Pusha T’s second solo studio album, King Push – Darkest Before Dawn: The Prelude, served as the prelude to the long-awaited album known at the time as King Push. A week prior to release, King Push underwent a name change, ultimately becoming DAYTONA. In July 2014, when asked about plans for his next album, Pusha said in an interview with XXL: This next album is like a heavy proclamation to me. I told people last year I had the album of the year. And I felt that I did. I really feel that King Push has to live up to that same hip-hop expectation… my goal is always to have hip-hop album of the year. In promotion for Darkest Before Dawn, Pusha T released a trailer for his short film on November 26, 2015. The short film was released on December 11, 2015, exclusively on TIDAL. The album features appearances from G.O.O.D Music’s founder Kanye West, A$AP Rocky, Kehlani, Jill Scott, Ab-Liva and The-Dream, among others.