The drama centers on the track “Chains & Whips,” featuring Kendrick Lamar, whose verse became a lightning rod for controversy. Def Jam, under its parent company Universal Music Group (UMG), demanded that Clipse either censor Lamar’s verse or remove the track entirely. The label’s concern? The optics of pairing two of Drake’s fiercest rivals—Pusha T and Kendrick Lamar—amid Drake’s ongoing defamation lawsuit against UMG.
Pusha T, unwavering, refused to compromise.
“They wanted me to ask Kendrick to censor his verse, which of course I was never doing,”
he told GQ.
“And then they wanted me to take the record off. And so, after a month of not doing it, Steve Gawley, the lawyer over there, was like, ‘We’ll just drop the Clipse.’ But that can’t work because I’m still there solo. But if you let us all go…”
The standoff ended with Def Jam terminating both Clipse’s group contract and Pusha T’s solo deal, a bold move that freed the duo to take their album elsewhere. They quickly signed with JAY-Z’s Roc Nation, a label they describe as a more supportive home for their creative vision.
The Def Jam fallout is inseparable from the explosive 2024 feud between Kendrick Lamar and Drake, which culminated in Lamar’s chart-topping diss track “Not Like Us.” The song, which labeled Drake a “certified pedophile,” sparked a defamation lawsuit filed by Drake against UMG in January 2025, accusing the label of promoting the track through paid influencers and radio play.
UMG called the suit “illogical,” arguing it was an attempt to stifle Lamar’s artistic expression. The legal battle created a tense environment at UMG, with Clipse and Lamar’s collaboration seen as a potential aggravation of an already volatile situation. Pusha T, no stranger to beef with Drake since their 2018 clash over “The Story of Adidon,” dismissed UMG’s concerns as “stupid,” noting that Lamar’s verse on “Chains & Whips” contains no direct disses.
Rumors have swirled online, with some fans alleging UMG manipulated streams to boost “Not Like Us.” Amplified on platforms like X, has clouded public understanding of the Clipse-Def Jam split, with some falsely framing it as UMG punishing artists for siding with Lamar. The reality, as Pusha T’s account suggests, is more about corporate caution than conspiracy.
Now aligned with Roc Nation, Clipse is poised to release Let God Sort ‘Em Out with its original vision intact, including Lamar’s verse and artwork by KAWS. Pusha T calls the album a “high taste-level piece of work,” reflecting the duo’s evolution.
Clipse’s decision to join Roc Nation marks a victory for artistic expression in the face of commercial pressure. But it also highlights a deeper struggle within hip-hop — the ongoing battle between creative independence and the cautious nature of the music industry. With their new album set to release on July 11, 2025, Clipse’s journey reflects the tough choices artists must make as they deal with record label dynamics and high-profile competition.
