the forefront of the new school of hip hop. The song is a tour de force; Lamar and Pusha go head to head on growing up and their experiences around drugs, family, and the like. The track includes another catchy, minimal beat from West. Lamar shows why he’s on top of the rap game with his grouchy, aggressive delivery, yet he still touches on grave subjects.a

2013 has been a weak year for mainstream hip hop, with the only standout release, in my opinion, being Danny Brown’s “Old,” an album that’s both surreal and down to earth. Though the production and writing on My Name Is My Name is inconsistent, Pusha T proves that he can still hang with the best out there even at age thirty-six. This album shows Pusha T’s growing maturity, while proving that, although he has moved on from his days with Clipse, he still can maintain some of that youthful edge in his lyrics.