Pusha T and Malice, also known as Clipse, have terminated their contract with Def Jam Records after paying a substantial seven-figure buyout, according to manager Steven Victor in a Billboard interview published on June 3, 2025.
Clipse and Def Jam's parent company, UMG, were involved in a creative disagreement over an upcoming track with Kendrick Lamar. Victor stated that the deal was not dropped, but rather an exorbitant payment was demanded, which was deemed unreasonable but achievable, resulting in the departure.
The dispute arose from Pusha T and Drake's well-publicized feud in 2018. Victor alleges that the label has since made an effort to restrict Push's verses, including taking lyrics out of songs he collaborated on with Pop Smoke and Rick Ross. With Clipse's upcoming Lamar collaboration, "Chains & Whips," the label reportedly adopted a similar stance, objecting to a line they deemed controversial. "You guys are wrong," Victor said, adding, "We are not going to ask [Kendrick] to change the verse."
Victor promptly got in touch with JAY-Z after the standoff, and he replied within a few hours. "You just made my day," JAY-Z reportedly said to Victor before extending an offer of a new artist-friendly contract through Roc Nation that included masters ownership. Within a day, the entire agreement was completed.
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