- 10 minutes ago
Clipse talks about how they feel about receiving 5 Grammy nominations for their album 'Let God Sort 'Em Out,' what inspired their comeback and return as a duo after a 15 year hiatus, what's coming next for them in conversation with Billboard's Senior Director of Hip-Hop and R&B, Carl Lamarre.
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00:00Listen, I took my glasses off of this because these brothers out here, like, they are demonstrating in real time, we were talking about longevity, excellence in the space.
00:13They have four albums that they put out, all classics, if we're being honest.
00:20But this one right here was a masterwork, let God sort them out, nominated for five Grammys.
00:28We're taking something home tomorrow.
00:32I don't think it hurt me, we're taking something home tomorrow.
00:38So, without further ado, you know, it is my honor and Billboard's honor to bring out Pusha T, Malice, Clips.
00:49Let's get it!
00:58How you feeling, bruh?
01:00I'm doing good, man.
01:01How you doing?
01:01I'm good, bruh.
01:02How y'all feeling?
01:03Good.
01:05All right, I'm rolling.
01:07How you feeling, bruh?
01:09Woo!
01:12I feel the trophy energy.
01:15I feel it just oozing off you.
01:17Right, I hope you're right.
01:18I mean, before I, like, I even, like, fully dive in, like, we are literally 24 hours away from the Grings.
01:28How are you guys feeling?
01:31Lucky.
01:33Malice?
01:34I see, you been smiling, like, yeah, yeah.
01:36Yeah, I feel good, I feel blessed, you know, glad to be here.
01:40Yeah, when you guys think of the number five, knowing that you guys have been put in 20 years, it is, like, how special is this moment for you guys at this stage of your career?
01:53I mean, it's extremely special.
01:57You know, I feel like this happening with Clips, you know, me being with my brother is the only way it should be, honestly.
02:10And even, you know, just doing this with Pharrell and us collectively, you know, just being together.
02:18It feels like, man, high school.
02:20Yeah.
02:21Yeah.
02:22You know, there's always been this conversation.
02:24I remember, actually, I was talking about it a while ago.
02:28There's always this talk about, like, ageism in hip-hop.
02:31Like, you don't hear it when it comes to country, when it comes to rock and pop.
02:36But in hip-hop, it's a different kind of discussion where it's a young man's game.
02:41Why do you think now that narrative has changed?
02:45I don't think that's the narrative that it ever should have been.
02:49Yeah.
02:49I think it's about tapping into your talent.
02:55I also think it's about having something to say and sharing your real-life journey.
03:02You know, I think that's what makes it special.
03:04And I think that lends itself to the art and it being good.
03:08I agree.
03:08Push?
03:11What's the question?
03:12No.
03:14No, I mean, you know, I've heard the answer, but I can't.
03:16I was saying in terms of, like, you know, there's always been a conversation about, like, ageism in hip-hop.
03:24Like, why do you feel now, like, the narrative is changing?
03:27Well, I mean, I don't know.
03:28I mean, I feel like for us, with what we created, I think you can hear the spirit of competition in what it is that we did.
03:39And I think that's where, I feel like that's where the ageism comes into play.
03:47Because a lot of people, you know, who stay in hip-hop, a lot of times they just exist in hip-hop.
03:55Like, you have to stay competitive to be in it, for me.
03:59Like, I, you know, I wouldn't just do a record that I feel like is just a throwaway.
04:05Like, and I'm competing with whatever is popular.
04:10I'm competing with whatever is supposed to be the trend every single time.
04:16So I think that's, I never look at, I never looked at age in it.
04:21It's just, like, I know exactly what it is that we do.
04:25And, you know, it's just always trying to be progressive and sound progressive and compete with everything, the whole landscape of what's going on in hip-hop, our way.
04:38Mm.
04:39You know, when you look at, like, I sort of matter, mass class, lyrically.
04:46Of course.
04:46No, do you guys feel like this is peak clips lyrically in comparison to your debut, like, Lord willing?
04:53I think, uh, with Lord willing, you have that, that angst, you have that energy, that rebelliousness when you first come out.
05:02Um, I think what we're witnessing now with let God sort them out is just, just it being vintage.
05:10Yeah.
05:10You know, and, uh, just growing with grace and still being able to, um, you know, deliver lyrically.
05:18Yeah.
05:18Like, the first two albums were, like, ignorant.
05:21Oh, I love it, though.
05:21In every sense.
05:23Yeah.
05:23Like, you know, like, the out, like, the lyrics were what they were, but, like, we were on a very ignorant time and perspective and mindset.
05:34Like, we were just, you know, give a damn.
05:38We was angry sometimes.
05:39You know, we were just, like, really on, you know, it was just, it was just about what we felt.
05:46And this is, too, what I just feel like, you know, uh, Malice just said grace.
05:51And I feel like there's a lot of, of, of grace and, and, um, growth, growth and perspective, you know, well-rounded perspective in Let God Sort Them Out.
06:04You know, before Let God Sort Them Out came out, there was a 15-year gap between that and Till the Casket Drop.
06:12Why on this album did the chemistry feel so natural despite that 15-year layoff for y'all?
06:18Um, I think, one, because we're brothers, you know, um, also we have always had a standard, um, whatever the standard was, it's just always a standard, a level of how things have to be, you know, um, and, and not fall below that line.
06:38We know it has to be good.
06:39We know, we knew that, uh, it has been a hiatus and, uh, we also knew people ready to pick things apart, you know what I'm saying?
06:48And so, the internet is mean.
06:50Yeah, it's not your friend.
06:51Y'all don't look at the comments no more, man.
06:53Oh, we look at everything.
06:54Oh, I want to know it all.
06:56Yeah, talk it.
06:58I'm going to read it.
07:00I'm going to read it.
07:01Man, um, what, what, what I love about this album is how you guys, again, the lyrical component was so strong.
07:10Push, when you look at some of Malice's verses, Malice, man, the streets are saying, listen, you've had some of the verses of the year, man.
07:19Push, was there anything that Malice were like, shit, I kind of, I kind of wish I paid that.
07:23Oh, no, quite a few.
07:26I feel like the, um, there's so many things I wish I could have said on So Far Ahead.
07:32I wish I could have said I've been both Mason Bethes.
07:35You know, um, he had a lot of one-liners that were just incredible on the album.
07:43And, and just to go back to that lyric, um, you know, just the lyricism, too, and the chemistry, I feel, um, technically, that chemistry came across because of the, uh, rules that we set.
07:58We had to rhyme in patterns the whole album.
08:02So I think that sort of lended itself to us having an organic chemistry because we had to, we basically just honed in on a stencil or a pattern.
08:11And we both, you know, followed that pattern or tweaked it, you know, a little bit between the verses.
08:19But I think that, that lended itself to, uh, to the chemistry and the lyricism being, uh, feeling, uh, super organic.
08:29Yeah, I love that.
08:29I mean, Malice, I'm curious about you.
08:31Any, any verse that Push put together on his album?
08:34Like, God damn.
08:35You know, Pushin' has been my favorite rapper my whole hiatus.
08:39No.
08:39Um, from, from his professionalism, uh, the integrity, not just in, you know, within the writing of the verses, but, uh, standing for something.
08:52Mm-hmm.
08:52You know, uh, when I look at hip-hop now, it just seems like the goalposts move all the time.
08:57Uh, and, uh, when it, when it no longer serves a situation, uh, no longer serves the MC, they'll change it up or switch it or switch the code or switch the principles and all of that.
09:09And, uh, to me, Pushin' has been, uh, flat-footed all the way through.
09:13So, you know, I love everything my brother does.
09:15I love it.
09:16And, and you guys kind of just stated, like, there's a level of grace and maturity on this album.
09:22Along with that growth, we've seen that with Pharrell on the production side.
09:26And I would love for y'all to talk about the growth y'all seen in P with this album versus, like, Lord Willem days.
09:31Um, I feel like, um, the biggest thing that, um, that was the difference between Lord Willem days and Let God Sort Him Out was that during Let God Sort Him Out, I feel we all allowed ourselves to be edited.
09:53Like, we all were like, nah, this can be better.
09:57You know, Lord Willem, it was just like, oh, nah, we said it.
09:59If this is the best thing going, I don't care.
10:01Like, you know, Pharrell might be like, oh, you know, this is the beat.
10:05And, you know, maybe not go back and add or do anything.
10:09I feel like this time, more than any time we've ever worked together, we all were editing everything we were doing.
10:16Like, you know, um, when you think about, uh, when you think about, um, Chandeliers, the one with Nas, you know, that beat comes about because Pharrell,
10:29you know, just was not happy with the beat.
10:32And he was just like, man, it needs something else.
10:34I want to do something else.
10:36And, um, this is, that's something that I really rarely ever see him do is, like, edit himself.
10:43Never.
10:44Like, he just never, he never was really into that.
10:48None of us were.
10:49We just was like, nah, that's what it is.
10:51But, um, I think we took the time.
10:54I think we took the time.
10:55And, and, you know, if, if, if we thought about it too hard, we was like, oh, well, it could be better than it.
11:00Fine.
11:01And just attacked it like that.
11:03I love how, when you saying that, it's like you kind of let go of the ego, which is, which is hard to do, especially in hip-hop,
11:10knowing the legacy that you guys were able to carve out.
11:14So, I, I credit y'all, because I don't know how some cats could do that.
11:16But, yeah, like, letting go of the ego, um, because you have to, it's rap.
11:21So, you got to have so much, like, you got to, at all times, like, you know, when you're outside, when you're, you know, in your, in your show, in your hostings.
11:31I feel like, in the studio, you better let it go.
11:33You better, you better cook.
11:35And, and try to figure yourself out and, and, and be honest with yourself in the studio.
11:40And I think that that's, um, that's something that we, you know, and not be lazy.
11:44You got to be honest, you can't be lazy.
11:47You know, if, if, if, if the bar don't hit, then the bar just don't hit.
11:51And you got to go back to it.
11:53And it happened.
11:54It happened so many times in this process.
11:58Um, this record, man, uh, it hit home.
12:01I'm sure for a lot of people, it hit home for me specifically.
12:04Birds Don't Sing.
12:05I would love for you guys to kind of walk us through, like, the different stages of grief.
12:09You know, losing your parents, but then putting that pen to paper for the first time, then
12:15recording it, and then seeing how it just has been widely resonating with everybody.
12:21I think, um, as far as, uh, with Birds Don't Sing, that's something that everybody goes through.
12:28Yeah.
12:29It's something that, uh, either you went through it or you anticipated.
12:33Um, I think the fact that we just, uh, wrote our experience, uh, I didn't have to do too
12:41much thinking, you know, on it.
12:44I just shared what I experienced.
12:47And, uh, I think it was something that we really wanted to honor our parents with.
12:52You know, um, not just, uh, our parents, but our family and, uh, you know, our kids.
12:58And, uh, I got grandkids.
13:00And it's things that I just wanted to, to share with them, the things that were instilled
13:05with me and, uh, still with my brother and, you know, myself.
13:08And, uh, so that it keeps going with legacy, you know, the things that my mom stood for,
13:14the things that my dad stood for.
13:16And it'll take you a long way.
13:17Of course it's going to hurt when, you know, you lose them.
13:19But there are things that are just so special and things that need to be ingrained so that
13:23it passes down generation and generation.
13:26Yeah.
13:27Yeah.
13:27I totally agree with that.
13:30I mean, Push, I'm curious for you, especially with that record and Malice too, like, when
13:35you guys hear it now, because Malice, it's kind of like you're saying, it's now in a more
13:40positive light, you know, how you guys are able to view it in terms of the passing of your
13:45parents.
13:45Because I know initially it was tough, where it's like, it's more like, you know, paying
13:49an oath, paying homage.
13:51Well, you know, I, um, I get a lot of comfort knowing that my mom and dad and my mom,
13:56my dad and myself and my brother share the same faith.
14:00You know, um, I know what they believed.
14:04I know that, uh, you know, my dad would never want me to just sit around and just wallowing
14:13in grief.
14:14You know, I can hear, I can hear his voice and say, you know, you better get up, you
14:18know, and do something and, uh, you know, don't just, uh, sit and mourn.
14:22And, uh, our faith is in Jesus Christ.
14:26So, you know, the fact that I know that that is the hope, that is a real, true and live hope.
14:33And that's why I can keep going, you know, and without him, I don't see any other hope,
14:38uh, elsewhere.
14:39Everything else is therapeutic or feels good or it's philosophy or doctrine for a temporary
14:44moment.
14:45But when I think of the hope of Jesus Christ, I see an eternal hope.
14:50So that's how, you know, I'm able to stand and keep moving and, um, you know, feel how
14:55I feel.
14:56Amen, my brother.
14:57Amen.
14:57Amen.
14:58Um, what I thought was dope happened very recently.
15:02Y'all were a clue on Jeopardy.
15:06Crazy.
15:06That's a flex right there.
15:07Yeah.
15:08Um, man, Push, uh, you, you had made a dope note about, like, how your grandmother used
15:14to watch Jeopardy.
15:15Yeah.
15:16Um, just talk about, like, seeing that in real time and just knowing, like, you know,
15:22again, your family's just, y'all family just smiling right now.
15:26Yeah, it's just the irony of it happening this week, too.
15:29Yeah.
15:30Like, you know, just, I was like, man, like, my phone just started jumping and I'm getting
15:34little videos and I'm like, what is this?
15:36You know, but, um, that was just a, you know, a very real time, you know, my, my, my grandmother
15:42did never let me turn the TV from Jeopardy.
15:45Never.
15:46So much so that, like, you know, I just sit there and watch it with her and then, you
15:50know, of course I got into it with her, you know what I'm saying?
15:53And it was like a, um, it was just something that we just did, you know, and something
15:59that I was, would have never just been into if I wasn't made to sit there and watch it.
16:05You guys, again, nominated for five Grandies.
16:09Tomorrow.
16:13I'm just curious, when y'all first heard the news, where were y'all?
16:17L.B.
16:18Edwards.
16:19Yeah.
16:19Paris, yeah.
16:20Relive those emotions.
16:21Yeah.
16:22Um, I think, you know, I think one thing I can say is, you know, me and my brother definitely
16:28put in the work.
16:30Um, we, we put in the work and so we weren't necessarily shocked at the nominations, at being
16:40nominated.
16:40It was the number of nominations.
16:42So we weren't, we were like, oh, I don't want a year nomination.
16:46We was like, we weren't expecting that one at all.
16:49And, um, everybody, um, everybody around us, I think, was, was pretty much shocked as well.
16:55Um, even the video, even the video nomination for So Be It.
17:00Um, as great as we thought it was, like, you know, we're, when you're up against, you know,
17:06Pop X and they got $3 million videos, you know, you know who you got on $3 million videos.
17:12Y'all know that we be scraping nickels together for the $123,000 video.
17:22So, you know, or whatever it is, you know, but it, oh, it's not much more than that.
17:26Just so y'all know, it's never.
17:29But, um, so, um, you know, those, those things were, were, were pluses.
17:34It was, it was actually good just to, um, for that one in particular, because, you know,
17:40the, the director who shot it, you know, he came through with the last minute for us.
17:46And just, it was one of his first videos, right?
17:49Yeah.
17:50Like, I think he, maybe he shot commercials before, but never a video or, I don't know.
17:56He was, he was just early in his video career.
17:58But, you know, just, just to watch him and, and, and, um, you know, he was, he was telling me
18:04the other day, he was like, yeah, you know, my parents, uh, um, my parents are telling
18:09people I won a Grammy already.
18:10They just lying to people.
18:12And, you know, they, you know, they, they, they, they, they don't know the, the ins and
18:17outs of it.
18:18But, you know, just to see how happy he was about it.
18:21And, um, you know, just the opportunities that everybody is, is, um, is seeing and feeling
18:27and, and getting from, from let God sort of out is great.
18:30Does this round of nominations hit different or hit harder for you knowing, like, this
18:36is what your brother versus, like, Daytona?
18:39Yeah.
18:39Yeah.
18:40Yeah.
18:40Yeah.
18:41You know, Daytona, um, man, actually, yeah, because the, the last three times, I mean, the
18:49last three albums I put out, um, have been Grammy nominated.
18:52And, um, I, you know, I guess being in it, you can always find, you know, um, room or
19:01reason why you should win.
19:04You know, you can always, and then, you know, sometimes you just be like, you know what,
19:07nah, that won't mind.
19:09But, I, I think this one is ours.
19:12I think this one is ours.
19:13Um, man, it's like, I gotta ask, man, you know, to be honest, if y'all just said, we
19:21good after this, this is a good four for four, from a legacy standpoint, but do you feel like
19:27after this album, all the momentum, all the acclaim, we're getting this Grammy tomorrow,
19:32um, that this album kind of just sparked maybe a new chapter for you guys?
19:36Uh, I don't think it's ever over, you know, it is, and I think that's something that we
19:43have just proven, it's never over.
19:46Um, I mean, we still have, you know, more music.
19:49Love that.
19:50Yeah, so, you know.
19:51We can't wait another 15 years, man.
19:53Nah, nah, nah, definitely, definitely.
19:55Yeah, just stay tuned, stay tuned, we got you.
19:58Okay.
19:58And then lastly, man, before we, uh, wrap up this discussion, man, if y'all could have a conversation
20:05with, you know, the 21-year-old Mavs, the 21-year-old Poshman, what would that conversation be like?
20:13Um, I think the one thing, I think the one mistake that we may have made early on in our
20:24careers were we got caught up in so much label politics, um, that we would stop creating music.
20:34Or if we stopped, we, I don't, I'm not gonna say we stopped creating music, we just stopped putting out music because of the label situation.
20:44And of course, times are different now, the internet, so on and so forth, but we probably would have just kept, you know, just feeding, kept feeding the streets, kept feeding the streets, kept feeding the streets,
20:54regardless if we were in label limbo or, um, whatever the situation was.
20:58Like, we've always had issues, always had, you know, label issues.
21:03Um, I think we would have never stopped.
21:06Yeah.
21:07Um, I think I would have told my younger self to, um, pace yourself.
21:14Uh, I would, um, focus more on discipline.
21:19Um, being able to achieve what people call success, um, that can happen.
21:31And when you, when you get that type of success but have no discipline, um, you know, uh, you're just living wild and free, uh, without thinking.
21:42You know, you can have just enough success to come to ruin.
21:48So, I would just tell myself, uh, I would read the Bible because that's where I get, has all the answers to everything that I have experienced,
21:57all my, um, downfalls, pitfalls, whatever.
22:01If I had known the Bible, at least I would have been aware because it answers all of my questions and satisfies, uh, my intellect.
22:08Like, so, um, it's not so much about, uh, acquiring or obtaining, but it is the discipline, you know, that, uh, makes all the difference.
22:18Yeah.
22:19I wish I was way more disciplined and regimented like I am today.
22:23Like, right now, man, I was nothing like that at 21.
22:27I mean, listen, I know I was talking to some people in the back.
22:29Let me take.
22:30And they, and they, and they were saying, listen, not only y'all aging gracefully, lyrically, everybody wants y'all skincare routine.
22:36So, we gonna talk about it.
22:38After this conversation, but no, seriously, uh, thank you.
22:42We are wishing you the most.
22:43Thank you, thank you, thank you.
22:44Best luck tomorrow.
22:45Five Grammy nominations.
22:47Clips.
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