Day 154: Clipse - Let God Sort Em Out

It’s Grammy’s night tonight, so I thought I’d finally tackle Let God Sort Em Out by Clipse, which is nominated for Album of the Year. Not to be that guy, but interesting list of nominations, fairly hit or miss – Bieber and Lady Gaga, both with pretty mid albums, in the lord’s year of 2026? Did we not have anything else? Good god. Anyway, on to Clipse.

Clipse is a rap duo consisting of brothers Gene "Malice" Thornton and Terrence "Pusha T" Thornton, who were discovered by producer Pharrell Williams in the early ‘90s. They released albums in the early 2000s that got them mainstream success, with most of their songs concerning their life in the cocaine trade. The duo broke up as many of their friends and associates were getting arrested. Pusha T was late from a flight and Malice though he’d been arrested too, so when he finally showed up, Malice announced that he’s done.

After their split, Malice found God and changed his name to No Malice, pivoting from rapping about drugs into Christian rap. Pusha T went on to work with Kanye West on his GOOD label, even becoming the president of GOOD. However, after Kanye started falling further down the extremist rabbit hole, Pusha T distanced himself from Ye and the label.

Let God Sort Em Out is the duo’s fourth studio album and first album they’ve released since 2009. Like their previous ones, it’s produced by Pharrell, and it has star-studded features from artists like Kendrick Lamar, Nas and John Legend. It was heavily delayed, the official explanation being that there was expected blowback from Trump for some of the lyrics, but Pusha T said it was also because of the ongoing beef he and Kendrick had with Drake.

You know you’re onto something good from the opener, “The Birds Don’t Sing,” which is a genuinely gut-wrenching examination of their grief from losing their parents. The fact that I can be emotionally touched by a song where a mere minute ago I heard the cursed sentence “Ye was at Elon’s” is an accomplishment in and of itself, a testament to their writing. It ends with Stevie Wonder saying, "Remember those who lost their mothers and fathers / And make sure that every single moment that you have with them / You show them love."

I reviewed Pusha T’s Daytona some 100 days ago and said I’d need to listen to more of his work, and here we are. I liked Daytona enough to give it an 8/10, but this is very clearly better. As expected from Pharrell, it’s immaculately produced, and the vulnerability, wit and introspection juxtaposed with the violence and darkness of the subject matter is what really elevates it from an album that just sounds good to something that’s actually great.

By the way, I went a good few years never thinking about Pharrell Williams whatsoever, then I saw that he announced on stage that he’s lumpenproletariat (seriously) and said that famous people shouldn’t concern themselves with politics. After that, I’ve been seeing him everywhere. Whether that’s some sort of a manifestation of the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon, or if Pharrell is becoming a thing again, I don’t know. But Pharrell announcing that he’s a prole, nay, lumpenproletariat, while accepting award for Shoe of the Year for his $300 sneakers, is arguably incredibly funny. Celebrities shouldn’t stay out of politics, but I’ll make an exception for Pharrell.

From the ragtag collection of albums that are up for an AOTY tonight, I know who I’m rooting for. Let God Sort Em Out is a strong 9/10.