For people who have talked ot me about rap or read my hip hop reviews, they’ve learned that I’m pretty tired of the modern trends of hip hop. Save for guys like Tyler, The Creator, or Kendrick Lamar, modern hip hop (using autotune and mumble rap) hasn’t really done it for me. I’ve really tried to get back into it, but the old school boom bap and heavy narrative flow will always be better in my humble opinion.
Clipse (the duo brotherly project of Pusha T and Malice) has come back with one of those albums, and while the beats (headed by Pharrell Williams, who discovered the rap duo way back in the early 2000s) do feel slightly more modern than their previous work, Let God Sort Em Out really brings back that ethos. And my god, is it great. With the constant theme of this is “culturally inappropriate” weaving through and being said through samples, like a dark spirit of hip hop, Let God Sort Em Out breathes classicism and modernism.
The first track, “The Birds Don’t Sing,” is unbelievably catchy with backing, soulful vocals from none other than John Legend and Voices of Fire. We’ve got a more trap hip-hop vibe with “Chains & Whips,” featuring some quick verse from Kendrick, giving more than anything he did on GNX. Then we have “P.O.V.” featuring some rhymes from Tyler, The Creator, living his lifelong dream being featured in a track with Clipse. Even the non feature tracks are standouts, like “So Be It,” and “M.T.B.T.T.F.,” with brothers Pusha T and Malice conveying why they are old hand pros at the rap game.
The title track “Let God Sort Em Out/Chandeliers” is much later on and features Nas and feels just as powerful as something on Illmatic. There isn’t really one bad song on this thing, and while the beats are pretty simple, it gives room for Pusha T and Malice, and a bunch of collaborators to really shine through. I’m not sure it will appeal to the younger hip hop crowd, but who knows.
