Following a 16-year hiatus, brothers Pusha T and Malice reunited as the rap duo Clipse to release “Let God Sort Em Out,” a modern take on old school hip-hop.
The duo executed a masterful rollout that resulted in the entire online music world talking about the project even before it released.
It started when they announced in June that Def Jam, the record label who represented Clipse, was in the middle of some executive meddling that pushed back the release of the album. The result came in Clipse leaving Def Jam and signing with Roc Nation.
The rollout escalated when Pusha T started doing what Pusha T does best, instigating through the pen. Push decided to tie up old loose ends by going after old collaborators during the promotion cycle for “Let God Sort Em Out”.
The respected emcee used his skills on the mic to attack former friend and disgraced rapper Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) on “Ace Trumpets” and Travis Scott on the highly anticipated “So Be It.”
Pusha questioned Ye’s manhood and ability to create good music while dissing Scott for what he described as a lack of loyalty.
The noise worked. This, combined with the brothers’ press tour for the album had the entire hip-hop community waiting in anticipation for Clipse’s comeback project.
When the album released in July, the reception was almost universally positive. Critics praised the project for its top-tier lyricism and strong ideas.
Well known music critic Anthony Fantano – who’s known for his extremely high standards – gave the album a perfect ten.
But the duo didn’t do it alone, the album features a star-studded cast of collaborators that feature hip-hop royalty from the previous generation like Nas, and the current titans of the industry like Kendrick Lamar and Tyler, The Creator.
Lamar, who’s currently on top of the hip-hop world delivered a generational performance of his own on the song “Chains and Whips,” which sees the Compton native whip out a “gen” rhyme scheme.
“Heavy genes like Genovese/ I’ll drop your Pentagon then show up at your at your gender reveal and tell ’em give me mine/ I am the general, where my gin and juice? Every song is the book of Genesis, let the sonics boom/ want the tea on me, well, here’s the ginger root.”
The opening track, “The Birds Don’t Sing,” is a touching tribute to the duo’s parents. Both brothers open up about how they were raised and how fortunate they were to have two exceptional role models in their lives and how much it hurts that they’re gone, wrapped together with a beautiful chorus sung by John Legend.
Despite Pusha T causing the most noise, it’s Malice who delivers the standout performances on the project. Track after track, Malice gives performances that bring him into contention for the current best rapper in the world. His verses are densely packed with incredible lyricism that makes you wonder where he’s been for all these years.
All of this is without ever uttering a single swear word. Ever since converting to Christianity in 2012, Malice hasn’t sworn in his lyrics. It’s a fresh take on the current landscape of songwriting in hip-hop, and Malice’s rhyme schemes are so infectious you don’t even notice they’re PG.
The standout lyricism combined with a masterful rollout earned Clipse a number four spot on the Billboard 200 and 118,000 units sold in the first week, according to Billboard.
The exceptional work from Clipse combined with the standout guest features make for one of the best albums of 2025 and a successful comeback for the Virginia duo.
When award season comes around, expect God to sort ‘em all out and for Clipse to run the show.
