Pusha T has gone from dissing McDonalds to promoting long-term financial independence in a new posse cut with Wyclef Jean, Lola Brooke, Flau’jae, and Capella Grey, “Paper Right,” that’s part of a new TIAA ad campaign.
The song is kinda exactly what you’d expect from a don’t-call-it-a-jingle jingle for a financial giant focused on providing retirement services. “Financial freedom is so fulfillin’,” Burke raps in her verse, “Generational wealth is what you show the children.”
Pusha T basically does the same (“Rather build a legacy for my son, that’s important for him”), not that that precludes him from slipping in a quick coke rap, albeit with a positive message: “Old ladies warned us, so they ain’t have to mourn us/Street lords said, ‘Join us’/You could turn a brick to a Beamer, here some pointers/Nowadays, I’m ignoring ’em.”
To promote the song, which was released today, Pusha, Burke, Wyclef, and Grey also performed it on The Tonight Show. “Paper Right” is tied to TIAA’s efforts to promote retirement savings for Black workers, and a portion of the song’s proceeds will be donated to “First Generation Investors,” a non-profit that teaches students how to invest.
Pusha, of course, has never been one to shy from a little lucrative corporate sponsorship. Early on in his career, he famously helped co-write the McDonald’s “I’m Lovin’ It” jingle but claimed he only got paid a one-time fee. A couple of decades later, he got back in the fast food commercial game on behalf of Arby’s, even dropping a couple of McDonald’s diss tracks.
As for his non-advertisement music, Pusha released his most recent album, the Grammy-nominated It’s Almost Dry, in 2022. His output was relatively low last year, though he did provide a song for Cocaine Bear soundtrack (obviously), and partnered with Phoenix for a remix of their song, “All Eyes on Me.”
