Today, Pusha T fans woke to a mysterious snippet of what appeared to be a new music video from the rapper featuring Kanye West. The snippet appeared to have been originally uploaded by veteran journalist Elliott Wilson, who tweeted out the clip without fanfare or explanation, leading to two hours of speculation about its origin.
— Elliott Wilson (@ElliottWilson) February 7, 2022
And while no one quite knew what to make of the clip, that didn’t stop it from spreading like wildfire, with Pusha T supporters demanding the song be released as soon as possible.
PUSHA T THE T STANDS FOR TODAY RELEASE THIS SHIT TODAY https://t.co/tFS75CP2KA
— Shea Serrano (@SheaSerrano) February 7, 2022
Well, it was either all part of the plan, or Pusha is just really in tune with fans on Twitter, because it didn’t take long for him to reveal the release date via his own social pages: The track, titled “Diet Coke,” is set for release at midnight tonight — meaning 12 am ET February 8.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CZryJj0Lb6j/
Meanwhile, the song’s producer, 88 Keys had apparently gone Live on Instagram to explain that the beat was 18 years old and originally intended as an interlude on one of his own beat tapes.
88 Keys made that beat 18 years ago🤯🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/SfP7J3rgkP
— ReverseSkydive (@iincroyableee) February 7, 2022
“Diet Coke” will be Pusha’s first solo single since 2018’s Daytona, which contained the songs “Infrared,” “If You Know You Know,” and “Santeria.” He began teasing his new music in late January with a photo of Lana Del Rey after revealing the new album would be produced by Kanye West and Pharrell Williams.