A member of the hip-hop duo Clipse, rapper Pusha T was born Terrence Thornton in the Bronx but was raised in Virginia Beach, Virginia along with his brother Gene Thornton. With Gene taking on the name Malice, the brothers formed Clipse in the early '90s, quickly forming a relationship with the Neptunes' Pharrell Williams and embarking on a career that would include major-label record deals and critically revered albums. In 2010, the duo members announced they were taking a break to focus on solo careers. Pusha would sign with Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music imprint and land on his new label boss’ album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy that same year. The next year he would release both the Fear of God mixtape and his official solo debut album, Fear of God II: Let Us Pray.