One Kendrick Lamar Verse Allegedly Got Clipse Dropped By Def Jam

Clipse have revealed that their departure from Def Jam was reportedly sparked by a dispute over Kendrick Lamar’s guest verse on their upcoming album, “Let God Sort Em Out”.

In an interview with GQ, Pusha T recounted that the label pressured them to censor or remove Lamar’s verse from the track “Chains & Whips.” Pusha refused, saying, “They wanted me to ask Kendrick to censor his verse, which of course I was never doing.” After a month-long standoff, Def Jam’s legal counsel Steve Gawley reportedly told them the label would simply drop Clipse from their roster.

The tension was reportedly fueled by the fact that both Clipse and Lamar have long-standing feuds with Drake, who is currently engaged in a high-profile legal battle with Universal Music Group (UMG), Def Jam’s parent company. The optics of two of Drake’s biggest rivals collaborating while he sues UMG made the label uncomfortable, further complicating the situation.

Rather than compromise their artistic integrity, Clipse opted to part ways with Def Jam. Pusha T, who remains a prominent solo artist, negotiated a full release that allowed the group to sign with Roc Nation for their long-awaited reunion project. Neither Def Jam nor UMG have publicly addressed the claims made by Pusha.

This move underscores the ongoing tension in Hip-Hop’s most talked-about rivalries, particularly as Pusha T continues to stand firm against Drake, a beef that escalated when Pusha exposed Drake’s secret child in “The Story of Adidon,” a diss track that defined their feud.