On July 11, the hip-hop duo known as Clipse released their fourth studio album – and the first in 16 years – titled “Let God Sort Em Out.” Consisting of brothers Pusha T and Malice, the duo was massive in the 2000s before their breakup in 2010. Since then, Pusha T has gone on to have an incredible solo career, with a #1 album under his belt along with a slew of major features and tracks. When he and Malice announced their reunion in 2019, fans were not entirely sure what to expect for the future. They had a few notable features in the years following, but were nowhere close to the heights they reached so many decades ago. Because of this, the question had to be asked: is old-school hip-hop over?
Yes, there is no shortage of rappers in the modern day who emphasize their lyricism, and make a point to make a point in their music. However, as the years go on, these have become almost like a needle and a haystack, and in terms of commercial performance, fans are much more likely to listen to a Playboi Carti than a Freddie Gibbs. Not that there is anything wrong with what artists like Carti are doing, it is certainly a far cry from the state of the genre even ten years ago. For a group like Clipse to release an album in this day and age, there was really no telling what could happen. When it was first announced, it seemed like the safe bet was that it would just come and go, making Clipse just another act that could not survive the modern era.
However, when first starting to promote the album, Clipse decided to take advantage of something that usually works pretty well for gaining publicity: controversy. This all started with the release of the album’s second single, “So Be It.” The track’s third verse features a particularly angry Pusha T (who is already a rather angry character) going after rapper Travis Scott. In case there was any confusion or misconceptions regarding Pusha’s intentions, he went on to complete a series of interviews in which he explained exactly who he was talking about and how he felt about him. He called Travis a “whore,” in regards to how he never picks sides in beef, and how he just rides with whoever is on top at any given moment. He also talked about a time when he and Malice were working on the album with Pharell, and Travis essentially invaded the studio to play his album “Utopia” to Pharrell, with Travis doing his “monkey dance” the entire time, at least according to Pusha.
Maybe his words were a bit harsh, but it definitely got the people talking and tuned into what Clipse was up to. This hype only grew with the release of the group’s next track, “Chains & Whips,” which features Kendrick Lamar, who is always a headline-grabber. At this point, people were talking, and all that was left to do was for Clipse to deliver, which they certainly did. The record consists of 13 tracks, all produced by Pharrell, and features some of the legendary musician’s best work in years. The instrumentals include everything from beautiful choir arrangements to some downright terrifying stuff, giving the duo a wide variety of material to work with. What is even more important than this though is what the two are saying on the tracks, also an extreme variety. Some tracks, like the opener “The Birds Don’t Sing,” consist of Pusha and Malice talking about the passing of their parents, and they are impacted by it. Others, like the tracks “F.I.C.O.” and “M.T.B.T.T.F., are more similar to Clipse’ and Pusha T’s familiar brand of coke rap, which is simply rapping about selling drugs, but in this case, done pretty well.
Once again, the question remained if there is any room in the current music industry for music of this subject matter, and in the style that Clipse and Pharrell chose to express it. Usually, this question can be answered by looking at the sales, whatever that means these days. However, with surprise drops by both Justin Bieber and the aforementioned Travis Scott (probably not a coincidence), Clipse would, without a doubt, have their work cut out for them to prove their space in this musical economy. By the end of the week, it was clear that they were able to hold their own. The record sold the equivalent of 118,000 copies, debuting at #4 behind the other two debuts and another week from Morgan Wallen. Not bad for some old guys.
Maybe Clipse had some help from their friend Pharrell, or from featured artist Tyler, The Creator, who undoubtedly brought a few younger fans into the mix. However, just the fact that an album like this was able to perform to this degree is a very good sign for the future of hip-hop.
What does this mean going forward? It is now clear there is definitely a market out there for music that has a message, and overall just something to say. Once again, there is nothing wrong with making songs that simply sound good and are fun to dance to, but if an artist wants to go a little deeper, there is no shortage of people out there who will listen.