Let god Sort Em Out
The most impressive aspect of Clipse is their ability to actually write in a day and age where artists are turning into ChatGPT (no offense ChatGPT, I love you).The hip-hop duo Clipse — brothers Pusha T and Malice (formerly No Malice) — finally dropped their much-awaited album, and the build-up was a masterclass in hype. The first single, “Ace Trumpets,” instantly set the streets on fire, but it was “So Be It” that had everyone talking, with Pusha throwing not-so-subtle shots at Travis Scott. At first I was disappointed because the album version had a totally different beat — the original was just that good. (Edit: this got fixed after a day or so, ITSSSS BAAAAAACK. Balance in the universe restored.)Then came the behind-the-scenes drama: Pusha revealed that Def Jam wanted Kendrick’s verse either removed or “edited,” and he ended up paying a six-figure ransom just to keep it intact. That was the last straw — they walked away from the label. The whole thing was wrapped in a COLORS performance, interviews, and Clipse doing what they do best: making the industry bend to their rules.Going in, I was expecting a pure coke-rap sermon, but the album blindsided me with an opener that felt like a gut punch. Instead of kilos, we get a heartfelt tribute to their late parents, who passed away just months apart. Backed by John Legend’s soaring chorus, it’s less about Pusha the villain or Malice the preacher and more about two sons saying goodbye. That’s when I knew — this wasn’t just another rap record.Then we get back to business. “Chains and Whips” is Pusha coasting over the beat like he’s surfing a razor’s edge. Meanwhile, Kendrick’s feature is one of his most technical in years: he’s rapping about genocide, Gemini, gentrification, Gen Z… probably Genesis and Geneva too. Honestly, I lost track, but it sounded brilliant. It’s the kind of verse that makes Drake log off for a week — like two bullies stealing your lunch, eating it in front of you, then rating your mom’s cooking on Yelp. #drakeisthrvictim Pusha’s delivery? Cold-blooded. Malice? He’s the Hannibal Lecter of rap. He doesn’t curse, but every line drips with menace. You start to wonder what kind of terrible thoughts are bouncing around in his head, and then he drops a verse that makes you feel like he just stared straight into your soul.The pinnacle, though, is “Mike Tyson Blow to Face.” Double meaning — blow as in the punch, blow as in the product. The beat sounds like it’s having fun, almost playful, while Pusha slices through it with surgical precision. Honestly, immaculate.And then comes “F.I.C.O.” — the climax. Malice at his most dangerous, his most unhinged. The opening lines say it all:
“Go get a Glock, 27 fits snug in the waistline
Both sticks came with the drum…”
You don’t hear lines like that, you feel them.At 13 tracks, 41 minutes, this reunion is rap in its purest form. No filler, no bloat, just two brothers proving they can still burn the house down without breaking a sweat. I’m by no means an old head trying to cosplay 2000s hip-hop nostalgia, but man — hearing rap done this raw and this well in 2025 is a rare kind of joy.
