“Neck & Wrist” by Pusha T (ft. Jay-Z and Pharrell Williams)

To begin with, “Neck & Wrist” is a braggadocious rap song. As far as Pusha T’s (the main vocalist), contribution goes, he lyrically proceeds to present himself as a wealthy drug dealer. Jay-Z of course also drops quite a few allusions to his own wealth. But also as usual he takes a more poetic approach to the matter at hand, even if indirectly implying that he’s had his own past in product slinging.

Jigga is also known for dropping at least one truly notable line in his guest verses. In this case he states his belief that, by divine decree, he would have still become a rap superstar even if Biggie Smalls lived on. In other words, some people feel that his ascension into rap superstardom was largely in part due to The Notorious B.I.G., the top New York rapper of the mid-1990s, being murdered in his prime. But clearly, Jay-Z himself doesn’t feel that way.

So basically, what Pusha T, buttressed by Pharrell, is leading the audience to believe is that his wealth is attributable to being akin to a drug kingpin. And by asserting that “neck and wrist don’t lie”, that’s fundamentally the vocalists’ way of saying that the jewelry they wear is proof that they are in fact paid.

Facts about “Neck & Wrist”

This song is a single from a 2022 Pusha T album entitled “It’s Almost Dry”. In an industry sense Pusha T being a protégé of Kanye West is therefore related to Jay-Z, who himself was West’s mentor. The two of them have collaborated before, on Kanye’s 2010 track “So Appalled” and on Pusha T’s 2016 joint “Drug Dealers Anonymous”.

Meanwhile Pharrell Williams, one of the most far-reaching musicians in the industry and especially in the world of hip-hop, has already collaborated, in one capacity or another, with both Pusha T and Jay-Z on numerous occasions.

This track was produced exclusively by Pharrell, who is also credited as a co-writer alongside Jay-Z and Pusha T.

Def Jam and one of its imprints, Kanye’s own G.O.O.D. Music, released this track on 6 April 2022. The song had first been teased by Pusha a couple of months prior.