Pusha Rod made a way out of no way. Rod was a respected and supportive friend of rap superstar YG before he carved out his niche in the entertainment industry. Growing up in Los Angeles, Rod also learned his way around the world of fashion, another avenue he’s thrived in. His story of persistence and self-confidence has allowed him to become successful in multiple fields years over the years and establish himself as an artist in his own right.
Rod wants to spread his life story to the world to inspire the youth that felt just like him and recently spoke to rolling out in-depth about the journey.
How did you get to where you are as an A&R?
It started off [by] just being a fly on the wall. I was lucky to be around [when] YG and DJ Mustard were creating, and I was honestly just a friend in the back of the room … [Sometimes] they’d ask, “Do you f— with this?” I’d be like “yeah” or “no.”
Then one day, I got hit with “Why? What you mean you don’t f— with this? This s— hard.” Then, you point out, “Man, this one part, I f— with this part.” Then, they’d be like, “Yeah. I feel that.”
It was actually [Interscope Records A&R] Sickamore who told me I was an A&R. Before that, I honestly just thought I was doing what a real friend does … I just thought for a long time, if you’re a friend and you’re not bringing something to the table, you’re a leach.
When did you first start getting into fashion?
I’ve always been into clothes growing up. I didn’t come from a very fortunate home and didn’t really have too much. I used to look in every Eastbay magazine and I used to cut out shoes. I used to look at everybody’s outfit and just try to figure out, “How is this put together? How can I do this with the minimum resources?”
From there, it was just figuring it out, and I always stayed close to what was going on here, and in the West Coast for a long time. Then, I started being friends with people like A$AP Nast, Rocky and Ian Connor. I always understood pieces, but when I was young, I didn’t have the money to buy certain pieces … Once I got a little older and I was hanging out with them, they were just showing me places you can go — like a flea market. … I really like clothes from the 70s and 80s. I was just trying to mix what’s going on today with that and being true to myself, like how rap is about freedom of speech. As a human being, I feel like your clothes show your personal individuality.
