Uploaded June 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago

---

Pusha T and the Clipse have a new album...but it won't be on Def Jam Records. After 15 years on the label, Pusha and his brother Malice are leaving over a dispute involving Kendrick Lamar's verse on "Whips & Chains".

Music journalist Sowmya Krishnamurthy discusses why the rappers are at odds with Def Jam and its parent company Universal Music Group, what this has to do with Drake's "Not Like Us" lawsuit, and why they spent a reported "7 figures" to leave for Jay-Z's Roc Nation.

Do you think this is rap censorship? How does this affect the reputation of Def Jam?


The Clipse GQ interview:
gq.com/story/clipse-gq-hype

Steven Victor interview:
billboard.com/pro/pusha-t-clipse-leave-def-jam-insane-amount-money

#hiphop #music #kendricklamar

***
Buy Fashion Killa: amazon.com/Fashion-Killa-Hip-Hop-Revolutionized-High/dp/1982176326

Subscribe to my newsletter: sowmyak.substack.com

Website: sowmya-krishnamurthy.com