Pusha T has brought an iconic lyric from his most famous song to life in a new photograph.
On Thursday (April 25), King Push posted a picture on his Instagram Stories of him and Pee Wee Kirkland, writing over it: “The real ‘legend in two games…’ thank you #PeeWeeKirkland.”
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The rapper’s caption is a nod to a line on the Clipse‘s breakout hit “Grindin’,” where Push raps:“The jewels is flirting, be damned if I’m hurting/ Legend in two games like I’m Pee Wee Kirkland.”
Check the photo below.
Pusha T previously explained the simile on the lyrics website Genius.
“Pee Wee Kirkland went to Norfolk State,” he wrote. “Pee Wee Kirkland also knew my cousin and was in my video. Read about him.”
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Kirkland, a high school and college basketball star in the 1960s, was also a convicted drug dealer whose street successes, many say, led to him turning down a chance to play in the NBA after he was drafted by the Chicago Bulls (though he once told The New Yorker that he left the team’s training camp because “he felt that inferior players were getting preferential treatment.”)
Kirkland eventually served two stints behind bars, one in the 1970s and another from 1981-1988.
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As Pusha said, Kirkland actually made an appearance in the “Grindin'” video, showing up at the mention of his name. Check the 0:54 mark below.
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In addition to reconnecting with Kirkland, Pusha T is apparently back in touch with someone else from his past, Kanye West.
Speaking on Justin Laboy’s The Download podcast earlier this week, Kanye gave an update on the relationship with his “Runaway” rhyming partner following his not-so-amicable departure from G.O.O.D. Music.
“I just spoke with Pusha the other day. It was good to talk to him. It was the first time talking to him in a couple months. We made good music together,” he said.
The father of four seemed to suggest that he felt betrayed by Pusha for not supporting him during his bitter divorce and custody battle with ex-wife Kim Kardashian, but has since changed his mindset.
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“I thought that somehow because I made beats and made music for somebody that when I couldn’t see my children, these people would use their platform. ‘Cause I used my platform on their behalf,” he added.
“Now I realize no one owes me anything […] If you depend on somebody who is not giving you what you need, you’re the one that’s in the wrong.”
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Pusha stepped down as president of G.O.O.D. Music in 2022, citing a falling out over Kanye’s antisemitic comments which the Virginia native had publicly criticized.
