Hip Hop/ Rap
Pusha T Exposes the Grammy Game After Clipse Win, Kendrick Lamar’s GNX in Line
The rapper explained that artists have to actively campaign during awards season, attending events and making appearances designed to keep their work in front of voters. He joked about having to “kiss so much ass” during the process. So was Kendrick Lamar over GNX?
Pusha T is pulling back the curtain on the Grammy Awards, and his latest comments suggest winning a coveted trophy takes far more than simply making a great record.
During a September 3 appearance on The Breakfast Club, Pusha T opened up about Clipse’s Grammy campaign, admitting that he and brother Malice spent awards season actively working the room, showing up where the Recording Academy wanted them and doing plenty of behind-the-scenes campaigning.
The duo ultimately won one Grammy for Best Rap Performance for “Chains & Whips,” featuring Kendrick Lamar and Pharrell Williams, after entering the night with five nominations.
But Pusha T wanted more.
Pusha T Says Grammy Campaigning Is Part of the Game
Pusha T didn’t hide his frustration at Clipse coming away with just one trophy.
The rapper explained that artists have to actively campaign during awards season, attending events and making appearances designed to keep their work in front of voters.
He joked about having to “kiss so much ass” during the process, while making it clear that Clipse wanted to walk away with all five awards. Not sure if Pusha T was targeting Kendrick Lamar over GNX?
Instead, they got one.
Still, that single victory was historic.
The Grammy for “Chains & Whips” gave Clipse their first win at the ceremony, decades after the brothers first entered the Grammy conversation.
Clipse Lost Big to Kendrick Lamar
The stakes were particularly high because Clipse’s Let God Sort Em Out was competing against some of the biggest names in hip-hop.
The album was nominated for Album of the Year and Best Rap Album, while “The Birds Don’t Sing” received a Best Rap Song nomination. “So Be It” was also nominated for Best Music Video.
Kendrick Lamar ultimately dominated the Rap categories, with GNX winning Best Rap Album.
Yet Kendrick Lamar’s victory did not diminish his relationship with Pusha T or Clipse. So it seems.
During his acceptance speech, Kendrick Lamar referred to the brothers as his “brothers,” underscoring the close creative relationship between the artists.
For Pusha, however, the Grammy experience offered a glimpse at a side of the awards business fans rarely see.
Pusha T on Kendrick Lamar’s GNX winning the Best Rap Album GRAMMY over Clipse
“We’ll be back. I wanted them all, to be honest.”
“You kiss so much ass the whole year. Like, you go everywhere … Wherever the Academy wants you to be at, you be there.” pic.twitter.com/D8uVY1QcZp
— NFR Podcast (@nfr_podcast) September 3, 2026
Now Pusha T Has Even Bigger News
While discussing the Grammy campaign, Pusha T also dropped a potentially massive update for fans waiting for his next project.
His solo album is apparently finished.
When DJ Envy asked whether he was working on a solo record or another Clipse project, Pusha gave an unusually revealing answer: everything.
He indicated that one project was already completed while another was currently being developed.
And there’s a major name attached to the music.
When asked whether Pharrell Williams was involved, Pusha T confirmed that the legendary producer was and indicated the solo project is being produced entirely by Pharrell.
That would reunite one of hip-hop’s most celebrated creative partnerships.
A New Clipse Project Could Also Be Coming
Pusha T didn’t stop with his solo plans.
He revealed that another Clipse project is also in the works, potentially putting the brothers back into the studio after the success of Let God Sort Em Out.
The comeback album arrived roughly 15 years after Clipse’s previous studio album, Til the Casket Drops, and immediately transformed their reunion from nostalgia into a legitimate awards-season contender.
Their next move could therefore be even bigger.
Fam-Lay, who also appeared during the conversation, reportedly teased that the new Clipse material is “sounding crazy.”
Meanwhile, Pusha also suggested that fans could potentially get another solo project from Malice.
Pusha T Could Be Entering Another Major Era
Pusha T hasn’t released a solo album since 2022’s It’s Almost Dry, making the prospect of a completed Pharrell-produced follow-up particularly significant.
At 49, the Virginia rapper appears to have no intention of slowing down.
Clipse’s Grammy victory has given the duo a major career milestone, while their latest revelations suggest the momentum is already carrying into another chapter.
The Grammy campaign may have exposed the politics behind awards season.
But Pusha T’s bigger message could be much more exciting for fans: the music isn’t stopping.
A new Pusha T album is reportedly done. Another Clipse project is being developed. Pharrell is deeply involved.
And after Clipse proved they could return after more than a decade away and immediately compete at the highest level, hip-hop now has a very different question:
What happens when Pusha T and Pharrell go back to work?
