Hold On To Your Brother
The Return of Pusha T, Malice & Clipse
I feel drawn to brotherhood, to the platonic and familial love that happens between men, especially Black men.
The laughs we share that feel endless enough to kill us as the breath leaves our bodies; the smiles that breathe life back into us. Life-giving love. Resurrection love. Love that may seem to fade but deep down we know hasn’t abandoned us.
I was an only child for the first nine years of my life. Although my mom ended up having a girl, my sister Trinity, which is a gift in itself, I longed for brotherly love. I desired Black men I could fully be myself with. My world mostly consisted of women. But three months after I turned 10, my blood brother, Evan, was born.
In June 2022, my wife and I watched the livestream of Pharrell taking the stage at his Something in the Water music festival in Washington, D.C.
It’s been said about Virginia that there’s “something in the water.” Across the Potomac River from D.C., Virginia had something that transformed a whole era of popular music in the early 2000s—namely Pharrell and his contemporaries Chad Hugo, Timbaland, and Missy Elliott.
Pharrell, who helped craft much of that music alongside Hugo, played several of their biggest hits to kick off his Something in the Water set. Then, he welcomed Justin Timberlake on stage to perform some of their collaborations from over the years.
Timberlake’s debut solo album, Justified, is one of me and Elizabeth’s favorite albums, so we were hype. While JT and Pharrell performed “Like I Love You,” I saw what I thought was just Pusha T walk on stage. Soon, I realized Pusha T was with Malice, marking the return of Clipse, the legendary rap duo led by Virginia natives and real-life brothers Gene and Terrence Thornton.
Now, let me say a few things about Clipse.
They are one of my all-time favorite rap duos. As a kid, I remember listening to the radio and hearing “What Happened To That Boy” with Birdman and not knowing who Clipse was, or that they were featured on the song, but absolutely loving it.
As I got older, I heard more of their songs like “Grindin’” and “Mr. Me Too” and knew they were something special.
Before I had time to closely follow Clipse’s career, Malice left rap and Pusha T opted for a solo run. He teamed up with Kanye West on the Chicago rapper’s comeback track, “Runaway,” and then eventually on his label G.O.O.D. Music, which Pusha T presided over for a time.
At this point, I started engaging more with evangelical Christianity, which interestingly aligned with Malice changing his name to No Malice. The older Thornton deepened his dedication to Christianity and no longer felt like his former rap name reflected his new convictions.
All I had left were Clipse’s old records, YouTube freestyles like their OnDaSpot showcase for Invasion Radio, and occasional collaborations like “Shame the Devil” on No Malice’s debut solo album, Hear Ye Him.
But nearly 10 years later, I watched on TV as Pusha T and Malice took the stage as Clipse yet again. The energy shifted in the crowd. It was a moment. And Pusha T, Gene’s little brother, was all smiles.
In different interviews over the years, folks would ask Pusha T when the next Clipse record was dropping or when the duo was getting back together. Push would always say something to the effect of, “Whenever my brother is ready.” Pusha T always wanted a Clipse reunion—spoken like a true little brother.
I think about me and Evan. During visits when we were younger, he was always chomping at the bit to go outside and play basketball or hit the TV room and play Madden or NBA 2K. He was ready.
I was always a little more hesitant. “Are you sure?… But it’s hot… I’m tired…” And still I would always end up doing whatever he wanted. And of course, it was fun. And of course, we ended up going hard, walking back in the house pouring sweat, me looking for the nearest Advil.
Malice always felt like the more hesitant member of Clipse, the one who spent more time considering the consequences, weighing the morality of his and his brother’s actions. But you can only resist for so long when your little brother asks you to play.
In 2022, I listened to an interview where Pusha T talked about two Clipse tracks released that year: “Punch Bowl” from Nigo’s album, I Know NIGO!, and “I Pray For You” from Pusha T’s Grammy-nominated album, It’s Almost Dry.
The interviewer asked Pusha T how he convinced Malice to join him for those songs. Push’s answer was simple: “I just asked him.”
It’s that simple because Malice is still Pusha T’s brother. They’re still bound together by blood and Malice’s words on “Grindin’”:
“My grind’s ‘bout family, never been about fame
From days I wasn’t able, there was always ‘caine”
This is one of the greatest coke raps, an artform Clipse helped pave the way for more than 20 years ago with the release of their first album, Lord Willin’. But this is where Clipse is special because there’s also an acknowledgement that they’ve always had each other and will always need each other. Duality.
On the main stage at Something in the Water, one thing was clear: Pusha T & Malice need each other.
While Pusha T has had a phenomenal solo career and the two have always been able to get their bars off individually, Pusha T’s smile as Malice rapped felt like a confession that rapping wasn’t as fun without his big brother.
Malice, who seemed a little reluctant to step to center stage, who always seems a little reluctant to step to center stage, was brought further into the spotlight by Pusha T’s, well, pushing.
Malice began to rap louder, more confidently, sinking into the moment deeper and deeper. And from where I sat hundreds of miles away in Columbus, Ohio, I felt the love. Although they didn’t perform it, I could hear Malice’s words on Kanye’s “Use This Gospel”: “Just hold on to your brother when his faith lost”
Malice has always had a genuine, loving concern about the path him and his little brother might go down because of the decisions they’ve made and the harm they’ve caused. However, he’s stuck by Pusha T’s side even though they’ve chosen to pursue different roads. And Pusha T has stuck by his big brother, continuing to urge Malice that the world needs his words, that the rap game needs Clipse making music again.
I think about my own loss of faith and how my love for Evan has brought me home time and time again, wanting to be with him, to keep growing closer with him and all my siblings.
It’s that same love that got Clipse on stage in the summer of 2022 across the river from their home state of Virginia, alongside their early collaborator Pharrell, the one who suggested they should become a rap duo. And it’s that same love that brought them back together with Pharrell to finally deliver a new Clipse album.
Let God Sort Em Out is Clipse’s first album release in 16 years, and it finds the men at very different points in their lives. Pusha T, 48, is now married and has a kid—his son’s name: Brixx. And Malice, 52, is a grandfather. Their commitment to each other answers Malice’s question on “Nightmares,” the closing track of their second album, Hell Hath No Fury: “Do not they know brotherly love is sacred?”
Pusha T and Malice most certainly do, and it’s a gift we still get to witness that brotherly love on display.
That reminds me. I need to text Evan and see if he’s heard the new record yet. I’m sure there’s some other release pulling at his attention. Something else he’s got going on. But you can only resist for so long when your brother asks you to play.
Eventually, the current is too strong. There’s something in the water.
Thank you!
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Gorgeous testament to your love for your brother <3
This made me smile the whole way through. I hope my little brothers feel this sort of bond with each other, and may your bond with your brother always bloom. :)