Latest news with #Chains&Whips
Express Tribune
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Pusha T and Malice pay seven figures to exit Def Jam and sign with Roc Nation
Pusha T and Malice, known collectively as Clipse, have exited their deal with Def Jam Records after paying a substantial seven-figure buyout, according to manager Steven Victor in an interview with Billboard published on June 3, 2025. Victor explained that the departure followed creative tensions between Clipse and Def Jam's parent company, UMG, particularly over an upcoming track with Kendrick Lamar. 'They didn't drop us,' Victor said. 'They were like, 'Pay us this money'—an exorbitant amount—and we'll let you out of the deal.' He emphasized that it was a large sum for any artist to afford, but said, 'Insane… but doable… so it got done.' The conflict traces back to Pusha T's high-profile feud with Drake in 2018. Since then, Victor claims, the label has tried to censor Push's verses, including removing lyrics from collaborations with Rick Ross and Pop Smoke. The label reportedly repeated that approach with Clipse's upcoming Lamar collaboration, "Chains & Whips," objecting to a line they deemed controversial. Victor said, 'We're not going to ask [Kendrick] to change the verse. You guys are wrong.' Following the standoff, Victor quickly reached out to JAY-Z, who responded within hours. 'You just made my day,' JAY-Z reportedly told Victor, before offering a new artist-friendly deal through Roc Nation that included ownership of their masters. The entire agreement was finalized within 24 hours. Pusha T now owns his previously released music under Mass Appeal and G.O.O.D. Music. Despite personal tensions, he recently thanked Kanye West for returning his masters. Under Roc Nation Distribution, Clipse's new album Let God Sort Em Out is set to release on July 11.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Pusha T Says Def Jam Tried to Censor Kendrick Lamar Verse On Upcoming Clipse Album Due To Drake Beef
After much anticipation, Pusha T and No Malice — collectively known as Clipse — finally announced that Let God Sort 'Em Out, their first album in 15 years, will arrive on July 11th. But when the press release was sent out last week, there was curiously no mention of Def Jam, who the duo had signed with last year for the project. Instead, distribution and marketing were attributed to JAY-Z's Roc Nation — and now Pusha T is opening up about why. In a new interview with GQ, the rapper claimed their relationship with Def Jam crumbled over Kendrick Lamar's verse on the song 'Chains & Whips.' More from The Hollywood Reporter Sean "Diddy" Combs' Ex-Aide Says She Was "Brainwashed" When She Sent Loving Texts Years After Rape Governors Ball Music Festival 2025: Where to Buy Last-Minute Tickets Online Are Music and Other Celebrity Films Killing the Documentary? Universal Music Group, the parent company of Def Jam, is also home to Drake (OVO Sound/Republic Records) and Lamar (pgLang/Interscope Records). Given last's summer highly publicized beef between Drake and Lamar — which resulted in Drake's filing a lawsuit against UMG — Pusha T said the label was hesitant on the idea of two of Drake's biggest enemies putting out a song together. 'They wanted me to ask Kendrick to censor his verse, which of course I was never doing,' he said. 'And then they wanted me to take the record off. And so, after a month of not doing it, Steve Gawley, the lawyer over there was like, 'We'll just drop the Clipse.' But that can't work because I'm still there [solo]. But [if] you let us all go… ' For those unaware, Pusha T outed Drake for having a 'secret' son in 2018 during their own contentious battle on the incendiary track 'The Story of Adidon,' while Lamar buried Drake with the proverbial nail in the coffin, 'Not Like Us,' last May. Def Jam ultimately decided to release Clipse and drop Pusha as a solo artist, Pusha said, allowing Clipse to search for another label home. A rep for Def Jam and UMG didn't immediately reply to request for comment. The move forced Clipse to push back the album's release date, which was originally supposed to be sometime in 2024. Still, Pusha T conceded the entire process was worth it: 'It felt good to even see how other labels were buying for the project.' In January, Drake filed an 81-page federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, alleging UMG 'approved, published and launched a campaign to create a viral hit out of a rap track that falsely accuses Drake of being a pedophile and calls for violent retribution against him.' The situation was only exacerbated by Lamar's Super Bowl halftime show performance of the song the following month, which drew in a record number of viewers. At one point during the performance, Lamar looked directly at the camera when he got to the lyrics, 'Say Drake, I hear you like 'em young…' a moment that will forever live in pop culture history. To add insult to injury, Lamar also swept the 2025 Grammy Awards' rap categories, with 'Not Like Us' taking home the trophies for best rap performance, best rap song, best music video, record and song of the year. UMG strongly denies all of Drake's allegations, calling the lawsuit 'frivolous,' 'reckless' and 'misguided.' The label argues that the lyrics in question are 'non-actionable opinion and rhetorical hyperbole' typical of rap battles—not statements of fact— and that taking them as literal defamation threatens free speech and artistic expression. UMG has filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, asserting that Drake's claims are an attempt to simply salvage his image after sorely losing the public feud with Lamar. Drake's lawsuit remains active as of now Discovery is underway, and both sides are preparing to present evidence. UMG continues to seek dismissal, while Drake's legal team is focused on proving that UMG's actions went beyond standard music promotion and crossed into deliberate character assassination with real-world consequences. Best of The Hollywood Reporter Most Anticipated Concert Tours of 2025: Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar & SZA, Sabrina Carpenter and More Hollywood's Most Notable Deaths of 2025 Hollywood's Highest-Profile Harris Endorsements: Taylor Swift, George Clooney, Bruce Springsteen and More
