Following a long buildup, hip-hop duo Clipse (consisting of Pusha T and No Malice) have revealed that their first album in 15 years, titled “Let God Sort ‘Em Out,” will be released on July 11th. Interestingly, last week’s press release did not mention Def Jam, the label they signed with for this project last year. Instead, it appears that distribution and marketing responsibilities have been taken up by Roc Nation, owned by JAY-Z – a point Pusha T is now discussing in detail.
In a recent conversation with GQ, the rapper stated that their bond with Def Jam deteriorated due to the verse by Kendrick Lamar on the track “Chains & Whips.
Universal Music Group, the company that owns Def Jam, also houses artists like Drake (from OVO Sound/Republic Records) and Lamar (of pgLang/Interscope Records). The high-profile feud between these artists during last summer, which culminated in Drake filing a lawsuit against UMG, has reportedly made the label cautious about the prospect of two of Drake’s major rivals collaborating on a song together. Pusha T suggested this was the case.
He stated that they asked him to request Kendrick to tone down his lyrics, which he never intended to do. Then they wanted him to pull the song altogether. After a month of not complying, Steve Gawley, their lawyer, said, ‘We’ll just drop The Clipse.’ However, this wasn’t feasible because he was still part of the group as a solo artist. But if they released everyone…
Back in 2018, during a heated feud, Pusha T exposed Drake for having an undisclosed son on their confrontational song “The Story of Adidon”. Later, in May of last year, Kendrick Lamar effectively ended any doubt with the track “Not Like Us”.
Ultimately, Def Jam opted to put out the Clipse’s music while also launching Pusha as a solo act. This move enabled Clipse to explore other record labels. At the time of request, neither Def Jam nor UMG responded with a comment on the matter.
Due to this action, Clipse had to delay the planned release of their album, initially scheduled for 2024. However, Pusha T acknowledged that the entire experience, with other labels bidding on the project, was worthwhile: “It was satisfying just to witness how other companies were competing for the project.
In January, Drake submitted an 81-page lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, claiming that UMG authorized, distributed, and promoted a rap song containing false accusations that Drake is a pedophile and advocating violent revenge against him.
The performance at the Super Bowl halftime show by Lamar the following month worsened an already tense situation, as it attracted a record-breaking number of viewers. During the act, Lamar glanced straight into the camera when singing the lyrics, “Say Drake, I hear you like ’em young,” a moment that has been etched in pop culture lore. To add fuel to the fire, Lamar dominated the 2025 Grammy Awards’ rap categories, winning numerous trophies for “Not Like Us” in the best rap performance, best rap song, best music video, record of the year, and song of the year categories.
Universal Music Group (UMG) firmly refutes all claims made by Drake, labeling the lawsuit as “baseless,” “irresponsible,” and “misguided.” The record label contends that the lyrics at issue are expressions of opinion and rhetorical exaggeration common in rap battles—not factual statements—and that treating them as literal defamation infringes upon freedom of speech and creative expression. UMG has submitted a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, maintaining that Drake’s allegations are merely an attempt to rehabilitate his public image following his loss in the dispute with Lamar.
Currently, Drake’s lawsuit against UMG is still ongoing. The investigation process is underway, and both parties are gathering evidence in preparation for their cases. Universal Music Group (UMG) is trying to get the case dismissed, while Drake’s legal team is working hard to demonstrate that UMG’s actions extended beyond regular music promotion and into deliberate character defamation with tangible real-world impacts.
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2025-06-02 22:54