Let God Sort Em Out by Clipse
#20
This one has been done to death in terms of discussion, but I will throw in my two cents by also corroborating that this is a really, really good comeback album. After Clipse’s initial bling-era run, it was difficult to conceptualize how this reunion could go. This became even more true when Pusha T had a career resurgence in the late 2010s. Fortunately, Clipse’s reunion resulted in possibly the most replayable, cinematic, and satisfying hip hop albums of the year - due in large part to the duo’s ability to keep things fresh on the project. Pharell’s production also does a lot of heavy lifting, perfectly complementing the content of the songs themselves.
“Chains & Whips” featuring Kendrick Lamar is a serious highlight of Let God Sort Em Out for me. Obviously, it was just electrifying to see Kendrick in the track list, but the song is also a masterclass in atmosphere-building with a sinister beat and pretty menacing bars from all parties involved. I also really loved the deeply personal angle of tracks like the opener, “The Birds Don’t Sing,” which unpacks and explores grief after the loss of the duo’s parents. Notably, too, “So Be It” has what is probably my favorite beat in any hip hop song this year, as it samples a 1970 track by Saudi composer Talal Maddah. Without a doubt, the highlights of this project come in spades, and I was really excited to see this comeback pan out as well as it did.