Clipse Declares Let God Sort Em Out Is Rap Album of the Year at The Bomb Factory

“Yellow diamonds look like pee pee!”

Those are real lyrics rapped by Pusha T on Clipse’s lead single “Ace Trumpets” off Let God Sort Em Out. It has sparked a wave of curiosity about the accuracy of the lyrics, specifically whether yellow diamonds resemble urine. While that’s an investigation for another day, these words were one of many rapped along by the crowd on Thursday night for Clipse’s reunion tour at The Bomb Factory in Deep Ellum.

After decades in the making for Clipse's return after a cancellation at The Granada Theater in 2009, the excitement was “culturally inappropriate,” a phrase that was invented during the recording sessions to describe a beat, freestyle, or song as insanely hyped and above being regular. The common thread of “culturally inappropriate” was littered all over the new album, bringing another level of cohesion that made fans miss Clipse rhyming together. This reunion was 16 years in the making; their last project was 2009’s Til the Casket Drops. In the intervening years, Pusha T has established himself as a solo artist, and Malice found God before dropping his own set of albums. They only appeared on songs together like “Use This Gospel” and “Punch Bowl,” Malice’s itch to reunite with his brother growing stronger as time passed.

Before the pioneers of coke rap hit the stage, Atlanta's EarthGang were the openers. Olu and WowGr8 are established touring artists and Dreamville Festival regulars who know a thing or two about being masters of ceremony. Songs like “Top Down” and “This Side” are honorable homages to Atlanta's many sounds. They made a conscious effort to keep the energy up because “there’s a lot of bullshit going on.” They started up “fuck ICE!” chants, a perfect setup for their song “Meditate” before ending with “Down Bad.” If this crowd wasn’t showing enough enthusiasm for Clipse, now they were. The simplicity of Clipse’s performance came down to how they kept it hip-hop. It was just their official touring DJ Yoo Q! , two big screens behind them projecting images and the MCs themselves. It didn’t need to be elaborate because it takes away from the moment. Older brother and younger brother, shoulder to shoulder, getting back to rapping about their lavish lifestyles, survival and being “the Bezos of the nasal” was all we came to see.

Right away, The Bomb Factory exploded when Clipse came out and did “Chains & Whips.” With camera phones out recording Pusha’s laser-focused raps, he delivered the hook to set up Malice’s arrival. He got loud cheers when he came out, an overwhelmingly positive response that carried through the night.

Then it was just Clipse locking in like they never left: “P.O.V.,” “Popular Demand (Popeyes),” “What Happened to That Boy” and “M.T.B.T.T.F.” After that run of songs, mixing the classics with their newer tracks, they stopped and stood on opposite sides of the stage, soaking in Dallas’ elation. With Erykah Badu and The Cannabinoids watching from the balcony, the city came out to show support for one of hip-hop’s greatest duos.
“Been a long time,” Pusha T said. “I see everybody with their Clipse merch on and shit. We got a lot of days ones in here. Lord Willin’, Hell Hath No Fury, Til the Casket Drops, Re-Up Gang mixtapes. Y’all been with us.”

Pusha had their official touring DJ Yoo Q! drop “Momma I’m So Sorry.” He has this look in his eyes of being possessed as he raps, his intensity heightened as images of old Harlem circulated on the screens. “We was talking like that in ‘06,” Pusha boasted, wanting to stay in this lane to cue up “Keys Open Doors” and “Mr. Me Too.” Clipse did this cool thing for “Mr. Me Too,” where they turned their backs to the crowd, allowing the screens to show their faces with the fans in the background. It looked like a throwback music video with vivid storytelling by the Thornton brothers.

We can’t say enough about the imagery on those screens, which added sleek and sharp messaging that made you think deeper into the meanings. A group of girls played Pat-a-Cake before they did “Grindin’.” A series of quotes (“Loyal first always,” “weight with grace,” “iron sharpens iron”) came before “F.I.C.O.,” where the crowd rapped every word of Stove God Cooks’ part. The New York rapper could’ve easily done a 20-minute set in between EarthGang and Clipse, and this crowd would’ve loved it.

“It’s that Let God Sort Em Out. Rap album of the motherfucking year, right? Easy! Easy! Easy! Easy!” Pusha claimed. (He said the same in 2022 during his tour for It’s Almost Dry at House of Blues in Dallas, and he wasn’t wrong then.)

Later, the screens displayed courtroom footage of O.J. Simpson trying on gloves that didn’t fit him before they did “So Be It.” Some synergy was happening, seeing Malice rap “Lone star, cross the border, we like Dallas” in Big D as the Cowboys kicked off the 2025 NFL season. Then came “The Birds Don't Sing,” which was the most emotional song of the night, as both shared their perspectives of losing their parents, turning around after they finished performing to see photos of their mother and father.
“Remember those who lost their mothers and fathers. And make sure that every single moment that you have with them. You show them love,” the outro said, leaving everyone in a solemn mood.

Just when you thought it was over, they returned for an encore. “Cot Damn” off Lord Willin’ would’ve been good enough, but they came back for another. “We ain’t done yet,” Pusha said.

Once you hear the first synth stab of “Virginia,” you know this night was special for Dallas. This was gospel for years of people blasting this in high school hallways and blown-out car speakers. This was “culturally inappropriate” before the term came to be. The fact that Pusha T and Malice rapped their entire verses on “Virginia” damn near made us cry. “I reside in VA, ride in VA / Most likely when I die, I'm gon' die in VA,” Malice raps, hearing those words coming from the heart.

“‘02 to 2025 man, we love y’all. We appreciate y’all,” Pusha said, as they wrapped. “Let God Sort Em Out, rap album of the motherfucking year. Easy!”

See more photos from Thursday’s show: