After 16 years, the long wait was finally over: on July 11, Clipse — the hip-hop duo composed of brothers Pusha T and Malice — returned after 16 years with their highly anticipated fourth album, Let God Sort Em Out. And now the numbers are in: with 118,000 equivalent album units in its first week, Let God Sort Em Out represented the group’s biggest first week since their debut album, Lord Willin’, racked up 122,000 album sales in 2002. It was their biggest record in over 20 years, proving that their fans, both old and new, were energized by the release.
The album, musically speaking, was a triumph of two top-tier MCs still at the top of their game riding unparalleled chemistry and classic music to climb back to the top of the hip-hop game. From a business perspective, it represented a rollout that reminded a lot of hip-hop fans of the more creative, innovative campaigns of years ago, combining well-placed press; clever brand, art and fashion collaborations; and a dedication to what made the group so great in the first place. And it delivered, with a huge first week that saw the album debut at No. 4 on the Billboard 200, matching the peak of Lord Willin’‘s debut all those years ago. And that helps Clipse’s Victor Victor co-manager Kevin McMullan earn the title of Billboard’s Executive of the Week.
“Kevin was key in helping us educate and train fans on what a modern Clipse rollout could be,” Pusha T tells Billboard. “From the music — he was the one who suggested asking John Legend to cut ‘Birds Don’t Sing’ — to the timeline, collaboration and press curation, he was in perfect sync with the group every step of the way. We couldn’t have done it without him representing the group’s taste and tone so seamlessly to our team of playmakers at Roc Nation. The success of the project depended on having someone who could connect the dots and build a trustworthy bond with our new partners, and Kevin was exactly that person.”
Here, McMullan discusses his role in the Clipse rollout, the idea behind the comeback presentation and balancing new fans versus old. “The success of Pusha’s solo career allowed Clipse to be introduced to a considerably younger audience, so I’m not sure we are ever overtly concerned with catering to the old fans vs. the new,” McMullan says. “This project is for both.”
This week, Clipse’s comeback album Let God Sort Em Out debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 with 118,000 equivalent album units, the duo’s best mark since their 2002 debut Lord Willin’. What key decisions did you make to help make that happen?
It was an amazing team effort. Pusha and Malice have a vision, and it’s the team’s job to execute. Our partners at Roc Nation, Titol, our publicist Gabe Tesoriero, our agent Cara Lewis and the entire team’s collective effort contributed to making this impressive rollout, tour and chart debut happen.
Pusha and Malice are incredible artists that were both very hands on in how they wanted to present their return as a group. It’s my job to ensure their vision is executed to the highest degree with the team we assembled. Early in the process, we were all clear on the importance of creating a visual identity for the album. Secondly, we wanted to make sure we were able to tell the story by offering exclusive product that was both connected to Clipse and to hip-hop culture as a whole, which is what I think really makes this album campaign stand apart from others.
Co-manager Steven Victor told Billboard that the rollout plan for this album was done a year ago. When did you first get started, and what were the first steps you took?
We started as early as fall 2023. The first order of business was, how do we create a visual world for Clipse in 2025? Who can help bring this music to life visually?
All of the ideas for this project were born out of constant creative conversation as Pusha and Malice were working on the music. When the music started taking shape, it was easy to identify which songs we would need visuals for. We spent a great amount of time researching who could be the best fit for each song. We wanted specific directors to work on specific songs.
What was the main idea you guys wanted to get across when presenting this comeback album to the fans and the public?
Pusha and Malice have put it perfectly throughout the entirety of the press campaign — fundamentals do not go out of style. The guys worked really hard at crafting this album — it would be a disservice to not make the music the focal point of the entirety of our campaign. We made sure everyone we partnered with, whether it was art, clothing collaborations or interviewers, shared a similar passion in the power of the music. Taste and tone were and always will be the key.
This project also involved several key brand and art integrations. How did those come together, and which did you feel were particularly impactful?
It was a familial affair in every instance. Very early on, it was important for KAWS to be involved in the project. I saw a tweet that said something along the lines of, “How fitting the same artist that put Clipse to rest with Til the Casket Drops, is involved with their resurrection with Let God Sort Em Out.” I thought that was a perfect summation of what we were trying to achieve.
From Tremaine [Emory] at Denim Tears to Verdy, Josh Sperling, our partners at Adidas, Billionaire Boys Club and Carhartt W.I.P., it was important to showcase Clipse’s journey and how they are still rooted in streetwear, art and fashion cultures, even 16 years later.
I can’t pinpoint which was particularly most impactful — I have gotten feedback from all different corners of the world reacting to the collaborations. That’s the ultimate reward, because only Clipse could assemble this cast.
What challenges did you guys face in rolling out this album?
The ultimate challenge was the stop-and-start nature. It was frustrating to have a great body of work and then be handcuffed when it came time to execute. The obstacles with previous partners ultimately led us to our collaboration with Roc Nation — a silver lining that proved pivotal in moving forward.
Roc has been great to work with because of their maneuverability and their understanding of the importance of putting their artists’ vision first. When we were having sample issues with “So Be It,” we were keen on fans hearing the song the way it was originally recorded, thinking we were ultimately going to have to change the production, [so we released] it via social media first. I called [Roc Distribution president] Krystian Santini — he was immediately supportive and didn’t question our approach. It was a breath of fresh air hearing, “Let’s do it.”
This was their first album in 16 years. To what extent do you balance nostalgia for when Clipse first came out, vs. the excitement of the new and current version of the group?
Nostalgia was terminology we wanted to stay away from from the onset. That was faux pas. This wasn’t meant to be a farewell tour celebrating the “highs of yesteryear.” We did not want anyone to look at Clipse and say, “Look how great they once were.” We wanted to showcase that Clipse can compete in 2025, that hip-hop doesn’t have to “age out” and that the music they make can be both pure and commercially viable.
One thing we have been able to see over the past few years during Pusha’s solo albums is the wide array of fans that this music reaches. Our shows are a hodgepodge of different backgrounds. The success of Pusha’s solo career allowed Clipse to be introduced to a considerably younger audience, so I’m not sure we are ever overtly concerned with catering to the old fans vs. the new. This project is for both.
What did you learn from working on this project that you can apply to future work in the music business?
Resilience.
