Pusha T says Def Jam would not speak via email after he played them Kendrick Lamars verse on Chains & Whips.

BY Malcolm Trapp / 6.24.2025

Key Takeaways:

  • Def Jam Recordings reportedly blocked Kendrick Lamars verse on Clipses Chains & Whips due to a Trump card lyric.
  • Clipse responded by buying out their contract and leaving the label.
  • Pusha T says Def Jam had been censoring his lyrics since 2018, well before the Lamar collaboration.

On Monday (June 23), Clipse previewed Chains & Whips, a track from their upcoming album, Let God Sort Em Out, featuring none other than Kendrick Lamar. Universal Music Group, Def Jams parent company, however, apparently found the track was too controversial, so the duo had to buy themselves out of their contract to release it.

That, combined with both Pusha T and Lamars history with Drake, led fans to believe shots would definitely be fired. So, when Clipse played the Compton lyricists verse without any obvious subliminals or name-drops, listeners understandably didnt know what to make of it.

In my opinion, [Def Jam] didnt like the optics, the Infrared rapper told The New York Times Popcast in an interview published later that evening. &Of two Drake foes teaming up, host Joe Coscarelli said to finish his sentence, to which Pusha T agreed, Right.

They pinpointed a line where the phrase Trump card was used. Its so stupid, the Virginia rapper went on to explain. They said that they didnt want any problem with Trump or something like that.

Though the Trump card bar didn't appear in the snippet, fans still got to hear Lamar going in: I'm not the candidate to vibe with / I don't f**k with the kumbaya s**t / All that talent must be God-sent / I sent your a** back to the cosmics. There may be more to unpack, especially if there are hidden jabs, but well have to wait for the CDQ version on July 11 to find out.

Earlier in his chat with Popcast, Pusha T revealed that Def Jam had been censoring his music since 2018 around the time The Story Of Adidon came out long before Clipse even submitted their Lamar collaboration. The Lyrics Committee, from what I understand, was supposed to take your music [and] make sure there arent any interpolations [or] secret samples, he shared. It was, for me at Def Jam, a way to censor my music or a way to make sure I wasnt having any subliminal disses.

The telling part was when theyd get the lyrics wrong, the Pusha T added. Speaking specifically about Let God Sort Em Out, he shared how Lamars verse effectively killed Def Jams enthusiasm to put Clipses comeback album out. We show up with the Kendrick verse, and everything is halted. Its halted. Its said that it will not be put out&They would not speak via email.