The term “no skip album” is thrown around a lot these days for something that is incredibly hard to come by in the hip-hop world. Even when it does apply, the weaker parts of the album can still be underwhelming. While there’s no doubt that some artists have accomplished it (Kendrick Lamar, Lauryn Hill, and Nas come to mind), a great album can be held back by one mediocre song.
Let God Sort Em Out, released by legendary duo Clipse in July of 2025, is one of the only albums that isn’t just a no skip album; the weakest song here would be the highlight on any other record.
Early Success
Clipse, the hip hop duo from Virginia, consists of brothers and legends of the rap game Terrence (Pusha T) and Gene (Malice) Thornton. Discovered by fellow Virginian and world famous producer Pharrell Williams in the mid 1990s, they built an impressive repertoire of hits in the early 2000s with Pharrell’s production at the helm. (Wikipedia) Characterized by their trademark wordplay detailing drug-laced imagery, their first two albums, Lord Willin’ and Hell Hath No Fury were some of the best East Coast rap in the mid 2000s.
However, they finished with 2009’s Til The Casket Drops, which was solid but not groundbreaking. Adding to their rough patch was the 32-year sentencing of former manager Anthony Gonzalez in 2010 for drug conspiracy, which suddenly gave a lot more credibility to the coke-dusted bars they were recognized for.
After the two split off into their own directions both creatively and personally, Pusha T signed with Kanye West’s label GOOD Music and featured on several tracks from Ye’s magnum opus album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.
Malice announced in 2012 he was changing his name to “No Malice” as an ode to his religious and spiritual transformation. He released several records that leaned into Christian hip-hop, including his debut studio album in 2o13. The track “Shame The Devil” off the album featured a rare reunion with his brother.
By 2017, many had given up on Pusha T’s career as a solo artist. Despite his clear aptitude for lyricism and flow, his albums had been somewhat inconsistent and the days of Clipse were only getting further away. However, in 2018, he went on a spectacular run capitalizing on Ye’s creative streak at the time, releasing the Ye-produced Daytona, an outstanding album with seven short and sweet songs.
After 2018, the growth of Pusha T and No Malice triggered critical reassessment of Clipse’s discography. Kanye’s 2019 album Jesus Is King featured the track “Use This Gospel,” which displayed the first Clipse feature since 2013. Pusha’s superb 2022 album “It’s Almost Dry” featured Pharrell production on more than half of the songs, and included another rare Clipse feature on the closing track.
Reformation
In recent years, there have been glimpses of Clipse slowly reforming as features on their respective solo ventures. There were rumors spreading that speculated about the release of a new Pharrell-produced Clipse album. The rollout was confirmed with the release of Let God Sort Em Out’s lead single “Ace Trumpets” on May 30. Eventually, the album was released in full on June 11, 2025 with Pusha T and his brother credited once again as Malice.
As enjoyable and fun as it would have been if Clipse went back to their original style, Let God Sort Em Out is a significantly different experience. The opening track, “The Birds Don’t Sing,” is entirely unique to any other project the two have worked on, featuring heavenly vocals from John Legend and heart-rending lyrics about the death of their mother.
The next track, “Chains & Whips,” brings a very different tone to the album, introducing a more braggadocious and malevolent mood with opening bars from Push such as, “I will close your Heaven for the Hell of it.”
The flow is trademark Clipse; it isn’t about word count or speed, it’s about what they’re saying. Pusha T sounds downright demonic on this track. The verses from Malice are no different, with repeated references to death and disturbing imagery of corpses. Even he confirms it towards the end of his feature, saying “This the darkest that I’ve ever been.”
The song even includes a feature from Kendrick Lamar, and it is as lyrically complex as it is impressive flow wise.
Another killer track follows in “P.O.V.,” which is led by a uniquely catchy hook from Push amid effortless delivery. The song even includes a feature from the more eccentric Tyler, The Creator, who manages to deliver one of the more memorable verses on the album.
“So Be It” is the fourth song on the record and one of the best tracks to come out of 2025. The beat features a sample chop from Saudi composer Talal Maddah’s “Maza Akoulou,” and the wordplay, flow, and double entendres are unmatched anywhere else on the album.
One of the album’s lead singles, “Ace Trumpets,” is next on the album, and the song features an addictive chorus with a bass-shaking drop and some of the most consistent and lyrically impressive verses on the album. Malice shows that despite his age (53), he’s still capable of incredible lyrical performances.
The album culminates with one last Pharrell feature on “By The Grace Of God,” featuring vocals from the producer amidst verses from the brothers in a suitably satisfying closer.
Calling this album incredible doesn’t do it justice. The tracks are stylistically unique, the flow and lyricism are outstanding, and every song provides something special.
For a duo that hadn’t officially released since 2011 to drop this fourteen years later is astounding. This isn’t just the best hip-hop album of 2025, it’s flat out one of the year’s best albums.
