‘Let God Sort Em Out’: What Makes Clipse’s Return to Hip-Hop So Successful

The Album Cover of ‘Let God Sort Em Out’ by Clipse. The artwork was created by American designer and artist KAWS. 

Photo Credits: Clipse 

Isaac James, Staff Writer for The Powderhorn

For hip-hop greats of the past, it’s hard to make a comeback in the modern music scene. Plenty of artists who saw their heyday in the 90s to early 2000s have tried, and ultimately failed, to revive their music careers in the past few years. The 2000s are a bygone era, with the rap scene looked upon fondly for its beloved artists who rapped with spirit and grit. Of those groups that defined the 2000s hip-hop era, Clipse, composed of brothers Pusha T and Malice, have been biding their time on their comeback. The duo waited more than 15 years to make their triumphant return, and triumphant it was. 

The album was officially released on July 11, 2025. The duo chose to go the independent route, releasing the album without a label. With production by Pharrell Williams, “Let God Sort Em Out” boasts features from Kendrick Lamar, Nas, Tyler The Creator, and even Stevie Wonder, who had a spoken word segment. The album is remarkable in its ability to draw you in from the beginning, with an incredibly strong run for the first 5 tracks. 

The album starts off on a high note with the emotional track “The Birds Don't Sing.” The track explores the death of Pusha T and Malice’s parents, with anecdotal lyrics from Malice that describe him tragically finding their father dead at his home. The track features vocals from singer John Legend on the chorus that elevate the track by giving the song a gospel feel, effective in its ability to emotionally stir the listener. The Pharrell production also builds upon this with its use of a beat based mainly on a piano and string composition. The combination of these different elements helps create an engaging and memorable song that makes you feel empathy for Clipse.

Up next on the tracklist comes the most popular song of the project, “Chains and Whips.” The transition is almost jarring, given how different the song is from “The Birds Don't Sing,” but this actually serves as a positive, introducing the listener to the grittier sound the rest of the album takes on. With a star feature from Kendrick Lamar, the track hits hard with a bass-heavy beat and good verses from both Clipse and Lamar. The only thing holding the track back is Pharrell’s admittedly lackluster vocal contributions, which aren’t necessarily bad, but seem out of place amid the rest of the song. 

The next song, “P.O.V.”, follows more along the same lines as “Chains and Whips,” with a darker sound and a unique beat that engages you from the beginning. The track also boasts another notable feature, this time from Tyler, The Creator. While both features are good, Tyler’s is more memorable. Tyler almost makes the song feel like his own while he’s on the mic, using his humorous lyricism and unique voice to make his feature one of the album's highlights. 

Continuing the incredibly strong start to the album is my personal favorite track, “So Be It.” With the most unique beat so far, “So Be It” hooked me instantly upon my first listen. The song almost sounds like it's trying to hypnotize you with its addictive use of samples and its masterful production. The track is also one of the boldest on the whole project, with Pusha T taking direct shots at rapper Travis Scott in the outro to the song. 

Rounding out the 5-track run is “Ace Trumpets.” Continuing the theme of all the tracks thus far, the song has great production, with yet another beat likely to leave listeners tapping their feet and coming back for another listen. The song is also notable for its lyricism, which I consider the best on the whole album. Both brothers utilize complex rhyming schemes and altered pronunciations to weave together an extremely unique and fun song that leaves you impressed by their songwriting ability. Malice’s verse, especially, stands out as he is remarkably able to cram references to pasta, NASA, Gandhi, and Nirvana into the same verse. 

While I think the album is strongest in its first songs, that’s not to say that the rest of the tracklist isn’t great either. The rest of the album has plenty of highlights. You have “M.T.B.T.T.F.” with its unique sample usage and simple yet satisfying beat. Then there's “F.I.C.O” which is undoubtedly the grittiest cut off of the album. 

While a bit top-heavy, Clipse’s “Let God Sort Em Out” delivers on all fronts. The great production, features, and impressive lyricism highlight what is an incredibly enjoyable and replayable album experience. With this emphatic return, Pusha T and Malice have sent out a message through the music industry: Clipse is back.