Clipse Part Ways With Label After Refusing to Censor “Chains & Whips” Verse
Pusha T has opened up about a surprising clash with Def Jam Records over Kendrick Lamar’s feature on Clipse’s upcoming album, Let God Sort Em Out—a dispute that ultimately led to the duo’s departure from the label.
In a new interview with Billboard, Pusha admitted he was blindsided by Def Jam’s reaction to Kendrick’s verse on the track “Chains & Whips.” “I was shocked by it, actually,” he said. “There was no ill intent in creating that song… it was totally a shock.”
According to Pusha, the label pressured him to ask Kendrick to censor his verse. When he refused, Def Jam escalated, demanding the song be removed entirely. After a month-long standoff, the label dropped Clipse altogether. “They wanted me to take the record off,” Pusha told GQ. “Steve Gawley over there said, ‘We’ll just drop the Clipse.’”
Despite rumors that Kendrick recorded the verse during his recent tour, Pusha clarified: “The vocals have been in, man. I just pulled up to the show for fun.”
Pusha also explained the collaboration came together organically, with Kendrick jumping on after hearing an early cut through a mutual connection: “Right place, right time made everything happen.”