Clipse Paid Seven-Figure Sum to Exit Def Jam Deal Over Kendrick Lamar Controversy

The Clipse are officially free agents, but their departure from Def Jam Records came at a hefty price. Pusha T and No Malice, the Virginia-bred duo known for their gritty lyricism and legendary production from The Neptunes, were forced to pay a staggering seven-figure sum to walk away from their contract with the storied label. The revelation comes amid growing anticipation for their upcoming album Let God Sort Em Out, now set to drop on July 11.

Pusha T had previously confirmed that the Clipse split from Def Jam due to creative differences surrounding the new project. However, in a new interview with Billboard, the group’s longtime manager, Steven Victor, shed more light on just how messy the exit got — and how expensive it was.

“They said, ‘Find another deal, and let’s figure out a business,’” Victor explained. “They didn’t drop us. They were like, ‘Pay us this money’ — which was an exorbitant amount of money, a shit ton of money — ‘and we’ll let you out the deal.’ That’s what happened. We paid them the money, an insane amount of money. It wasn’t, like, $200,000. It was a lot of money for an artist to come up with. They bought themselves out of the deal.”

Pressed further, Victor confirmed the amount was in the seven-figure range, making the Clipse’s exit one of the most costly artist-label separations in recent memory.

The conflict that led to the fallout reportedly centered around a feature from Kendrick Lamar on Let God Sort Em Out. Speaking to GQ, Pusha T revealed that Def Jam had strong concerns about the verse — so much so that they requested he ask Kendrick to censor it or remove the track altogether.

“They wanted me to ask Kendrick to censor his verse, which of course I was never doing,” Pusha 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…”

Adding fuel to the fire, insiders say Def Jam and UMG were concerned about the optics of a song featuring two of Drake’s most outspoken rivals — Pusha T and Kendrick Lamar — while the superstar rapper was actively suing UMG. The label reportedly saw the move as risky, especially in the context of Kendrick’s ongoing lyrical war with Drake.

Despite the legal and financial hurdles, Clipse landed on their feet, ultimately signing with Roc Nation to release their long-awaited reunion album. The project will be their first as a duo since 2009’s Til the Casket Drops, and excitement around its release has been steadily building.

With Let God Sort Em Out set for a July 11 release, fans are now gearing up for what could be one of the most impactful rap records of the year — one born out of defiance, loyalty, and a costly commitment to creative freedom. Neither Def Jam nor UMG have responded publicly to Victor’s claims or Pusha’s allegations.