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Screenshot of Clipse’s “The Birds Don’t Sing” music video
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Screenshot of Clipse’s “The Birds Don’t Sing” music video
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Key Takeaways:
- Clipse’s “The Birds Don’t Sing” music video revisits their childhood home, offering a heartfelt tribute to their late parents.
- John Legend and Voices of Fire bring gospel resonance to the track’s emotional core.
- The song reflects Malice’s spiritual journey and the themes of redemption in Let God Sort Em Out.
Clipse’s highly anticipated music video for “The Birds Don’t Sing” is finally here. On Tuesday (Sept. 30), the brother duo — Pusha T and Malice — paid tribute to their late parents by revisiting their family home in Virginia Beach.
Directed by Brendan O’Connor, the moving visual opens with Pusha T helping his son, Nigel (or “Nige,” as mentioned in the song), put flowers at his grandparents’ grave. Moments later, the It’s Almost Dry artist reflected on the loss of his mother, Mildred Thornton, in the powerful opening verse: “Lost in emotion, mama’s youngest / Trynna navigate life without my compass.”
Throughout the visual, the camera pans across family photos and images of the duo’s parents. Malice then takes over on the second verse, which he dedicated to their father, Gene Elliott Thornton Sr.
“The way you missed Mama, I guess I should’ve known / Chivalry ain’t dead, you ain’t let her go alone,” Malice spits, referencing their dad passing away just months after their mother. Later, he raps, “I can hear your voice now, I can feel your presence / Askin’ ‘Should I rap again?,’ you gave me your blessing.”
Reflecting on that specific bar in a conversation with Vulture, Malice explained, “That meant so much to me because over the years, the Clipse years, our family really went through a lot. For him to give me his blessing, him being a deacon in the church and loving God, I had to open my eyes and reevaluate.”
“The Birds Don’t Sing” is hands down one of Clipse’s most personal songs to date, with its weight only magnified by John Legend on the chorus and Stevie Wonder lending his voice to the outro.
For fans who already enjoy the Let God Sort Em Out cut on streaming, it sounds even better live. Clipse performed the song on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” in July and again earlier this month at the Vatican.