"He knows I don't think he’s a man" - Pusha T addresses why he doesn’t get along with Kanye West

Rapper Pusha T, aka Terrence LeVarr Thornton recently addressed his relationship with fellow musician Kanye West. During his sitdown with GQ alongside his brother and Clipse bandmate, No Malice, on Monday, June 2, 2025, the rapper addressed his falling out with the Donda artist.

Pusha and Kanye have been friends since the early 2010s after he signed to the latter's label, G.O.O.D. Music, even becoming its president in 2015. The pair collaborated on several charting tracks. However, following Ye's reported hate speech and polarizing behavior, Terrence decided to walk away from the label in 2022.

Reflecting on their association, Pusha T told GQ that they made "great" music together. But added that it wasn't enough. He noted that he didn't think Ye was "man", stating:

"He's a genius. And his intuition is even more genius level, right? But that's why me and him don't get along, because he sees through my fakeness with him. He knows I don't think he’s a man."

King Push noted that Kanye knowing what he really thought of him was the reason they "don't click."

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Pusha T stated that he and Kanye were "playing the industry games" in the final years of their friendship

During his interview with GQ, Pusha T explained that towards the end of their association, he could notice cracks in his friendship with Kanye West.

He explained that they spent the time "playing the industry games," which made him realize he was "alone" in everything rap.

Terrance recalled the 2021 DONDA sessions in Atlanta as one such time, adding:

"I'm in a collective of a lot of individuals. Everybody's working, but I really got sh*t to do, and I leave and it's one energy, and then when I come back, the energy's off."

Pusha T elaborated that at one point, his friend came up to him to tell him about the thing that was said behind his back. He continued:

"I'm thinking that we all in this collectively getting busy. But in all actuality, everybody had their own agendas. And I feel like I was the only one who didn't. My agenda was for the squad."

Pusha T's association with Kanye West began when he signed with the latter's record label, G.O.O.D. Music, in 2010 (Clipse disbanded, and Push went on to pursue a solo career).

The pair collaborated on several songs over the years, including Runaway (2010), Mercy (2012), and Amen (2011).

However, in 2022, King Push criticized West's seemingly anti-Semitic behavior and announced parting ways with G.O.O.D. Music in an interview with XXL. He was the label's president at the time.

The rapper explained that he felt West's comments and right-wing affiliations didn’t sit right with him, stating:

"It’s beyond that and it’s nothing to tap dance around. It’s wrong. Period," adding that, "If you ain’t with it, you ain’t down. And I ain’t with it. I’m not budging on that. I’m not with it."

In response, Kanye West has frequntly singled out Pusha T in his X rants. He even criticized the NYC rapper for speaking about his political views during his interview with DJ Akademiks in March 2025.

In a April livestream, West slammed Terrence in a fiery rant, stating:

"I bled for you. I asked for one thing: Use for your voice, your stability. People don’t think you’re crazy. People respect you. You stood on my shoulders to take Drake out."

Kanye West was referencing Pusha T's rap fued with Drake which ended with the former track, The Story Of Adidon, where he claimed the Cananian musician was hiding his son, Adonis.

Last week, Clipse dropped the lead single, Ace Trumpets, for their upcoming album, Let God Sort Em Out.

The project would be Clipse's first in 16 years. In the track, Pusha raps that he laughed at Ye's recent interviews, in the bar:

"Look at them, him and him, still waitin' on Yeezy / I hope you got your squeegees / At your interviews, I just ki-ki."

Following the release of the track, Kanye West took to his X in May to state that he missed his frendship with Push.

Elsewhere in his GQ interview, Pusha T commented on Ye's repeated supposed hate-speech targeting him and others. Terrance explained that West has "every soul believing" that he had done "great injustice" to Kanye. But that was a lie.

"He knows that every issue that he’s having and crying about online right now, I’ve told him distinctly about those things."

Push asserted that West doesn't "talk to (him) like he talks to others," adding:

"When he gets up there and with his KKK mask and he's screaming behind it like a pro wrestler—he got to scream behind a mask."

Pusha T pointed out that while critics frequenly arrtibute West's behavior with mental health struggles, he believed it went deeper than that.

Noting that both were true-the "sickness" and Ye's "calculat(ive)" tendencies." Terrance stated that the two "cancel(ed)" each other and eventually Ye ends up being "detrimental to everything."

Terrance also acknowledged that Kanye West did "give (him) all the profits back from the Def Jam deal."

According to GQ, back in 2020 Pusha T expressed his frustrations with major label deals, particularly his splits in his Def Jam contract.G.O.O.D. Music is part of the Def Jam group.

At the time, Kanye announced he would give his 50% stake in the masters of G.O.O.D. Music’s roster back to the artist.

Noting that West made good on his promise, Push praised his "business" prowess. He added that he was "cool" how things were between them.

Kanye West has not publicly reacted to Pusha's remarks.