Lamar’s appearance on the song, taken from their albumLet God Sort Em Out, led to Clipse’s departure from Def Jam over Drake’s UMG lawsuit.
Let God Sort Em Out, the first album in 14 years from Clipse, has a fraught history. Initially it seemed like it would never happen after Malice, one-half of the duo alongside his brother Pusha T, left the group after converting to Christianity. Following their reunion, Pusha claimed in a GQ interview that the comeback album was held up by executives at their label Def Jam.
The issue allegedly was a verse from Kendrick Lamar on the song “Chains & Whips.” With Drake about to sue Def Jam’s parent company UMG for defamation over Lamar’s diss track “Not Like Us,” and Pusha’s own, separate feud with Drake, Def Jam was concerned over the optics of having both rappers on the same track while the lawsuit was ongoing. Pusha didn’t budge, and ended up buying himself out of his Def Jam deal, reportedly to the tune of seven figures.
Let God Sort Em Out found a new home on Roc Nation, with Kendrick’s verse intact. It’s out on July 11. To kick off Fashion Week, Clipse played the album on the rooftop of Louis Vuitton HQ in Paris (where the album was recorded) and snippets of Kendrick’s appearance on “Chains & Whips” have surfaced. At first listen, it’s not clear what all of Def Jam’s handwringing was about. But I’m not a lawyer! If you are, you can listen below via Stereogum and tell me why I’m wrong.