Clipse’s Let God Sort Em Out opens on a beautifully devastating note with “The Birds Don’t Sing,” and on Tuesday night the Virginia Beach duo expanded on the song’s status as a tribute to their late parents with a fittingly moving Tonight Show performance.
As seen above, Pusha T and Malice performed the Pharrell-produced album opener against a backdrop of family photos and shared memories, allowing the world to share in the mourning of Mildred Thornton and Gene Elliott Thornton while also celebrating what they instilled in them during their time here on Earth.
The result is a truly remarkable performance, further underscoring the gravity of Clipse’s 2025 return. Watch it in full up top.
John Legend and Voices of Fire are heard on the album version of “The Birds Don’t Sing,” which drops right into the long-awaited “Chains & Whips” featuring Kendrick Lamar thanks to the 21-track project’s shrewd sequencing. In a recent Complex cover conversation, available here, Malice looked back on the first time he heard his brother’s “Birds” verse.
“I wasn’t ready for it,” he said. “I mean, I literally, I couldn’t take it.”
While in the studio laying down his own verse, Malice added, he “had to stop” multiple times. He also predicted the song would “touch a lot of souls,” something that’s no doubt already in motion.
In August, Clipse will hit the road for the first time since 2010 for the Let God Sort Em Out Tour. The Roadrunner in Boston has the honor of serving as the location for the two-month run’s kickoff.
ComplexCon returns to Las Vegas on October 25–26, 2025, with over 300 brands and live performances by Young Thug, YEAT & Friends, Peso Pluma, Central Cee, Ken Carson, and more. Get your tickets now.
