Disruption—it seems like The Clipse want to disrupt the status quo. The brothers from VA beach have restored the feeling in an industry and art form that at times seemed to have lost it’s way. Let God Sort Em Out is the long awaited return for the rap duo of brothers Gene “Malice” and Terrence “Pusha T” Thornton. The production on the album is done by none other than Pharrell Williams. This marks the first album featuring the three in 16 years.
Now, why disruption? Everything about this album is a disruption. In a world that runs on shock and viral moments this was a return to the old ways. LGSEO went through some hurdles to get here. Originally, it was planned for a 2024 release but the duo were dropped by Def Jam. They immediately signed a distribution deal with Roc Nation, which was revealed in a cryptic instagram post also revealing the album title. Boom, the campaign began. For the last two months, the Clipse have been everywhere. From print media, radio, late night talk shows, pop up shops and an NPR Tiny Desk performance. “Flooding the zone” as they call it in politics, they sat down with powerhouse publications Rolling Stone and GQ and revealed the label drama behind their release from Def Jam. Push also delved deeper into his now defunct friendship and business relationship with Kanye by stating he was “detrimental to everything.”.
On the radio circuit, Clipse debuted the lead single “So Be It” on DJ Hed’s Instagram live followed by Funk Flex on Hot 97. The track was on streaming service very briefly but quickly pulled due to sample clearances. Didn’t matter though, the fire had been lit. “So Be It” came as a clear message—smoke was in the air. The Clipse, namely Push, had words for the naysayers and those they deemed disloyal culture vultures—Travis Scott to be specific. Scott is the center of Pusha’s bars in the third verse with
“You cried in front of me, you died in front of me
Calabasas took your bitch and your pride in front of me
Her Utopia had moved right up the street
And her lip gloss was poppin', she ain't need you to eat”
a direct jab at Kylie Jenner leaving Travis emotion broken after their break up. This newly revealed ire stems from some actions taken by Travis amidst the Pusha/Kanye beef with Drake as well as his noted erratic behavior which rubbed the duo wrong on numerous occasions.
Finally, on July 11th, the album was released. The album starts with a song that was initially revealed the year prior at a Louis Vutton show in Paris titled “The Birds Don’t Sing”. Over piano keys (fitting entendre right?) and assisted by John Legend on the chorus, The brothers Thornton take turns eulogizing their parents. Malice, coincidently and tragically, discovered them both deceased. Their mother, Mildred, passed in 2021 and their father Gene Sr in 2022. Big brother Malice carries much of the emotional weight as he describes the state his father was in when he found him and how much of an impact and sacrifices he had for family. The record serves as both closure for their parent’s passing and as a reconciliation of the two halves. Especially from Malice, who is a born again Christian. Malice wrestled with coming back to rap but apparently their father gave his approval.
The next track is the entire reason for this album’s delay, Chains & Whips, which claims the mystery feature of Kendrick Lamar (Sorry it’s not Jay-Z). Yea, this beef ain’t over. Expect more jabs for the foreseeable future. I’d like to add that I’m incredibly disappointed Jay-Z is not on this record. Pharrell had to have ran this one past him. C’mon Hov….
This album centers itself on maturity and reclamation of an art form that insists it’s a young man’s game. It’s a celebration of longevity and an ode to the moments that defined the duo. It’s the Clipse so you know the coke rap is there. The kingpin talk is on display with metaphors and entendres of snow, white, salt and a litany of other innocuous objects standing in as the infamous drug of choice for wealthy nostrils. Pusha T doesn’t hide his disgust for the state of rap and the front he feels artists put on to garner the love of the uninitiated. He also doesn’t waste the opportunity to remind us that we probably won’t ever be as rich as him and his big brother. Speaking of Malice, he dominates this album. This might be the first rapper to bless and curse his foes in the name of the Lord. Malice found God but also found a way to “hide the dope” as he reflects on living in two worlds like on “So Far Ahead”. In the past, the brothers complimented each other whereas now the dynamic plays more of a contrast of each other.
This isn’t a feature heavy album and it certainly doesn’t lean on them. Newcomer to cocaine punchlines, Stove God Cooks, bring his gritty melodic flow to the hook of “F.I.C.O”. There’s a Re-Up Gang reunion with Ab-Liva on my personal favorite track “Inglorious Bastards”. Tyler the Creator, a frequent Pharrell collaborator shows up on “P.O.V.” with some bars that can be taken a few directions . The-Dream graces us with a falsetto on the outro to “All Things Considered”. Lastly, Nas appears on what can be considered a bonus track “Chandeliers” with the titular track “Let God Sort Em Out”. It is fitting for him to appear on LGSEO. Nas is the reigning champion of the unofficial adult contemporary rap sub-genre. Is this a signal he’s cooking up something with Pharrell?
My only complaint of the album is the production. I love Pharrell and maybe to the untrained ear this album sounds sonically great…ok it is. However, to me, there’s something…someone missing. That someone is Chad Hugo, the other half of The Neptunes. The production is crisp and pristine but it just seems safe. The beats never overshadow the lyrics and I suppose that’s a good thing. They just aren’t anything memorable. Just serviceable new-age boom-bap.
Is this album a classic? No. But it’s certainly in the conversation of rap album of the year. Let God Sort Em Out solidifies The Clipse in the pantheon of Rap music.