Let God Sort Em Out: 10 out of 10

   From a personal and professional perspective, the last 7 days have been eventful, exciting, and fun.  But, of the excitement I have experienced the past week, listening to Let God Sort Em Out (“LGSEO”) by the Clipse made my week even better.  If you know me well or not so well, you know I love hip hop music.  I love lyricism, top tier production and beat selection, creativity, and all things “hip hop.”  LGSEO is a masterclass in the core components of hip hop, and then some.  This album will send you on a roller coaster with respect to emotion, feelings and actions.  You might cry, laugh, make the ugly face we make when a lyric is incredible, dance, hit the repeat button, etc.  So, be prepared.

 

Besides the amazing art on display on LGSEO, this album also represents a comeback story of sorts.  This comeback feels like when Rocky Balboa conquered Ivan Drago after Drago killed his friend, Apollo Creed.  If you have followed the Clipse, you know they have not released an album since 2009. Where were you in 2009?  I was in my first year of law school.   I am now 14 years into my legal career.  During the hiatus, Pusha T dropped solo projects—some of which I believe are very good.  And, I think you can see his growth as an emcee during that period, which culminated in his performance on LGSEO. 

 

LGSEO also serves as a reunion of Skateboard P. a.k.a. Pharrell Williams and the Clipse.  And, to take it a step further, it reunites the three Virginia artists, which is great for music and for the State of Virginia.  I am a huge fan of one producer locking in with a group or emcee to create a masterpiece (also, see RZA and Wu Tang Clan and D.J. Primo and Guru).  Recently, we witnessed Nas and Hitboy connect on several highly acclaimed albums. And although this is not a new approach, I do believe it is underutilized in the era where artists love to secure production from many different producers on a project. 

 

This album also serves as a reintroduction of No Malice—an emcee who has been away from the game for a long time.  I have seen emcees (Mase), and athletes (Michael Jordan) retire in the peak of their respective careers.  In the case of M.J., he came back to the game of basketball and won three NBA Championships.  But, in the case of Mase, who was very much a superstar when he retired, his return to the hip hop game was not as well received.  And, to be honest, the “it” factor he had before his retirement had dissipated.  Which brings us to No Malice.  When I say this emcee returned to the game showing no signs of rust, I mean it.  And, despite the strides Pusha T. made as an emcee, No Malice showed why he is the big brother and the superior emcee (despite years and years of not releasing any music). 

 

The rollout for LGSEO is one for the books.  I cannot recall an album being released with such a precise plan.  And, the execution of said plan has been immaculate.  With LGSEO, the Clipse went on one of the most elaborate album rollouts I have maybe ever seen.  I remember first hearing that the Clipse were dropping an album.  For me, that was enough to spark my interest.  But, then, they went on a historic press run.  I remember hearing “Ace Trumpets” for the first time, which I thought was a really good song.  Then, they released “So Be It” but they did not immediately release it on Apple Music.  So, and I’m a little embarrassed to say that I was riding in my car listening to the song on YouTube.  And I mean I played it so many times within the first 48 hours of hearing it that I had basically memorized the words.  The beat on that song is magnetic.  But, the lyrical marksmanship of both Push and Malice were impeccable.  They rolled out singles with music videos, they sat for interviews, and were guests on podcasts and even pulled off a Tiny Desk Performance and an appearance on the ESPY Awards.  They left no stone unturned in their comeback story.  It was an immaculate rollout.

 

In another era of hip hop, features were a large part of the allure of an album.  And, sometimes, the absence of features was also part of the large landscape (e.g. Blueprint Album by Jay-Z and Illmatic by Nas).  Well, this album did not disappoint in the world of features.  The album boasts features from some of the biggest names in the history of hip hop, including Nas and Kendrick Lamar (and to a much lesser extent, Tyler the Creator and Stove God Cooks).  Nonetheless, I think the Clipse struck a proper balance of allowing others to get verses, while not allowing their album to feel like a compilation album.  It is imminently clear that LGSEO is a Clipse album.

 

There are very few songs in hip hop history that have ever moved me to tears.  I’d say Tupac’s song “Dear Mama” is another song on that short list.  But, the Clipse song, “The Birds Don’t Sing,” is one of the most direct, transparent and relatable songs I’ve heard in all of my years of listening to music.  In the first verse, Push talks about the death of his mother and how he still feels like he did not handle the events leading to her death in the best way.  Then, in the second verse, Malice talks about how great of a father he had and how he was the person who found his dad (and mom) once they passed away.  If you have parents, or a parent, this song is going to evoke some emotion.  It is a brilliant song.

 

“F.I.C.O” is probably, at this moment, my favorite song on the album.  Per usual, Push opened the song up with his verse over an ominous beat.  And, per usual, he came out talking that talk “niggas double crossing talk behind your back, see, that’s where the knife go, I guess they wasn’t fuckin with us.”  Then he touched on addiction and how addicts will always choose the drug or other addictive habit over love.  He rapped” when you young, you realize that you can’t trust a mouth where the pipe go, they tried, but couldn’t love you enough…”  And when I thought Push had finally out rhymed Malice on a track, Malice dropped his verse.  And, let’s just say I spoke too soon.  On his coke rap shit, he rapped “my brick walk was second to none, I would have them take a number like DMV, that was the baseline, checkout on register one…”  Then, he dropped a reference to the Wire that was on brand for the song “When it come down to it, every Stringer Bell just needs an Avon who won’t sweep it under the rug…”

 

When I think about my favorite emcees, I can recall verses or bars that stand the test of time.  In many cases, these bars have multiple meanings.  As an example, on Jay-Z’s song Can I live, he rapped “ I keep my head , both of them, where they supposed to be, hoes’ll get you sidetracked, then clapped from close feet” or “I’d rather die enormous than live dormant, that’s how we on it. . .”  There are plenty of standout bars on this album.  On a song “So Far Ahead,” Malice rapped “the grass is greener on each side/I done been both Mason Bethas/I done been at both intersections/I done pulled Ocean 11s/Even when the well ran dry/I done raised quotas in the desert.”  On “M.T.B.T.T.F,” Malice rapped “Took chains and touched change like King Midas/ Imitation is flattery, they seem like us/But only 300 bricks can make you Leonidas/my old plug asked the new plug to reunite us/D class in my ears now let me see you bite it.”  And, on the song “F.I.C.O.,” Push rapped “if you’re re-upping with us then your credit score gotta be F.I.C.O/I’m  talkin 850 or bust.”   And on “P.O.V.,” Malice rapped “I done sung along with rappers I never believed/Came back for the money, that’s the Devil in me/Had to hide it from the church, that’s the Jekyll in me/I never thought twice what the pressure would be/ ‘Cause niggas’ chains look just like oppression to me.”

 

All in all, LGSEO is the best album I have heard in 2025 (literally, a 10 out of 10), and it is not even close.  I am always going to root for the underdog, and I believe the Clipse play that role if for no other reason than they have not released an album in 15 years.  And, in looking at social media and browsing articles discussing the album, the hip hop community is supporting this album.  I would love to see them win hip hop album of the year.  In the old days of the Source magazine, LGSEO is a five-mic album.  If you have not heard it, you should listen to the album ASAP.

 

Peace