The rap duo Clipse recenlty returned from a 15-year hiatus and released the most critically acclaimed album of their career with Let God Sort Em Out. The album was released last month, and the guys tore down a jam-packed EagleBank Arena in their home state of Virginia this past weekend as a part of their tour of the same name in support of the album.
As a Virginia boy who remembers copying the “Grindin’” beat on lunch tables in middle school and followed the brothers even after their separation, it was a show that I had to see.
At EagleBank Arena on August 9, the night kicked off with an opening set from another duo, Atlanta’s Earthgang. The quick set from Doctur Dot and Johnny Venus set the standard for the night as they ran through some of their biggest songs and got the crowd feeling good and moving.
When it came time for Clipse to take the stage, the arena fell dark just before the two massive video screens on stage lit up with the sentence “There comes a time when we must answer to the truth,” before tons of seemingly random images and video clips of all kinds flashed across the screen. The album’s warning tag, “This is Culturally Inappropriate,” rang out over and over as strobe lights flickered on and off, and the beat to “Chains and Whips” started to play.
Pusha T stepped out of the darkness between the two screens, performing the song’s chorus and rocking the stage solo for his entire opening hook and verse. Malice stepped out from the darkness between the screens to a huge pop from the crowd as his verse began. Malice, the older brother of the duo, decided to step away from the group back in 2010 after a spiritual awakening and getting deep into his religious beliefs, even changing his name to “No Malice.”
Although his younger brother Pusha T has constantly made waves in the industry as a solo artist since Malice left, there’s always been this want from fans for the brothers to get back together. Just seeing him back on stage with his brother doing what they love sent a crazy energy all through the arena, as the song ended they each stepped up onto platforms at the front on the stage and basked in the applause and cheers for a few minutes before shouting out Virginia and the whole DMV, letting us know they were home.
Watch the official music video for “So Be It” by Clipse on YouTube:
All through the night, the guys controlled the room like true MCs, no dancers, special effects, or gimmicks; just high-quality raps performed with surgical precision. Clipse performed some of their biggest songs from their earlier years, from “What Happened to That Boy,” “Keys Open Doors,” and “Mr. Me Too” to “Popular Demand (Popeyes)” — and of course the one that started it all, “Grindin’.” Over half of the songs they performed with came from the new album, though, including the singles, “Ace Trumpets,” and “So Be It,” “Inglorious Bastards,” “MTBTTF,” and two of my personal favorites, “FICO” and “POV.”
Every person in the sold out arena rapped each song right back Malice and Push from start to finish as they ripped the stage.
Check out Clipse’s first album together in over 15 years, Let God Sort Em Out, on Spotify:
To close their set, Clipse played the intro record to the new album, “The Birds Don’t Sing,” while family photos played on the giant screens. It’s probably the most personal song of the guys’ career, as it’s a tribute to their parents and talks about them discovering when each of their parents had passed away just four months apart.
As they wrapped up the song, Pusha thanked everyone and said that Virginia is the inspiration and reason behind their music. The room went dark once again, but not a soul headed for the doors. Clipse returned to the stage shortly after for an encore, hitting the stage with one of my all-time favorites, “Cot Damn,” and followed it up with the VA anthem “Virginia.” They ended the night with the outro from the new album, “So Far Ahead.” The lights went out one last time as they thanked the crowd one more time and left the stage as their Clipse logo appeared on the screens.
The Let God Sort Em Out Tour is just getting started, but is only running through September, finishing up in Detroit on Sept. 10. Be sure to get your tickets now, you don’t want to have to wait another 15 years to see the brothers from Virginia Beach kill the stage.
Below are some more photos from Clipse’s show at Jiffy Lube Live on August 9, 2025. All photos copyright and courtesy of AJ Waugh (wauffleznotwaffles.com).
