Album releases (particularly rap) don’t really feel important anymore. An album comes out, we listen, and even when it’s really good, we move on pretty quickly. That wasn’t the case for Let God Sort Em Out, and there are a few compelling reasons for that.

Part of it was the expertly designed album rollout. Part of it was the fact that it had been 14 years since the group’s previous album; an eternity in hip-hop, compounded by the (near) total absence of one of the members during that hiatus. There’s also the interesting wrinkle of The Neptunes (the production duo responsible for the lion’s share of the group’s output) disbanding a few years ago after a personal falling out. Suffice it to say, there was a lot of mystique surrounding this album that definitely heightened expectations—expectations Clipse and Pharrell easily soared over.

My first takeaway when I listened (three times in a row on the morning of its release) was that Malice is the star of the album. Pusha T has maintained a steady presence in the years since Til the Casket Drops, releasing his share of critically acclaimed albums in his own right. But hearing Malice rap at this high a level is one of the most impressive things I can recall in some time. There was a glimpse of his sharp writing and steely, unwavering delivery on the early single “So Be It,” but on album standout “P.O.V.,” Pusha and Tyler cede the final verse to Malice, with Pharrell giving him the beat-switch treatment à la Biggie on “All About the Benjamins.”

While Push and Malice are clearly energized by working together again, the cast of guest stars more than rises to the occasion by bringing their A-games; Kendrick and Nas in particular. And you can’t help but feel Stove God Cook’s excitement as he delivers the wildly catchy hook for “F.I.C.O.”

Back to another elephant in the room: what does a Clipse album sound like with only half of The Neptunes producing it? (Let’s set aside any claims that previous Clipse material had very little input from Chad to begin with.) Pharrell’s production on the album is wonderful throughout: setting the emotional tone on “The Birds Don’t Sing,” giving the brothers some delightful boom-bap grit on “M.T.B.T.T.F.,” and putting the bow on the redemptive arc that culminates with “By the Grace of God.” Not that there was any doubt Pharrell could helm this album, but he still manages to impress.

If we’re lucky, this isn’t just a one-off reunion, and we have more Clipse music to look forward to. But independent of what happens during award season, listeners were definitely given an Album of the Year in 2025.