The Clipse left viewers with tears in their eyes with Let God Sort Em Out‘s emotional opening track, “The Birds Don’t Sing,” and the Thornton brothers returned on Tuesday (Sept. 30) to release the moving visual.
Directed by Brendan O’Connor, the clip begins with Pusha helping his son lay flowers on the casket of one of his parents. Clipse takes it back to the start, as the Virginia-bred duo heads to their childhood home for a blast from the past.
Pusha T takes the mic and lets the memories of his mother flood in while rhyming from his living room, as family photos of her from over the years appear on the screen. “While I’m reminiscing, it all hits different, Mom, listen,” he raps.
The scene pivots to Malice sitting in the dining room, who reflects on his bond with their late father, Gene Thornton Sr., and the tutelage he picked up from his dad along the way.
Pictures of their father in the home are displayed, along with notable achievements, such as his appointment as an official deacon. “I love my two sons was the code to your phone, now you home,” he rhymes.
Pharrell, John Legend and the Voices of Fire choir group give a gospel feeling to “The Birds Don’t Sing,” while Virginia native and NFL quarterback Tyrod Taylor makes a cameo alongside his father, sitting in the bleachers where he once dominated the gridiron as a high schooler. The two share a laugh and put on his No. 2 New York Jets jersey, the team for whom Taylor currently plays.
Clipse performed “The Birds Don’t Sing” on The Tonight Show and brought their bars to the Vatican in September, where the duo became the first rappers to ever perform at the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church.
Let God Sort Em Out arrived in July and debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 with 118,000 total album-equivalent units earned.
Watch the video below.
