"United by Drake beef" — Netizens react to Pusha T claiming Def Jam tried to push back against Kendrick Lamar's verse on Clipse's album

Pusha T, one half of Clipse alongside No Malice, recently revealed that the duo parted ways with Def Jam due to pushback over Kendrick Lamar's feature on their upcoming LP, Let God Sort 'Em Out. Lamar is expected to feature on the track Chains & Whips, which was first teased during Pharrell Williams' 2023 Louis Vuitton runway show.

In an interview with GQ Magazine, published on June 2, Pusha T shared Def Jam asked them to either "censor" Lamar's verse from Chains & Whips or remove the song from the album.

Calling the label's concerns "stupid," Pusha T said that neither he nor No Malice was keen on doing so. Instead, they made a deal with the label that ensured both Clipse and Pusha, who was also signed to Def Jam, would walk away from the company.

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

News of Clipse parting ways with Def Jam over Kendrick Lamar's verse was met with mixed responses from netizens. One user claimed both Clipse and Lamar were "united by Drake beef," writing:

"United by Drake beef. Lovely."

Several netizens theorized why Def Jam seemed apprehensive over Lamar's verse. For the unversed, Def Jam Recordings is owned by Universal Music Group, which recently became the target of Drake's defamation lawsuit after his rap beef with Kendrick Lamar.

"For people not understanding “why”, Def Jam is owned by Universal. With the pending lawsuit, they are probably trying to avoid “stoking the fires”," one user tweeted.

"The article more or less confirms that this is because they didnt want two artists who beefed with drake on the same project, so that begs the question: what's happening behind the scenes if drake has to sue the label thats actively backing him?" another person questioned.

"I wonder why they wanted him to remove it?" someone else asked.

"This makes no sense lmao why would a label drop a longstanding legacy act right before they finally put out a project they came make money off of over one feature? All they’d need to do is not clear the song to be released to DSPs..My people.. be smarter than this," another user said.

Some netizens praised Pusha T for standing by Kendrick Lamar and refusing to alter or remove the verse.

"Might be the most real n***a thing I’ve seen in a minute. Pusha T always gonna be valid asf," one person posted.

"Push is a real one but that’s been known," another user wrote.

Others claimed the move was Def Jam's loss, alleging the record label was scared of getting sued.

"They got a jayz feature and a Kendrick feature on one of the most anticipated hip hop albums ever ….defjam lost," one person posted.

"Def Jam didn't wanna get sued this is the effect of Drake's cry baby a** ruining hip hop," someone else said.

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The Clipse's new album to drop on July 11

The Clipse's Let God Sort 'Em Out is the rap duo's first project in over 15 years, following their 2009 LP Til the Casket Drops. On May 30, the duo released the album's first track, titled Ace Trumpets. The song is filled with references to Yeezy, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, and A$AP Rocky.

All tracks on the new album are produced by Pharrell Williams. After the Clipse album was announced, eagle-eyed fans noticed that it would be distributed by Jay-Z's Roc Nation, despite the duo previously being signed to Def Jam Recordings.

In the same GQ interview where Pusha T revealed the Clipse left Def Jam Recordings due to apprehensions over Kendrick Lamar's verse, reportedly in light of his feud with Drake, the rapper also spoke about their partnership with Roc Nation, saying:

"It felt good to even see how other labels were buying for the project. I think that that synergy, just in a rap sense, is going to speak volumes.”

Both Pusha T and Kendrick Lamar have previously feuded with Drake. Pusha T and Drake's feud in 2018 resulted in Pusha revealing that the Canadian rapper was "hiding" his son from the world in the track The Story of Adidon. Following this, the Canadian rapper publicly admitted that he had a son with Sophie Brussaux, a former adult movie actress.

"Sophie knows better as your baby mother/ Cleaned her up for IG, but the stench is on her/ A baby's involved, it's deeper than rap/ We talkin' character, let me keep with the facts/ You are hiding a child, let that boy come home/ Deadbeat mothaf**ka playin' border patrol, ooh/ Adonis is your son/ And he deserves more than an Adidas press run, that's real/ Love that baby, respect that girl/ Forget she's a p*rnstar, let her be your world, yuugh!" Pusha rapped in The Story of Adidon.

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In other news, Drake's lawsuit against UMG is still ongoing as of this article, with both sides currently in the "discovery" process.