Clipse Fought the Label—and Paid Millions—to Keep Kendrick Lamar on New Album

After over a decade apart, rap duo Clipse is gearing up for a seismic return with Let God Sort Em Out, their first full-length project since 2009. But while fans are counting down the days to its July 11 release, Pusha T has just revealed the high-stakes drama behind one of the album’s most anticipated tracks, featuring none other than Kendrick Lamar. In a new interview with Elliott Wilson, Pusha T explained how Kendrick came to be on the album and why his appearance almost didn’t happen.

“Kendrick is a top-level lyricist! We can only have top-level lyricists on a Clipse album,” Pusha T emphasized. “You gotta be someone with your own lane, legend status, or you’ve got to be up-and-coming but clearly special.” Kendrick Lamar checked every box.

The Compton rapper appears on the track Chains & Whips, which instantly set social media ablaze with speculation. Would this be another chapter in the ongoing lyrical chess game between Kendrick Lamar and Drake? According to Pusha T, the verse had nothing to do with Drake, but that didn’t stop their former label, Def Jam, from attempting to censor it.

Pusha T claimed Universal Music Group, which owns Def Jam, took issue with Kendrick Lamar’s use of the phrase “trump card”, viewing it as potentially controversial. Despite the verse containing no direct diss, the label started “nitpicking,” according to Pusha T, and wanted the track altered—or removed.

Rather than cave to the pressure, Clipse chose to walk. The duo paid an undisclosed seven-figure sum to exit their contract with Def Jam and secure complete creative control. They’ve since inked a new distribution deal with Roc Nation, ensuring fans will hear Chains & Whips as initially intended.

The bold move has been met with praise from hip-hop heads online, who admire the duo’s dedication to artistic integrity. That excitement has only been amplified by leaks of the album that surfaced online just days before release. Although the leaked versions are incomplete and of low quality, the anticipation for the official release remains sky-high.

With features from heavyweights like Nas, Stove God Cooks, Tyler, The Creator, and of course Kendrick Lamar, Let God Sort Em Out is shaping up to be one of 2025’s most talked-about hip-hop events.

Clipse aren’t just back—they’re sending a message: lyricism, legacy, and loyalty to the craft still matter. And they’re willing to put their money where their mic is.