Key Takeaways:
- Clipse reunites for their first album in 16 years, titled Let God Sort Em Out, which drops July 11.
- The Pharrell-produced project was recorded at Louis Vuitton’s Paris headquarters.
- The lead single, “Ace Trumpets,” sets the tone with cinematic bars and classic Neptunes-styled production.
After years of solo moves and speculation, legendary Virginia duo Clipse is officially back. On Friday (May 30), Pusha T and Malice (formerly No Malice) dropped “Ace Trumpets,” the bold lead single from their first album together in more than 15 years, Let God Sort Em Out. The follow-up to Til the Casket Drops, fully produced by Pharrell Williams, arrives July 11 and was recorded inside Louis Vuitton’s Paris HQ — where Pharrell now serves as creative director of menswear.
On the new track, Pusha rapped, “Ballerinas doin’ pirouettes inside of my snow globe, shoppin’ sprees in SoHo,” while Malice added vivid bars like, “Drugs killed my teen spirit, welcome to Nirvana.” A woman’s voice could also be heard delivering the phrase, “This is culturally inappropriate.” The production flex is classic Neptunes: Icy drums, lush synths and unsettling elegance. It's the kind of soundtrack only the Clipse could rap over with this much conviction.
The hard work behind Clipse’s ‘Let God Sort Em Out’ LP
Presumably, this isn’t intended to be a nostalgia trip — instead, it feels like a reinvention with purpose. Pharrell’s contribution is said to be all-encompassing: Along with crafting beats, he pushed his own sonic boundaries and helped drive the cinematic rollout. Part of the group’s campaign includes a trailer that mixed shots of Slick Rick and Mike Tyson with behind-the-scenes footage of the Thornton brothers in action. The artwork for Let God Sort Em Out was created by KAWS.
It’s hard not to notice the older sibling’s return to his old moniker, removing the “No” that was a part of his religious journey outside of the group. “I like the name Malice better,” he said in an interview with Rolling Stone. “That’s who the Clipse is. Malice and Pusha.” Pharrell, meanwhile, hasn’t lost a step. “We gonna keep going!” he reportedly told the brothers daily. Additionally, the legendary producer would share ideas after listening to their studio sessions in his car. “[He gave us] that energy every morning, bro... ’I’m going to try some new s**t tomorrow,’” Pusha recalled.
What led to Pusha T and Malice’s long-awaited album reunion
Behind the verses is a long road of tension, transition and transformation. Malice walked away from rap to follow a higher path. “Many people didn’t understand why I would do something like that,” he expressed to RS. “I never condemned anybody else. This was totally about me.” His memoir, name change and solo work marked a major pivot. But after the deaths of their parents, and with encouragement from their father before he passed, he returned with new clarity.
Pusha, meanwhile, sharpened his solo career into one of the most respected in the game — Daytona, It’s Almost Dry, GOOD Music presidency — all while carrying the Clipse legacy on his back. But even in his wins, something felt incomplete. “I get exactly what y’all miss,” he admitted to the publication. “And it never quite lands, me trying to be like [my brother].” Now, that balance is restored.