2025 has been absolutely massive for the Virginia rap duo Clipse. They came through with one of the year's most rap notable albums with Let God Sort Em Out, and now, Pusha T and Malice have added a historic first to their list of accomplishments.
Over this past weekend, a concert was held in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, labeled "Grace for the World." As part of the third World Meeting on Human Fraternity, it highlighted things like unity and dialogue, and featured a number of performing artists, such as Andrea Bocelli, Karol G, Jelly Roll, Jennifer Hudson, and yes, Clipse.
The inclusion of Clipse at this event, which was attended by tens of thousands, marked the first time that a rap act had ever performed at the Vatican. This played into the night's musical diversity, and while unprecedented, their appearance was a fitting selection given their unique positioning as artists.
Clipse was a worthy inclusion at the Vatican concert
At first glance, Clipse being tapped to perform at the Vatican may seem strange to some. To put it lightly, it's not as if their catalogue exactly represents traditional Catholic messaging. But even while acknowledging that, their inclusion made a lot of sense in the context of this concert.
Clipse is best known for their rhymes about dealing in the streets, yes, but to chalk up their music as nothing more than that is missing the full story. There has been transformation in their art as they have transformed themselves.
The duo actually split for an extended period during the 2010s, with religious conviction being the reason why. Malice, one half of Clipse, chose to step away after conversion to Christianity, rebranding himself as No Malice. At the time, he wanted to distance himself from the elevation of the topics that Clipse was pushing.
Funny enough, Malice's faith would then help to influence the eventual reunification of Clipse. His father, soon before his passing, gave him his blessing and urged him to continue on with making music. Considering that his father was a man of faith himself, this was clearly a conversation that held a lot of weight for Malice.
Malice still reads the Bible daily, and is very much absorbed in the words of scripture. His conviction has not gone away. Simultaneously, he has come to understand that his work in Clipse does not have to contradict his faith.
As a result, Clipse's present-day work still very much bites, but it does so while providing some smart and valuable nuance to the topics they cover, often with Christian references. As Malice has indicated, now the mess itself is the message, not the blind glorification of it.
The specific song that Clipse performed at the concert also supports their inclusion. They performed "The Birds Don't Sing," which is the opening track to Let God Sort Em Out. It's a song that tied quite nicely into the themes that were on display at "Grace for the World."
The song is an emotional dive into Malice and Pusha T's relationships with their parents, who both passed away fairly close to each other a few years ago. Pusha T says that things were in God's hands with his mother, and Malice discusses Bible quotes his father had written, on top of the aforementioned conversation they'd had.
John Legend, who was also on hand for the concert, delivered the hook of the song passionately, just as he did on the record. For an event that was designed to celebrate our relationships with each other, a song like "The Birds Don't Sing" with such emotional weight made for a natural inclusion.
Finally, it is certainly worth noting that the visionary behind the "Grace for the World" event was none other than Pharrell Williams. His relationship with Clipse goes back to the 90s when the duo was just getting started, and it has endured into the present.
More recently, Pharrell took care of the production across Let God Sort Em Out's tracklist, including on "The Birds Don't Sing." He's been there to witness the metamorphosis within Clipse, and now he's fittingly platformed it.
The aim of the World Meeting on Human Fraternity was to champion justice, unity, and compassion. Including Clipse in the accompanying "Grace for the World" concert reinforced those concepts, and it did so while reaching out to a wider audience.
Clipse will never be a purely Christian act. But, they have reached a place where their music more intentionally references it, and where they can come through with a song as powerful as "The Birds Don't Sing." With proper context in mind, Clipse absolutely had a place at the Vatican.