Nary a speck of dust seems to have gathered during Clipse’s 16-year hiatus, as brother MCs Pusha T and Malice reunite for a thoroughly invigorating fourth record, ‘Let God Sort Em Out.’

Stream: ‘Let God Sort Em Out’ – Clipse

Throughout the first decade of the century, Clipse managed to establish themselves as one of the most revered duos in hip-hop on the strength of a trilogy of acclaimed LPs – with 2006’s Hell Hath No Fury emerging as the standout.

Afterwards, though, the Virginia Beach-based act pretty much went the same way as another acclaimed rap duo from a couple states over (OutKast), inasmuch as they went on a seemingly interminable album-less run, although each of its members occasionally resurfaced with a solo project here and there.

With Let God Sort Em Out, their first album together since 2009, brothers Gene and Terrence Thornton – better known by their stage names Malice and Pusha T, and best known collectively as Clipse – are positioned to formally relaunch their act and win back the critical adulation to which they were regularly subject back in their prime. For the most part, they hold up their own end of that bargain, delivering fine performances as emcees in their own right, all while rekindling old creative partnerships – most notably that with longtime producer Pharrell Williams – and getting some valuable new ones going.

Let God Sort Em Out - Clipse — Let God Sort Em Out – Clipse

Pusha T has been the most prolific member of Clipse throughout their hiatus by a considerable margin, and he quickly keeps the momentum going right from the first track, “The Birds Don’t Sing.” The song features a surprisingly personal opening verse in which he details the troubles he’d had with dealing with his mother’s passing, equating it to “tryna navigate life without my compass” and expressing regret that the two of them weren’t able to resolve all of their differences while she was still with him.

As the album progresses, Pusha T continues to shine, and makes room for Clipse’s trademark topic: Cocaine. “C-L-I-P-S-E, epi, 8-ball, LV, I can show you how to bust a brick if you let me,” he raps on one of the album’s lead singles, “So Be It.” Then on “M.T.B.T.T.F,” Pusha spells out the titular acronym (Mike Tyson Blow To The Face) and then elaborates on just how powerful that stuff is: “Slalom ice, she wants snow on a plate. Half price when the blow’s in the crates means more ice for the Mo’s and the Ace.”

At age 48, Pusha T’s actual hustling days are long behind him, and his incentive to turn to said activity can’t be too high now that he’s worth some $14 million anyways.

But Clipse did make a name for themselves by crafting addictive coke rap tunes, starting all the way back with “Grindin’,” their classic debut single from 2002. So, for continuity’s sense, it makes sense that the two stay true to their signature subject matter, along with addressing some other ones, such as their family situation and the current conflicts amongst today’s leading rappers.

Even though he’s been less culturally omnipresent than his brother throughout Clipse’s album-free dry spell, Malice has remained a more-than-capable MC over the years and also shows up to Let God Sort Em Out ready to do damage. He contributes his own moving memories of his mother to the aforementioned “The Birds Don’t Sing” – “Your last few words in my ear still ring,” he recalls Mildred Thornton’s last moments on Earth. “You told me that you loved me, it was all in your tone. ‘I love my two sons’ was the code to your phone.”

Following that flicker of vulnerability, Malice goes back to being his old assertive self, and the results consistently impress. On “Fico,” he addresses the sometimes-contentious relationship he’s had with his brother, finally concluding that he’s benefitted from Pusha’s presence in his life. “When it comes down to it, every Stringer Bell just needs an Avon who won’t sweep it under the rug,” he raps, comparing that situation to another two-man dynamic from HBO’s The Wire. “Ace Trumpets” also explains why it was that Malice wound up taking a lengthy break from rapping while his bro was off shining as a Kanye West label signee throughout the 2010s, and what inspired him to finally get things going again – “I done disappeared and reappeared without a Voilà,” as he summarizes. Moments like this provide the album with some valuable introspection that helps make it the compelling comeback project it succeeds in being.

Then there’s the production. Oh boy, is there. The Neptunes were major contributors to Clipse’s earlier projects – you could play the best beats from Hell Hath No Fury and never suspect they’re nearly 20 years old now. But now, there “ain’t no more Neptunes,” as Malice observes on “So Be It” – the two members, Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams, have distanced themselves from each other in recent years, to the point where they are no longer on speaking terms. Bringing back just one of the Neptunes – the far more famous one, anyways – winds off working out in Clipse’s favor perfectly fine. Pharrell produces all 13 tracks here, and on high points like “Inglorious Bastards” and “Fico,” he proves once again what an ageless wonder he is – both on the production front as well as in the good looks department.

One last statement of praise goes out to the guest artists on the album. They’re uniformly impressive. The ever-consistent Kendrick Lamar delivers another fiery verse on “Chains & Whips,” and Tyler, the Creator immediately follows up in kind right on the next track, “POV.” Some singing by the likes of John Legend and The-Dream elevates their respective songs, and the album’s title track is considerably enhanced by the beat-switch entrance of Nas. He gives himself a pat on the back for his achievements as an old-school legend – “Single-handedly boosted rap to its truest place…. I alone did rejuvenate hip-hop into its newest place.” And as for all those thinking of challenging him: “Bring it – the only thing you’re killing is precious time.”

In the relatively short space of 40 minutes, Let God Sort Em Out convincingly achieves its primary mission of reasserting Clipse as a cohesive duo, with its two rappers ready to record and perform together again after many years of each one doing their own thing. Even without that lofty objective, though – even if two guys had just made this record together for the heck of it – a rap album this cohesive and energetic would be sure to impress in just about any context.

— —