Why Clipse and Pharrell Want A Grammy For Acclaimed New Album: ‘You Don’t Play The Game Just To Get A Participation Trophy’

In 2009, hip-hop was at an inflection point. Veterans like Eminem and Jay-Z scored Billboard Hot 100 No. 1s, Kanye West and Lil Wayne enjoyed their imperial phases, a new generation of talent began to rise through blogs — and Clipse, the Virginia-bred rap duo of brothers Pusha T and Malice, released its third album, Til the Casket Drops.

Sixteen years passed — an ­eternity by rap’s standards — as Pusha T became a successful solo artist and label executive while Malice took a hiatus from rapping to pursue his faith. But in July, Clipse reunited and finally dropped another album: Let God Sort Em Out.

Already a blockbuster hip-hop release, the project wouldn’t have been a true reunion without fellow Virginian Pharrell Williams in the mix as producer. As one-half of The Neptunes, he lent his cosmic sonic canvas to Pusha T and Malice’s coke-laced raps, poignant storytelling and opulent flexes on their three 2000s-era albums — and in the years following Til the Casket Drops, he became a household name thanks to his work in music, film, TV and fashion. This time around, Pharrell invited Clipse to Louis Vuitton headquarters in Paris, where he serves as men’s creative director, to meticulously craft their cinematic reintroduction over sessions that spanned two years. With a No. 4 bow on the Billboard 200 — Clipse’s highest mark since its 2002 debut, Lord Willin’ — the project arrived to critical acclaim and album of the year chatter. And, in the process, the trio of ’70s babies punctured the myth that rap is a young man’s sport.

“I’ve always looked at rap and other genres, rock specifically, and I’ve never liked how rap always had the age ceiling where everyone else didn’t,” Pusha T, 48, tells Billboard during a call with Malice and Pharrell as Clipse’s tour bus heads to Detroit. “I’ve personally always wanted to make it my business to crack that ceiling, and I think the Clipse album 1,000% [did it].”