The Clipse, made up of brothers Terrence “Pusha T” Thornton and Gene “No Malice” Thornton, opened up about the inspiration of “Birds Don’t Sing,” a track off their upcoming album. The forthcoming album is the latest since their Pharrell Williams-produced 2009 album Til the Casket Drops.
In “Birds Don’t Sing,” the freestyle rappers discuss the death of their parents, a stark contrast from the drug deal parables of the early and late 2000s, Vulture reported Wednesday. They debuted the track at Pharrell’s spring/summer mens show for Louis Vuitton Tuesday. As the Clipse shake off the stigma around cocaine raps, the duo shift to verses around grief and loss.
“We went through all the ‘cocaine rap’ complaints, the stigma of, ‘All they talk about is coke,’” No Malice said. “You get tired of it. Then you realize the people who only look at it that way aren’t even listening to the music correctly.”
Pusha T told Vulture about the personal record and how he felt guilty pushing his mother in recent years to stay healthy, as she underwent dialysis. “I was like, ‘Damn, man. My mom was really ready to go,’” Pusha T said. “She was doing this shit every Monday, Wednesday, Friday. She was coming to meet us and see the baby, but at the end of the day, she was over diabetes.”
No Malice adds that the track title “Birds Don’t Sing” originates from Maya Angelou’s book I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. “It’s a beautiful song, but it’s just out of so much pain and suffering,” No Malice said about the new track.
Throughout the track, Pusha T’s verses are directed to his mother, while No Malice’s verses are directed to his father, No Malice said. No Malice left the Clipse in 2010 and decided to focus on his faith. No Malice said his father was instrumental in his decision to walk away from the rap duo and was supportive of his return to the genre in their latest album. “For him to give me his blessing, him being a deacon in the church and loving God, I had to open my eyes and reevaluate,” No Malice said.
Pusha T told Vulture that the next year will be filled with “appearances, touring, and a rap album of the year” adding that it demonstrates the “supreme maturation of a rap duo.”
Pharrell, who produced the 2002 album Lord Willin’ and the 2006 album Hell Hath No Fury as one half of the songwriting duo The Neptunes, will return to the producing chair for their next unreleased album. To No Malice, their next album will reflect their growth over the years.
“It just seems like in other genres of music, they have the luxury of growing,” No Malice added. “For some reason, we act like we’re not supposed to evolve. This is what the true evolution of the Clipse looks like. It’s just good to be able to show that and still have high-level raps.”
