Earlier this month at Pepsi’s Philly Eats Fest, Clipse opened up exclusively to VIBE about the deeply personal video for “The Birds Don’t Sing” — the heartfelt tribute to their late parents.
The Brendan O’Connor-directed visual, from their critically acclaimed album Let God Sort Em Out, finds the brothers revisiting their childhood home in Virginia Beach, articulating their grief through song.
“When asked what it was like being back in the house where they grew up, surrounded by photos and memories of their parents, Pusha T and No Malice didn’t mince words. “I didn’t think I could do it,” Pusha admitted to VIBE. The brothers also confessed to mentally checking out at times while reflecting on the reality that their parents are no longer physically present.
“I think I check out every day. I have that revelation like, ‘Damn. My parents aren’t here. I think about it every day. It’s something that you got to deal with,” Pusha candidly revealed. “I don’t know if it gets easier. It’s just tough. [‘The Birds Don’t Sing’] is a very real song and a reality for a lot of people. It was great to be able to articulate it through video.”
Malice added a spiritual perspective. “That’s the message and the Gospel that Christ rose. So when we get ready to go to the grave you better take the grave robber with you. I have an eternal destiny. I know this is not the end,” he said.
Speaking to how they have been getting through the hard time for the last four years, he added, “We do mourn … but we don’t mourn as those who have no hope. I’m very thankful for my parents… the legacy that they left and the legacy that we get to pass down to our children. So we have to rejoice here right now in the living.”
No Malice and Pusha T of Clipse attend the Louis Vuitton Menswear Spring/Summer 2025 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on June 18, 2024 in Paris, France.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Taking a lighthearted turn, the ‘Grindin” duo reflected on their bond outside the studio and stage, sharing some of the things they still do as brothers. “We talk about rapping and who’s not good and how terrible they are and how much better we are than them,” Malice quipped. “That’s something we do. My brother [Pusha] always talks to me about what’s new going on, and with his son Nigel… just brother talk.”
That everyday connection and shared grief translate into the raw vulnerability at the heart of “The Birds Don’t Sing” video. Fans are given an intimate glimpse into their past, from home movies to family photos, culminating with Pusha T’s son placing flowers at his grandparents’ gravesite. While John Legend and Voices of Fire contribute vocals to the track, the visual remains firmly centered on Clipse.
“Lost in emotion, mama’s youngest/ Tryna navigate life without my compass/ Some experience death and feel numbness/ But not me, I felt it all and couldn’t function,” raps Pusha T in the first verse dedicated to their mother. Malice follows with a tribute to their father: “I can hear your voice now, I can feel your presence/ Askin’ ‘Should I rap again?’, you gave me your blessing/ The way you spelled it out, there’s an L in every lesson/ ‘Boy, you owe it to the world, let your mess become your message.’”
See below.
Earlier this summer, the brothers reflected on the emotional toll of writing the song in a conversation with Interview Mag. Pusha T explained, “Man, ‘Birds Don’t Sing’ had to be the hardest verse I’ve ever written.” He also shared that the song took four days of “gut-wrenching reminiscing,” to come together and “putting it all on paper was such a heavy task.”
“It was definitely one of those verses that’s going to go down in history for me, just with really tapping into the emotion and being as honest and as vulnerable as I’ve ever been on a song” he declared.
Malice echoed his brother’s sentiments in the interview, adding, “Yeah, I agree. It was hard for me too, from an emotional standpoint, coming up with verses. It’s our parents, and you want to do them justice in sharing with the world exactly who they were as people and what they meant to us. At the same time, with every line, you’re reminded of your own personal grief while trying to express that to the listener.”
Pusha T and Malice of Clipse perform onstage during the 2025 ESPY Awards at Dolby Theatre on July 16, 2025 in Hollywood, California.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
“The Birds Don’t Sing” is the third visual from Let God Sort Em Out, following “Chains & Whips,” which features Kendrick Lamar, and the declarative “So Be It.”
Watch the music video for “The Birds Don’t Sing” above.
