Clipse is facing off against albums such as Kendrick Lamar’s “GNX,” which is his first album after his feud of back-to-back diss tracks in a matter of just a few days with the most-streamed artist on Spotify, Drake. Kendrick took the music industry by storm with his strategic way of facing off against one of the most influential artists from the 2010s, and most argue that he won his battle. Pusha T also had a similar feud with Drake, which ended with Pusha’s diss track “Story Of Addidon” being one of the most groundbreaking diss tracks of all time. Pusha and Kendrick finally come together on the song “Chain And Whips,” which is the second song on the album and has a grimy rap beat with gritty lyrics that feel like a disappointed father talking down to his son. The song is similar to songs that an early 50 Cent would make, like “Many Men (Wish Death)” or Eminem’s “White America”. Clipse and Kendrick talk about the problems of how people use wealth in lines such as “You buy watches, I buy collections, Misery’s fuelin’ your regression, Jealousy’s turned into obsession, Reality TV is mud wrestlin,”. They also bring up topics like fighting system through bars like, “They never find the guns, but the sewers do, Bubbles was sick, he need medicine, Brought him back to life, now he dead again, Richard don’t make watches for presidents, Just a million trapped between skeletons” and lines like “The things I’ve seen under my eyelids, Kaleidoscope dreams, murder, and sirens, Let’s be clear, hip-hop died again, Half of my profits may go to Rakim” straight up critiques the music industry as a whole. This song makes you feel like you’re listening to a diss track against everyone. 

Another rap album Clipse is up against in the Grammy category is Tyler, The Creator’s “Chromakopia,” which is his most emotional album yet, and lets the viewer know about his struggles of developing as a person. However, Tyler has said that he’s been inspired by Clipse and their earlier music and has stated time and time again that Clipse is one of his favorite rap duos of all time. This shows when Tyler was featured on the song “POV,” which is the 3rd track of “Let God Sort Em Out”. The song reflects on topics such as critiquing clout chasers in lines such as “They content create, I despise that, I create content then they tries that, Run these jewels, there’s rules, I don’t buy back, I’ve topped all these lists, Where’s my prize at?” Pusha is saying that he doesn’t get credit unlike others who copies exactly what he does. The song also talks about the evolution of drug usage in hip-hop in other lines like, “P.O.V., kilos in my Maybach, Take Amtrak down south then she flies back, My connect has ponytails tied back, I just hit 6 mil behind Tyvek”. A kilo is a substance, such as cocaine, heroin, or marijuana, and when Pusha says “My connect has ponytails tied back,” he refers to drug trafficking. The beat itself sounds like the intro to a video game or a movie. At the same time, the lyrics mix with the instrumental, sounding like 3 super villains are in the middle of a secret meeting plotting to take down the hero. Still, instead of villains and heroes, it’s Clipse and Tyler explaining why they deserve to be at the spots they are at in their careers, unlike other artists in the industry. 

Clipse does not spare anyone in their most recent album, and their constant themes of grudge against the industry, their personal struggles, and their harsh but truthful lyrics stand out in the crowd. 

When he was asked about his idea of this album’s theme, Triton Junior Shane Olson had this to say, “I think the theme of the album is about growing up as a person since they reflect on their mistakes, regrets, and criticize the industry for mistakes, it’s almost as if Clipse is telling the industry that it needs to grow up.” Olson made connections through each song and realized that they had specific things in common. “These songs all talk about important life lessons, such as how to deal with loss, the use of wealth, and the dangers of substance abuse.” The instrumentals produced by Pharrell Williams and the mix of immense storytelling given by Clipse brought sensations that Olson had never heard before. “The beats take me to a different world, other times they could sound like a thunderstorm, and other times they feel like an angelic melody in your ears. As for the story, I think the story of two brothers talking about their critical thoughts aimed at the current state of the music industry and struggles they faced from within their childhood or careers.” When asked if Clipse deserved their nomination, Olson states that he agrees with the pick and thinks that everyone in the album knew what they were doing when making this album. “Yes, this album is filled with artists who know what they’re doing in the industry, and all have been nominated before.” Olson was asked if there were any critiques he had about the album; however, he believes that the album is perfect and gives lessons he wishes he had learned earlier in his childhood. “It’s perfect, this album has no misses and teaches its audience things I wish I had been taught when I was younger.”