Pusha T and Jim Jones Beef, Explained
It’s been nearly 15 years since Pusha T and his brother No Malice released an album together as Clipse. But lately all signs point to a full-blown reunion project being on the way. On June 17, the brothers headlined Chicago’s Hyde Park Summer Fest, a triumphant reunion show that saw the Thornton duo share the stage and rip through beloved tracks from 2002’s Lord Willin’ and 2006’s critically acclaimed Hell Hath No Fury, the latter being one of the great rap LPs of the 21st century. Clipse previously performed together in June 2022 at Pharrell Williams’ Something in the Water festival and again at ComplexCon that November, playing a handful of tracks including “Mr. Me Too” and “Grindin.’”This of course, following their grand reunion on wax via the closing track on Pusha T’s 2022 solo album It’s Almost Dry—in which Malice delivered a Verse of the Year contender—as well as “Punch Bowl,” a loosie for Nigo’s album.
Rap fans have been eagerly awaiting a Clipse reunion for years. Speaking to Rolling Stone in October 2022, Pusha said he “push[es] the button every so often” to get the pair back together. “I’m like, ‘Yo, listen to what I just made! We can really do this’–and he brushes me off,” Pusha said. “If I had it my way, it would be the Clipse. It’s really up to my brother.” But it’s clear that something changed in the ensuing months, with No Malice, 49, and Pusha, 46, in a new phase of their lives and creative relationship.
Following the Chicago show, the brothers jetted to Paris, where they walked in their longtime friend and collaborator Pharrell’s highly anticipated Louis Vuitton’s Spring-Summer 2024 show. During the show, a new Clipse track was played, marking the duo’s first official track in over a decade. Atop searing guitars and syncopated drums, the MCs sound razor sharp, even making an impression on Beyoncé and Jay-Z, the latter making his trademark screwface at Pusha’s bars. Based off of the lyrics in the chorus, the song would appear to be “Chains ‘n Whips,” which Pharrell teased during a New York Times story about his new Louis Vuitton role. “That was made in this room,” Pharrell said of the track, referencing a room at LV headquarters overlooking the Seine. “We just start walking around and looking out this window and you just see all of this. I mean, we beating this system, bro.”
New Clipse produced by Pharrell would be an event unto itself, but Pusha’s verse in particular is turning heads for lines that definitely seem to be responding to his fellow aughts rap veteran Jim Jones, who made headlines earlier this year for vehemently arguing that Pusha is overrated in several interviews.
It started with a widely circulated clip from the Rap Caviar podcast where, debating Billboard’s top 50 rappers of all time list, Jones said Pusha didn’t deserve a slot. Then on The Breakfast Club, Jones doubled down challenging the show’s hosts to “sing along to five Pusha T records right now.” (Jones did offer something of an olive branch, saying that Pusha “could rap his ass off,” though the context