This article was originally published in 2024 and has been updated to reflect new album release information.
Legendary Virginia Beach rap duo Clipse have mostly been on ice since 2009's Til the Casket Drops — and that decade and a half off ends now. Let God Sort Em Out arrives July 11 via Roc Nation.
Its 12 tracks are led by "Birds Don't Sing," featuring John-Legend. It's bracing to hear sibling duo of Pusha T and Malice — long purveyors of witty, sneakily profound coke raps — get real about the deaths of their parents: "Lost in emotion, mama's youngest / Tryna navigate life without my compass," King Push raps at the outset. "Some experience death and feel numbness / But not me, I felt it all and couldn't function.”
It only gets realer from there: "You told me that you loved me, it was all in your tone / 'I love my two sons' was the code to your phone," Malice raps in his verse. If "Birds Don't Sing" is any indication, Clipse's first album in forever will be illuminating indeed.
Pusha T and Malice have been largely tight-lipped about their reunion album, beyond what was revealed in a wide-ranging Vulture interview. But for hip-hop fans, the breadcrumbs they dropped are enticing indeed. Before its Friday release, read on for everything we know about Let God Sort Em.
It Will Reflect The Clipse's Maturation
Pusha T is vocal about hating the Pharrell-produced Til The Casket Drops, which has always left their story hanging. They seem to be all in on this LP — one that's designed on their own terms.
"I think the album shows the supreme maturation of a rap duo," said Push. "I think this is where you get the difference between taste and filler. This music is curated. This is a high taste-level piece of work.
"You can only have that level of taste when you have the fundamentals down to a science," he continued. "I think it's been definitely missing. Then there's the competitive aspect." Added Malice: "This is smart basketball. It's fundamentals."
Read more: For The Record: How Clipse's Lord Willin' Established Virginia's Foothold In Rap
Pharrell Williams Produced The Entire Album
Despite Pusha T's reservations about Til The Casket Drops, Pharrell Williams has been an integral part of the Clipse's operation since the beginning — and he returns to produce the new project.
"Pharrell producing everything is also an ode to the type of music and the type of albums we want to make," he added. "We still want to make full bodies of work. These are movies, man. These aren't just songs. This isn't just a collection of joints we went in and banged out."
Let God Sort Em Out Is Full Of Collabs
Beyond production from Pharrell (who also features on three songs, per a published tracklist), Clipse’s forthcoming album features major names in the game as well as rising voices. 2025 GRAMMYs sweeper Kendrick Lamar features on "Chains & Whips," while Nas appears on "Let God Sort Em Out/Chandeliers." GRAMMY-winning songwriter and producer The-Dream joins Pharrell on "All Things Considered." Elsewhere are features from Syracuse-based rapper Stove God Cooks and Re-Up Gang member Ab-Liva.
But the collabs don’t begin and end when the needle drops. Clipse once again stapped artist and designer KAWS to create the cartoon-inspired cover art, which features a Jesus-like figure and an animal driving away in a white convertible.
Maturation Doesn't Mean Abandoning Coke Raps
As Pusha T points out in the interview — yes, they rap about selling coke, but to reduce it to that is to miss the point entirely.
"There's no way that you can listen to that level of storytelling and experience and just walk away just saying 'That's coke rap.'" Malice says. "If you just want to say that it's just crack rap, then you can't even assess what's really being said or what's going on."
Indeed, what the Clipse staked their claim on isn't off the table. In fact, it's lined up and ready.
Get Ready For A Bona Fide Clipse Era
As Pusha T stresses, this Clipse revisitation will come from multiple directions: "Appearances, touring, and a rap album of the year" are coming down the pike.
As more information about Let Got Sort Em Out flows in, keep GRAMMY.com bookmarked so you know the details — as these fraternal MCs join forces once more.