Clipse stopped by The Tonight Show to perform their recent song “The Birds Don’t Sing.” The evocative track is the opening number on the rap group’s latest LP, Let God Sort Em Out, which dropped July 11.
The performance featured Pusha T stepping forward to intone the opening verses before a female singer took over John Legend’s part from the recorded version. No Malice joined for the later verses as a series of childhood images played on the screen behind them.
The duo originally debuted “Birds Don’t Sing,” named for Maya Angelou’s book I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, at a Louis Vuitton fashion show last summer. Pusha T’s verses are directed to his mother, while No Malice’s verses are directed to his father. “It’s a beautiful song, but it’s just out of so much pain and suffering,” No Malice explained of the new track.
Let God Sort Em Out is the first Clipse album in 15 years, following 2009’s Til the Casket Drops. “I feel like I don’t think we’re ever in a rush to put out the music, because when it’s ready and when the time is right, we know it’s right,” Pusha T told Rolling Stone earlier this year. “We didn’t foresee these twists and turns, but I think it always works out for the best. One thing that we always know, is that the music is incredible. So we don’t stress the back office stuff. We’ve always just gotten through off of the greatness of the music.”
The album was produced by longtime collaborator Pharrell Williams and includes collaborations with Kendrick Lamar, Tyler, the Creator, and Nas. Clipse will embark on a North American tour in support of Let God Sort Em Out next month. The trek kicks off Aug. 3 in Boston and wraps Sept. 10 in Detroit.
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