Clipse’s 'Let God Sort ’Em Out' Lands on Major 2025 Best-Albums Lists

The album cover for “Let God Sort Em Out,” Clipse’s first full-length release since 2009, produced entirely by Pharrell Williams and cited among 2025’s most critically praised albums.

In a year crowded with releases chasing novelty, "Let God Sort Em Out" arrived doing something rarer: reminding hip-hop what endurance sounds like.

Sixteen years after their last full album, Virginia Beach brothers Pusha T and Malice returned as Clipse with a project that didn’t posture as a comeback or plead for relevance. Instead, it spoke with the confidence of artists who never left the conversation — only waited for the right moment to reenter it on their own terms.

Released in July and produced entirely by Pharrell Williams, "Let God Sort Em Out" quickly emerged as one of the year’s most critically respected rap albums, earning placement on multiple year-end best-of lists and drawing praise across outlets that rarely agree on hip-hop’s direction. Rolling Stone included the album among its Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2025, while the Associated Press cited the project’s lyrical precision and restraint as a standout in a year heavy on excess.

The recognition mattered — but not because Clipse needed validation. It mattered because the album landed at a moment when lyricism, structure and patience felt endangered. Rather than chasing trends, the brothers leaned into what time had sharpened: Pusha T’s surgical economy, Malice’s spiritual clarity and a chemistry that still snaps with the tension of lived experience.

The album does not attempt to rewrite Clipse’s past. It extends it. Tracks like “Ace Trumpets” and others across the record balance menace with reflection, street memory with consequence. Where earlier Clipse albums thrived on claustrophobic minimalism, "Let God Sort Em Out" breathes — not softer, but wiser. Pharrell’s production stretches without diluting, allowing space for confession, warning and triumph to coexist.

SIDEBAR: Why “Let God Sort ’Em Out” Led 2025’s Critical Consensus

Clipse’s “Let God Sort ’Em Out” didn’t dominate the year through hype cycles or streaming stunts. Instead, it earned sustained recognition through critical consensus across both hip-hop–focused and mainstream publications.

Rolling Stone
Included in Rolling Stone’s Best Rap Albums of 2025 coverage, praising the album’s discipline, precision, and refusal to chase trends — qualities repeatedly cited as defining strengths.

Associated Press (AP)
Featured in AP’s Best Music of 2025 reporting, highlighting the project’s lyrical patience and clarity in contrast to a year marked by excess and immediacy.

The Guardian
Appeared in The Guardian’s Top Albums of 2025 Readers’ Poll (All Genres), one of the few hip-hop albums to cross into the outlet’s broader year-end recognition.

HotNewHipHop
Ranked among the site’s Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2025, described as a “measured, powerful return” that fused Clipse’s street legacy with earned maturity.

Metacritic
Metascore: 83, reflecting one of the strongest critical consensus scores for a rap release in 2025.

Editor’s note: While year-end rankings vary by methodology, “Let God Sort ’Em Out” stands out as one of 2025’s most consistently praised rap albums across reputable critics and publications.

Critics responded accordingly. HotNewHipHop called the album a “powerful Clipse comeback,” noting how it fused unfiltered street perspective with earned maturity. The Washington Post highlighted the project’s emotional range — its willingness to confront loss, faith and legacy without sacrificing edge. Across reviews, a consistent theme emerged: this wasn’t nostalgia. It was authority.

That authority extended beyond the music. In a GQ cover story released later in the year, Clipse framed their return as less about reclaiming space and more about redefining it. Pusha T rejected the idea of a creative ceiling, positioning longevity itself as a form of resistance in an industry addicted to erasure.

That ethos was underscored quietly, but symbolically,  recently (see above) when Pharrell gifted Pusha T a Rolls-Royce Spectre Black Badge — a moment documented across music media and social platforms. The gesture wasn’t spectacle; it was acknowledgment. Of partnership. Of survival. Of a year when Clipse didn’t just reappear, they reminded people why they mattered in the first place.

"Let God Sort Em Out" now stands not only as one of 2025’s most respected rap albums, but as a case study in how veteran artists can reenter the culture without diluting themselves. No gimmicks. No apology tours. Just records built to last.

In a genre obsessed with what’s next, Clipse offered something more disruptive: proof that what’s true still carries weight.

Big Sean Expands Pistons Role as Team Pushes Global, Culture-Led Growth

Big Sean poses in Detroit Pistons gear in a promotional image shared on Instagram. The Detroit native was recently named the franchise’s creative director of global experience as part of an expanded partnership focused on culture, design and international fan growth. (Photo via Instagram / @bigsean)

The Detroit Pistons are leaning harder into culture — and into Big Sean — as the franchise tries to sell Detroit Basketball to the world in a moment when teams don’t just need wins, they need identity.

On Sunday, the Pistons announced an expanded partnership with the Detroit rapper and entrepreneur, naming him the team’s Creative Director of Global Experience and rolling out a new initiative called “Creatives Across Continents” tied to World Basketball Day, which is observed each year on Dec. 21.

The move is framed as part of the team’s push for global fan growth and a bigger cultural footprint — the modern sports playbook where music, fashion and design don’t sit on the sidelines, they are an integral part of the game experience.

In the Pistons’ announcement, the team said Sean will be involved in future community engagement and international fan development, and that the initiative will invite designers and artists worldwide to create original work inspired by Detroit Basketball, with a collaborative retail collection planned for 2026.

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“Big Sean’s influence reaches far beyond music — he’s a global creative visionary who already brings Detroit wherever he goes,” Pistons Chief Marketing Officer Alicia Jeffreys said in a statement. She called the program “the next step in introducing Detroit Basketball to the world.”

Sean, in his own statement, positioned the role as both hometown loyalty and infrastructure — less “brand ambassador,” more “build something that hires and opens doors.”

“Detroit has always been rich with talent and culture, and my mission is to keep opening doors and hiring our city’s creatives to shine alongside one of the most iconic franchises in sports,” he said, adding that he’s “grateful to the Pistons for trusting me to help define what the culture of Detroit Basketball really means.”

For the Pistons, the headline is that the franchise is treating creative direction as an actual department with an actual title, then attaching it to a Detroit name that has always been intentional about Detroit as brand and birthplace. It also continues a relationship the team says has already included merchandise and experience work, with more details promised around future events and retail collaborations in the year ahead.

What the announcement does not include: financial terms, how finalists for the design initiative will be selected, or what creative control looks like in practice — the part that determines whether this becomes a real pipeline for artists or another glossy concept that lives mostly in a press release.

Still, the direction is clear. The Pistons aren’t just selling tickets. They’re selling a story about Detroit — and betting Big Sean can help translate it in a language the world already understands.

Romanian Court Sentences Wiz Khalifa to Nine Months in Drug Case

Wiz Khalifa performs during a live concert in 2023. The rapper was later sentenced by a Romanian court in connection with cannabis use during a 2024 festival appearance in Costinești. (Photo by Rickmunroe01, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Wiz Khalifa’s habit of lighting up onstage has long been treated as part of the show. In Romania, it became a criminal case — and, this week, the court issued its final ruling.

The Pittsburgh rapper, born Cameron Jibril Thomaz, was sentenced to nine months in prison by Romania’s Constanța Court of Appeal, which overturned an earlier penalty stemming from his July 2024 detention at the “Beach, Please!” music festival in Costinești. The ruling, issued Monday and entered into the court registry, followed an appeal by Romanian prosecutors and marked the conclusion of a case that began when Khalifa smoked cannabis during his live set.

According to court documents and a translated statement from Romania’s Directorate for the Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism, known as DIICOT, Khalifa was found to have possessed more than 18 grams of cannabis and to have consumed additional marijuana onstage in the form of a handmade cigarette. Under Romanian law, cannabis is classified as a “dangerous drug,” and public possession and use remain criminal offenses regardless of quantity.

Police allowed Khalifa to complete his performance before taking him into custody. He was detained briefly, questioned and released, and prosecutors later initiated criminal proceedings for illegal possession of dangerous drugs for personal use.

In the initial trial, a lower court imposed a criminal fine of 3,600 lei, roughly $800 at the time. DIICOT appealed that sentence, arguing it failed to reflect the seriousness of the offense under Romania’s drug statutes. The appellate court agreed, partially vacating the original ruling and imposing a nine-month prison sentence, to be served in detention, while leaving other aspects of the judgment intact.

The decision is final under Romanian law.

 

What the ruling does not immediately mean is just as important as what it does. Khalifa was not taken into custody this week, nor have Romanian authorities announced steps related to extradition, enforcement abroad or international arrest warrants. The sentence was pronounced by making it available through the registry rather than in Khalifa’s physical presence, a procedural detail common in Romanian appellate cases involving foreign defendants.

Legal experts note that cross-border enforcement of such sentences can be complex and often hinges on bilateral agreements, prosecutorial discretion and future travel. None of those questions were addressed in the ruling itself, and Romanian officials emphasized that Khalifa benefited from full procedural rights and the presumption of innocence throughout the case.

Still, the judgment stands as a rare example of a global rap star receiving a custodial sentence overseas for conduct that, in much of the United States, would no longer raise eyebrows — let alone criminal charges.

The case also underscores the cultural disconnect between hip-hop performance norms and international drug laws. Cannabis remains central to Khalifa’s public image and music, woven into lyrics, branding and decades of live shows. But Romanian law makes no exception for celebrity, context or stage persona.

Since the incident, Khalifa has not publicly commented on the appeal ruling. At the time of his arrest in 2024, Romanian authorities made clear that his status as a foreign artist did not alter the legal framework governing the case.

Bronx Drill Rapper Kay Flock Gets 30-Year Sentence in Racketeering Case

Kay Flock, born Kevin Perez, is shown in a photo shared on social media. The Bronx drill rapper was sentenced Tuesday to 30 years in federal prison after being convicted on racketeering and attempted murder charges tied to a series of gang-related shootings.

For a brief moment, Kay Flock looked like the next voice to break out of the Bronx’s drill scene — a raw, volatile presence whose videos racked up millions of views and whose name moved fast through New York rap circles. On Tuesday, that ascent ended in a federal courtroom.

The Bronx rapper, born Kevin Perez, was sentenced to 30 years in prison for his role as the leader of a gang prosecutors said carried out a series of shootings that terrorized neighborhoods between 2020 and 2021. Perez, 22, was convicted earlier this year on racketeering conspiracy, attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon in aid of racketeering, along with a firearm offense, following a two-week trial in U.S. District Court.

U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman, who imposed the sentence, said Perez “taunted, celebrated, and created a culture of violence,” adding that the harm caused by his actions “was immense,” according to court records.

Federal prosecutors described Perez as the leader of a Bronx-based gang known as Sev Side/DOA — shorthand for “Dumping on Anything” or “Dead on Arrival” — operating around East 187th Street. According to the indictment and trial evidence, the group used violence to defend territory, elevate its reputation and increase members’ status, while funding itself through bank and wire fraud schemes that later supported Perez’s music career.

“Kevin Perez used violence and fame to fuel fear and intimidation across the Bronx,” U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said in a statement announcing the sentence. “Perez and his gang members carried out a string of shootings that struck both rival gang members and innocent bystanders.”

Prosecutors tied Perez to multiple shootings during a roughly 18-month span. Among them was a June 20, 2020, attack in which a rival was shot in the jaw and several others were wounded. Days later, Perez appeared in a music video that investigators said referenced the shooting. Additional attempted murders in June 2020, August 2020 and November 2021 were also presented at trial, with evidence showing multiple victims were struck by gunfire.

Clayton said Perez used his platform as a rising drill rapper to amplify the violence, releasing songs and videos — some drawing millions of views — that “threatened his rivals, bragged about his shootings, and taunted his victims.” Prosecutors argued the music and online posts helped spark retaliatory violence that rippled through the Bronx.

In addition to the prison sentence, Perez was ordered to serve five years of supervised release after completing his term.

Donna Summer’s Songwriting Legacy Honored With Hall of Fame Induction

Donna Summer performs during the inaugural gala at the Washington Convention Center on Jan. 19, 1985, in Washington, D.C. Long remembered as the defining voice of disco, Summer was also a prolific songwriter whose work reshaped dance music, pop and R&B — a legacy now recognized with her posthumous induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. (White House Photographic Office via the National Archives)

Donna Summer is headed to the Songwriters Hall of Fame — a place longtime fans have argued she belonged all along, even when the disco backlash tried to pretend her pen didn’t matter.

The Songwriters Hall of Fame announced Summer’s posthumous induction following an intimate ceremony held on Monday in The Butterfly Room at Cecconi’s in West Hollywood, California.

The Hall rarely honors songwriters after their death, reserving posthumous inductions for moments when an artist’s influence has not faded with time but grown clearer with distance, a distinction that fits Summer, whose songwriting has increasingly been reassessed as foundational rather than decorative.

If Summer is still too often introduced as “the voice of disco,” the Hall’s framing quietly corrects the record. She wrote many of the songs that made her unavoidable, including “Love to Love You Baby,” “I Feel Love,” “Bad Girls,” “Dim All the Lights,” “On the Radio,” “Heaven Knows,” “She Works Hard for the Money,” “Spring Affair” and “This Time I Know It’s for Real,” among others. Those records didn’t just soundtrack an era — they helped reshape pop structure, dance music, and how female artists claimed authorship in spaces that often denied it.

The induction was led by Paul Williams, the Academy Award-winning songwriter and Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee whose own catalog spans pop, film and Broadway. Williams framed Summer not as a genre figure, but as a writer whose work permanently altered how emotion, rhythm and melody coexist in popular music.

“Donna Summer is not only one of the defining voices and performers of the 20th century; she is one of the great songwriters of all time who changed the course of music,” Williams said in a statement released by the Hall. He added that her songs “continue to captivate our souls and imaginations, inspiring the world to dance and, above all, feel love.”

Summer, who died in 2012 at 63, was represented at the ceremony by her family, including her husband, Bruce Sudano, and daughters Brooklyn Sudano and Amanda Sudano Ramirez. In a message shared with the Hall, Sudano spoke directly to the recognition Summer valued most, and didn’t always receive in real time.

“With all the accolades that she received over her career, being respected as a songwriter was always the thing that she felt was overlooked,” Sudano said. “So for her to be accepted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame I know that she’s very happy… somewhere.”

Lizzo Scores Partial Legal Victory as Fat-Shaming Claims Are Dropped

Lizzo performs on President James Madison’s 1813 crystal flute during a visit to the Library of Congress in Washington on Sept. 26, 2022. The Grammy-winning artist, known for her musicianship and advocacy for body positivity, recently celebrated a partial legal victory after former dancers dropped fat-shaming allegations in an ongoing lawsuit. (Photo by Shawn Miller/Library of Congress)

Lizzo called it “devastating” to stay silent while the world picked her apart. On Monday, the Grammy winning singer finally spoke — not through a press release, but through a social-media video — confirming that one of the loudest accusations against her has fallen away.

“The fat-shaming claims against me have been officially dropped by my accusers,” she wrote across the screen. “They conceded it had no merit in court. There was no evidence that I fired them because they gained weight — because it never happened. Now the truth is finally out.”

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It was the first major turn in a lawsuit that’s shadowed Lizzo since 2023, when three former backup dancers — Arianna Davis, Noelle Rodriguez and Crystal Williams — accused her of creating a hostile work environment filled with sexual misconduct and body-shaming. Their most publicized claim, that she punished or fired employees for weight gain, has now been withdrawn after a judge dismissed it under California’s anti-SLAPP statute and the plaintiffs declined to appeal.

But while this moment clears a major piece of her legal slate, it doesn’t end the story. Other parts of the case — including allegations of inappropriate behavior and tour-related misconduct — remain active. Lizzo says she’ll fight them all.

“This claim has haunted me since the day it came out,” she said. “It has been devastating to suffer through this in silence, but I let my lawyers lead, and I’m so grateful for this victory. I am still in a legal battle. I am not settling. I will be fighting every single claim until the truth is out.”

The case, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, has become one of pop culture’s most polarizing. It’s a collision between celebrity image and workplace ethics, fame and accountability, and a test of how quickly social media can rewrite a reputation before a court ever rules.

Lil Jon, Toys 'R' Us Flip Thanksgiving Parade Virality Into Autism Speaks Fundraiser

Lil Jon rides the Toys“R”Us float during the 99th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York. His viral “Turn Down for What” moment has since spun into a fundraising campaign for Autism Speaks, raffling the custom jacket he wore in the parade. (Courtesy photo)

Somewhere between the marching bands, the inflatable Pikachu, and a sea of corporate branding, Lil Jon managed to make the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade feel like a block party again.

His performance on the Toys“R”Us float went viral not because of any big-budget pyrotechnics, but because the Atlanta-born king of crunk somehow made a 99-year-old holiday institution shout back “Yeah!”

Now, a few weeks later, Lil Jon and Toys“R”Us are turning that unlikely viral moment into something bigger — and a little bit better — a charity raffle that supports Autism Speaks. The campaign, announced this week, lets fans donate through toysrus.com/donatenow for a chance to win the custom jacket Lil Jon wore during the parade. The top-tier prize includes a meet-and-greet with him in Los Angeles, airfare and one night’s hotel stay.

For every five-dollar donation, fans get a shot at the jacket. One hundred bucks? One hundred entries. And, naturally, there’s an “extra entry” if you tag a friend on Instagram.

It’s all in support of Autism Speaks, an organization that’s spent more than two decades funding research, services and advocacy for autistic individuals and families.

 

“I’m excited to partner once again with Toys“R”Us — giving fans the chance to win my custom jacket that I wore during the parade — in support of Autism Speaks,” Lil Jon said in a statement announcing the project. “Donate now, let’s gooo, YEAHHH!!”

If it sounds both genuine and absurd, that’s because it is. Lil Jon, the same artist who turned “Shots!” into a generational chant, cleaning up Turn Down for What for the Macy’s Parade, is the kind of cultural full circle that only hip-hop could pull off.

Kim Miller Olko, global CMO for Toys“R”Us, framed it as a continuation of their long-standing charity work. “We’re thrilled to carry that momentum forward through this unique initiative,” she said, adding that the company has previously supported Autism Speaks and wants to “expand that partnership.”

Still, there’s something poetic about it — a once-bankrupt toy company teaming with a former club-scene megastar to raise money for a cause that hits close to home for many families. A kid-friendly parade float turned into an act of giving.

Lil Jon has been on plenty of big stages — from Grammy wins to EDM festivals — but this particular spotlight, wholesome and weird as it may be, might be his most unexpectedly human. In a landscape where celebrity charity drives can feel transactional, this one at least carries some of the chaotic sincerity that’s kept the rapper relevant for twenty years.

Because sometmes, giving back doesn’t have to be quiet.

For more information or to participate click here. 

Tyrone ''Fly Ty' Williams, Cold Chillin’ Founder and Hip-Hop Pioneer, Dies at 68

Tyrone “Fly Ty” Williams, the pioneering founder of Cold Chillin’ Records and one of hip-hop’s first major-label executives, in an undated photo shared on his Instagram. The Brooklyn-born architect of rap’s golden age — who helped launch Biz Markie, Big Daddy Kane and Roxanne Shanté — died Monday. (Photo via Instagram / @flytywilliams)

Tyrone “Fly Ty” Williams, a foundational architect of hip-hop’s golden era who founded Cold Chillin’ Records and helped launch some of rap’s most influential artists, died Monday in New York. He was 68.

Williams’ passing was confirmed on social media by the Hip-Hop Museum and peers in the culture, though no official cause of death has been publicly disclosed.

Rocky Bucano, CEO of the Hip-Hop Museum, shared a personal tribute on Facebook:

“This afternoon I received the heartbreaking news that my friend and brother in this culture, Tyrone ‘Fly Ty’ Williams, has passed away,” Bucano wrote. “Fly Ty was more than the former CEO of Cold Chillin’ Records — he was a pillar in the architecture of hip-hop. A trusted colleague, a champion for artists and one of the earliest executives to truly understand the power and potential of our culture.”

Artists and fans flooded social platforms with remembrances, celebrating Williams not just as a label head but as a mentor and cultural catalyst. Among them was MC Shan, a longtime Juice Crew member whose career Williams helped shepherd. Popular hip-hop feeds on Instagram and Facebook honored his legacy with tributes citing his vision and influence.

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Born and raised in Brooklyn, Williams came of age deeply steeped in music and culture before finding his calling in hip-hop. In 1986, at 27, he founded Cold Chillin’ Records — originally a subsidiary of Prism Records — which went on to become one of rap’s most influential labels during the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Under his leadership, Cold Chillin’ became synonymous with the Juice Crew, the groundbreaking collective that included artists such as Biz Markie, Big Daddy Kane, Roxanne Shanté, Kool G Rap and MC Shan. Their records helped define New York rap’s early identity and set the template for lyricism and cohesion in hip-hop.

Williams’ business acumen played a crucial role in positioning hip-hop for broader audiences. A distribution partnership with Warner Bros. Records helped bring Cold Chillin’ releases into national markets without diluting the music’s authenticity — a rare achievement at a time when major labels were only tentatively embracing rap as a commercial art form.

Before his label tenure, Williams worked as a radio executive and producer, collaborating closely with influential DJ Mr. Magic and helping to expand dedicated hip-hop programming on commercial airwaves — the first steps toward bringing the culture out of block parties and into mainstream listening rooms.

Though Cold Chillin’ closed in 1998, its influence persists through the artists it championed and the career pathways it opened. Generations of rappers and producers have cited the label’s work as foundational to hip-hop’s culture and business evolution.

Williams’ death marks the loss of one of hip-hop’s earliest visionaries — an executive who, at a time when few in the broader industry grasped the cultural potential of rap, believed in the music’s power and helped turn that belief into reality.