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Draft:Let God Sort Em Out

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Let God Sort Em Out
Studio album by
Clipse
ReleasedJuly 11, 2025
StudioUnknown studio (Virginia Beach)
Louis Vuitton headquarters (Paris)
GenreHip-hop
LabelRoc Nation
ProducerPharrell Williams (also exec.)
Clipse chronology
Til the Casket Drops
(2009) 		Let God Sort Em Out
(2025)
Singles from Let God Sort Em Out
  1. "Ace Trumpets"
    Released: May 30, 2025

Let God Sort Em Out is the upcoming fourth[a] studio album by American hip-hop duo Clipse, consisting of brothers No Malice and Pusha T. Set to be released by Roc Nation on July 11, 2025, it marks the duo's first album since Til the Casket Drops (2009). Recording sessions were split between a studio in Virginia Beach, United States and the Louis Vuitton headquarters in Paris, France. The album is fully produced by Pharrell Williams and will include guest appearances by John Legend, Kendrick Lamar, and Stove God Cooks. The lead single, "Ace Trumpets", was released on May 30, 2025.

Background

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2009–22: Clipse breakup and reunion

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Til the Casket Drops (2009) was the final album before the duo split to make solo material. Although an official breakup announcement wasn't made at the time, rumors that the duo was over began when Malice changed his stage name to No Malice, converted to Christianity, and started making Christian hip-hop.[b] In 2014, No Malice firmly denied the possibility of a reunion.[6] His attitude had softened by 2016: "I'ma tell you that I learned to never say never, and I don't shut the door on anything. I really don't. In fact, I would like to see Clipse do it. But I just do things differently."[2] Later in 2016, he reflected on the moment the breakup occurred—amid pressure from the indictment of their manager and other people in their lives, he angrily declared to his brother on a plane that he was done with the duo.[7]

Without announcing a full reunion, the brothers appeared together (credited as Clipse) on "Use This Gospel" by Kanye West from his album Jesus Is King (2019). From this point forward, the duo started performing live again.[8] They joined up yet again on "Punch Bowl" by Nigo from his album I Know Nigo! (2022).[9] No Malice made a guest appearance (credited as Malice) on "I Pray for You" by Pusha T from his album It's Almost Dry (2022).[10]

2023–4: Behind-the-scenes label signings and dispute

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In October 2024, it was revealed that Clipse was signed to Def Jam Recordings, which had already been Pusha T's label as a solo artist;[11] the signing happened much earlier but went long unannounced. In an interview with Pusha T's manager Steven Victor for Billboard, journalist Elias Leight wrote that the duo was already signed as of "early" 2024.[12] Music industry executive Brian Zisook publicly claimed that Clipse was already under Def Jam by approximately June 2023.[13][c]

In an interview with GQ, Clipse revealed that the album was delayed significantly from a planned 2024 release when Def Jam and parent company Universal Music Group (UMG) wanted a guest verse by Kendrick Lamar to be censored or removed; both Pusha T and Lamar have had feuds with Canadian rapper Drake, leading to the exchanging of diss tracks in 2018 and 2024, respectively. UMG were said to be uncomfortable with the "optics" of the situation, and Drake's feud with Lamar would eventually result in a lawsuit by Drake against UMG. Clipse refused to censor or remove Lamar. The stalemate ended when Pusha T paid a seven-figure sum[12] for him and the duo to be released from Def Jam before signing to Roc Nation instead.[14]

The latter signing was informally announced on May 27 when a picture of the duo in front of the Roc Nation insignia, captioned with the album title, was posted to Instagram jointly by the duo and Roc Nation itself.[15]

Marketing

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Teaser tracks and promotional press

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"[This album is] a whole new chapter. This is new, it's groundbreaking, it's fresh. This isn't a reminisce runway. Everything is new—the music, the energy, the competitive spirit. It's all about what's next and being what's next."

Pusha T, in a solo interview with GQ.[16]

On June 20, 2023, a new Clipse track, "Chains & Whips", was played during the Louis Vuitton Men’s Spring-Summer 2024 Show—the first fashion show by Pharrell Williams as creative director of menswear at the company.[17] Another song, "Birds Don't Sing" (featuring John Legend), was previewed during the next annual edition of the show on June 18, 2024.[18] The next day, Vulture published an interview with the duo in which an upcoming album produced entirely by Pharrell was confirmed.[19] A September interview with Rolling Stone announced that the album's recording was split between Virginia Beach and Paris (the Louis Vuitton headquarters[20]), that a feature from Nas is recorded and planned for the album, and that "Birds Don't Sing" will be the album's opening track.[21] By December, the album was confirmed to be finished.[22]

A Pharrell-produced Pusha T track, then titled "Mike Tyson Blow to the Face", was featured in Pharrell's short film All Day I Dream About Sport in February 2025.[23] On May 7, a final teaser was posted to Pusha T's Instagram account, which Billboard named "So Far Ahead".[24] In a June interview with GQ, more tracks and features were confirmed: "Mike Tyson", "POV", "FICO" (featuring Stove God Cooks), and "Chains & Whips" (featuring Kendrick Lamar).[14]

Album rollout and singles

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Through their joint and individual Instagram accounts on May 28, 2025, Clipse announced that lead single "Ace Trumpets" was to be released on May 30.[25] The next day, the album's release was set for July 11, with distribution to be handled by Roc Nation Distribution; the cover art by Kaws was also revealed.[20] A lyrics video for "Ace Trumpets" was released on June 4.[26]

Track listing

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Credits adapted from Apple Music[27] and the YouTube description box for the Louis Vuitton Men's Spring-Summer 2025 Show.[28]
All tracks produced by Pharrell Williams.
All tracks credited to Clipse, Pusha T, and No Malice on streaming services.
The album is confirmed to have thirteen tracks.

Let God Sort Em Out track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Birds Don't Sing" (featuring John Legend)
 
5."Ace Trumpets"
  • G. Thornton
  • T. Thornton
  • Williams
2:34

Other confirmed tracks

  • "Chains & Whips" (featuring Kendrick Lamar)
  • "FICO" (featuring Stove God Cooks)
  • "Mike Tyson"
  • "POV"
  • "So Far Ahead"

Personnel

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Credits adapted from Apple Music.[27]

  • Gene Thornton – vocals
  • Terrence Thornton – vocals
  • Mike Larson – programming, mixing engineer
  • Manny Marroquin – mixing engineer
  • Pharrell Williams – mixing engineer
  • Zach Pereyra – mastering engineer
  • Trey Station – assistant engineer
  • Anthony Vilchis – assistant engineer
  • Rob Ulsh – engineer[d]

Notes

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  1. ^ As per promotional materials. Some sources may label Let God Sort Em Out as the duo's fifth album, counting Exclusive Audio Footage (1999), intended to be the duo's first album, but initially only released through promotional copies which later leaked online; the album was officially released via streaming services in 2022.[1]
  2. ^ Thornton has pushed back on the terms "Christian hip-hop" and "Christian rap" being used to describe his music, stating: "To me, it's no different than the music I was putting out. It still sounds very real, street hip-hop. It's just minus the ignorance. I hate when someone tries to label me as Christian hip-hop or positive music. I think that's crazy because the music is very hard."[2] Nevertheless, the terms have been used by various magazines and blogs, including HotNewHipHop,[3] Maclean's,[4] and Uproxx.[5]
  3. ^ Zisook uses the March 2024 song "Like That" by Future, Metro Boomin, and Kendrick Lamar as a reference point, stating that Clipse was already involved with Def Jam nine months prior.
  4. ^ Credited only as an "engineer" on Apple Music, Ulsh's biography on his studio's website portrays him primarily as a recording engineer as opposed to a mixing or mastering engineer.[29]

See also

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References

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  1. ^
    • Williams, Aaron (May 2, 2022). "Clipse's Shelved Debut Album Is Now Available For Streaming". Uproxx. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
    • Blake, Cole (September 26, 2022). "Pusha T & No Malice's Clipse Album, "Exclusive Audio Footage," Added To Streaming Services". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved June 6, 2025.
  2. ^ a b Diep, Eric (February 19, 2016). "No Malice Details His Journey of Finding Religion, New Album & Leaving His Past Behind in 'The End of Malice' Film". Billboard. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
  3. ^ Horton, Chad (November 28, 2022). "5 Christian Hip-Hop Artists Infiltrating The Mainstream". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
  4. ^ Lee, Adrian (January 28, 2022). "Rap's crossroads: Why big-name rappers are daring to be religious". Maclean's. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
  5. ^ Williams, Aaron (May 2, 2022). "Clipse's Shelved Debut Album Is Now Available For Streaming". Uproxx. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
  6. ^ Coleman II, C. Vernon (March 30, 2014). "No Malice Emphatically Confirms It's A Wrap For The Clipse". XXL. Retrieved May 29, 2025.
  7. ^ Thornton Jr., Gene (March 1, 2016). "No Malice Details Exact Moment Clipse Broke Up" (Video). Interviewed by Justin Hunte. HipHopDX. Retrieved May 29, 2025 – via YouTube. They were picking up all of our friends at different times, you know. I had a friend—he just had a baby, and he wheelchairing his wife. She holding the baby. Soon as he come out the hospital, bam, they got him. Had another friend—he's driving on the interstate, you know, with his girl, his daughter in the car, and police just come, hit, you know, they car. Like, really crash into they car, you know, to make them pull over. And they were just picking up everybody, you know. [...] When I was on the plane, and I didn't see my brother get on the plane, you know, I knew. Like, I knew what was up, 'cause we never miss flights. We weren't never late, you know. [...] So I'm sitting on the plane, and, you know, the very last minute, the very last minute, he comes stumbling in the door, so I stood up in the middle of the aisle in front of all those people on the plane, and I told him— I was like, 'Yo, I don't know if you thought I was joking, I don't know if you thought I was playing, but I'm letting you know I ain't doing this no more!'
  8. ^ Strauss, Matthew (May 29, 2025). "Clipse Announce Let God Sort Em Out, First New Album Since 2009". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 29, 2025.
  9. ^ Walker, Joe (March 25, 2022). "Clipse's Pusha T & No Malice Reunite With The Neptunes On Nigo's 'Punch Bowl'". HipHopDX. Retrieved May 29, 2025.
  10. ^ Breihan, Tom (April 22, 2022). "Premature Evaluation: Pusha T 'It's Almost Dry'". Stereogum. Retrieved May 29, 2025.
  11. ^ Caraan, Sophie (October 30, 2024). "Clipse Officially Signs With Def Jam for New Album 'Let God Sort Em Out'". Hypebeast. Retrieved May 29, 2025.
  12. ^ a b Leight, Elias (June 3, 2025). "Steven Victor On the 'Insane Amount of Money' It Took For Pusha T, Clipse to Exit Def Jam". Billboard. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
  13. ^ Zisook, Brian [@BrianZisook] (June 2, 2025). "Signing announcements rarely follow signings in real time. In Clipse's case, the duo were already with Def Jam in 2023. Songs were even added (and later pulled) from the release calendar that summer, 9 months before we heard "Like That."" (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 3, 2025. Retrieved June 3, 2025 – via Twitter.
  14. ^ a b Tharpe, Frazier (June 2, 2025). "Clipse Talk Love, Hate, and What Rap's Been Missing". GQ. Retrieved June 2, 2025.
  15. ^ Thornton, Terrence [@kingpush] (May 27, 2025). "LET GOD SORT EM OUT". Archived from the original on June 2, 2025. Retrieved June 2, 2025 – via Instagram.
  16. ^ Gheciu, Alex Nino (May 16, 2025). "Pusha T Is Selling Off Some of the Rarest Designer Grails in His Closet". GQ. Retrieved May 29, 2025.
  17. ^ Bateman, Kristen (June 20, 2023). "Pharrell Williams's Louis Vuitton Men's Debut Was a Star-Packed Celebration". W Magazine. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
  18. ^ DeVille, Chris (June 18, 2024). "New Clipse Song "Birds Don't Sing" Debuts At Louis Vuitton Fashion Show". Stereogum. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
  19. ^ Jenkins, Craig (June 19, 2024). "The Clipse Missed This". Vulture. Retrieved May 29, 2025.
  20. ^ a b Saponara, Michael (May 29, 2025). "Clipse Announces 'Let God Sort Em Out' Release Date With Cinematic Trailer, Reveals Album Cover Art". Billboard. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  21. ^ Gee, Andre (September 4, 2024). "How Pusha T and Malice Resurrected the Clipse After 14 Years". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
  22. ^ Diaz, Angel (December 11, 2024). "Pusha T Promises the New Clipse Album Produced by Pharrell Is 'Done'". Billboard. Retrieved May 29, 2025.
  23. ^ Jones, Okla (February 18, 2025). "Pharrell Williams Expands His Artistry With Powerful Short Film, 'All Day I Dream About Sport'". Essence. Retrieved May 29, 2025.
  24. ^ Diaz, Angel (May 8, 2025). "Pusha T Teases a New Clipse Snippet Featuring Pharrell: 'So Far Ahead'". Billboard. Retrieved May 29, 2025.
  25. ^ Thornton, Terrence [@kingpush] (May 28, 2025). "ACE TRUMPETS PRODUCED BY @pharrell OUT FRIDAY 5/30". Archived from the original on May 29, 2025 – via Instagram.
  26. ^ Clipse (June 4, 2025). Clipse, Pusha T, No Malice - Ace Trumpets (Official Lyric Video) (Video). Retrieved June 4, 2025 – via YouTube.
  27. ^ a b Let God Sort Em Out - Album by Clipse, May 30, 2025, retrieved May 30, 2025
  28. ^ Men's Spring-Summer 2025 Show | LOUIS VUITTON (Media notes). June 18, 2024.
  29. ^ "Rob Ulsh". Master Sound Studios. Retrieved May 29, 2025.
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