The Clipse’s Pusha T explains friendship breakup with Kanye West: ‘nothing outside of music’

During interviews for the rollout for The Clipse’s upcoming album “Let God Sort Em Out,” Pusha T has spoken candidly about his evaporated relationship with Kanye West. 

When it comes to Kanye West, Pusha T says it’s strictly business.

The revelation came about during a press run for The Clipse, the critically-acclaimed rap duo made up of real-life brothers Malice (Gene Thornton) and Pusha T (Terrence Thornton), who are currently in the midst of a rollout for their upcoming album, “Let God Sort Em Out,” due out July 11. 

The lore behind this album has already sent anticipation into a fever pitch, with stories coming out about industry shenanigans, including the group having to buy itself out of its contract because of a Kendrick Lamar verse and the label (Def Jam, a subsidiary of UMG—yes THAT one currently in the midst of legal entanglements with Drake) allegedly concerned about optics.

Of course, Pusha T has been dealing with issues over the course of his career because of Drake (the same Drake whose child he revealed to the world). Again, the rollout has been a novella-like bonanza about back-room label machinations. And that’s before you even get to the personal stories that the brothers Thornton, but specifically Pusha T,  have to tell about their lives in the orbit of Kanye West and his tentacles.

Pusha T has never been shy about calling out people he doesn’t respect in the industry (while giving equal and opposite praise to those he does) so hearing him talk about Travis Scott being corny isn’t surprising, though interesting because of his first-person perspective. Pusha T has been in the room with some of the industry’s biggest characters during a decades-plus run as part of the West’s G.O.O.D. Music camp, including a 7-year run as president of the label, from 2015 to 2022. 

Being around Kanye West for that long would make you think that Pusha and West were close, or at least homies, but if you let Pusha T tell it (and he will tell it), he doesn’t rock with Kanye West, outside of musically, at all. 

In a recent sit-down with the New York Times’ “Popcast” podcast, Malice and Pusha discussed their album, their space in the industry and, of course, the people in the industry that have been part of their journey, for better or worse. Unsurprisingly (at this point, anyway), Pusha’s opinion on Kanye was to the point. 

“We made great music, it was a great time. I think I put out some of the best music of the fold,” started Pusha T. When asked if there is any heartbreak associated with the dissolution of their relationship, he was very clear. 

“It’s no heartbreak….because we ain’t the same. Outside of music, we are nothing. We can’t be anything outside of music. Music is where we clicked. Outside of that; his principles, his morals, his mindset, we don’t see eye-to-eye hardly ever. And we never have. I’ve always said it; I’ve said it a lot of times.” He’s right, he’s never made any bones about the fact that he and Kanye aren’t on the same page with many things and he eventually moved on from, something he references others won’t seem to do on the group’s first single, “Ace Trumpets.” 

Malice pointed out that he knows what Pusha was going through and understands his brother’s stance in full while pointing out that he thinks Pusha’s loyalty has had him around some bad people. 

“Loyalty to a fault, you know. If you’re my friend, you’re my friend. I’ve seen him in the mix of people who I don’t think reciprocated…to me he looked like a lone wolf out there but still holding up his principles, his ethics, standing on business the way he stands on business.”

The Clipse’s fourth album, “Let God Sort Em Out” will be out on July 11.