Pusha T and Malice showcase new Let God Sort Em Out songs and revisit past classics during NPR visit
The reunited Clipse continued their promo tour in support of their new album Let God Sort Em Out with a visit to NPR’s Tiny Desk on Friday.
The duo of Pusha T and Malice were joined by an NPR-enlisted backing band that included the Lox drummer Daru Jones, keyboardists Darryl Woodson and Briley Harris, DJ Yoo Q!, and a pair of backup singers for the six-song set, which featured two songs apiece from 2002’s Lord Willin’, 2006’s Hell Hath No Fury, and their just-released first LP in 16 years.
A pair of Lord Willin’ tracks — “Virginia” and their hit “Grindin’” — bookended the performance, with Hell Hath No Fury’s “Keys Open Doors” and “Momma I’m So Sorry” then giving way to the Let God Sort Em Out one-two punch of “Chains & Whips” and “Birds Don’t Sing.”
Let God Sort Em Out marks Clipse’s first album since 2009’s Til the Casket Drops. “I feel like I don’t think we’re ever in a rush to put out the music, because when it’s ready and when the time is right, we know it’s right,” Pusha T told Rolling Stone earlier this year.
“We didn’t foresee these twists and turns, but I think it always works out for the best. One thing that we always know, is that the music is incredible. So we don’t stress the back office stuff. We’ve always just gotten through off of the greatness of the music.”
The Tiny Desk gig also serves as a preview for the duo’s upcoming tour, which begins August 3 in Boston and will keep the Thornton brothers on the road through September 10 in Detroit.
copied
NEWS
Harry Styles Reflects on One Direction Days as He Begins Historic Wembley Shows
Harry Styles paid tribute to the late David Hockney and reflected on his time in One Direction last night (June 12), as he kicked off his record-breaking residency at Wembley Stadium.
“What an artist is trying to do for people is bring them closer to something, because of course art is about sharing,” the quote read. “You wouldn’t be an artist unless you wanted to share an experience, a thought.”
Harry Styles’ David Hockney tribute. Credit: Rhian Daly
The London residency follows the Together, Together tour beginning in Amsterdam in May, and will be followed by stops in São Paulo, Mexico City, New York, Melbourne and Sydney. He will be supported by a different artist in each city, joined by Shania Twain in London, who delivered a set of hits and new tracks from her upcoming album, ‘Little Miss Twain’.
As the sounds of Simon And Garfunkel’s ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ played over the stadium PA, Styles made his way to the stage, kicking off his set with ‘Are You Listening Yet?’, from his latest album, ‘Kiss All The Time. Disco Occasionally’. Between renditions of ‘Golden’ and ‘Adore You’, he addressed the crowd for the first time, saying: “Our job tonight is to entertain you. Your job is to have as much fun as you possibly can.
“If you want to sing, if you want to dance, please feel free. Please feel free to be whoever it is you’ve always wanted to be tonight. We’ve got each other’s backs.”
Throughout the night, Styles subtly reworked some of the songs on the setlist. He dedicated ‘Taste Back’ “to all the ravers in the house”, as a snippet of Underworld’s ‘Born Slippy’ was interpolated into the song, while a brief burst of Talking Heads’ ‘This Must Be The Place’ was introduced to ‘Treat People With Kindness’. During ‘Dance No More’, the pop star’s band played part of the groove from Happy Mondays’ ‘Step On’, while Styles sang a snatch of Gorillaz’s ‘Clint Eastwood’.
There were also nods to Styles’ days in One Direction early in the set. As the musician left the stage after ‘Fine Line’, the string section on stage played a medley featuring clips of the group’s hits ‘Night Changes’ and ‘History’, plus Styles’ own track ‘Falling’. After ‘Keep Driving’, he took the time to reflect on Wembley’s connections to his and the boyband’s journeys.
“Just outside of this building, just next door, is Wembley Arena, and 16 years ago, my sister brought me to London for the very first time for my X Factor audition,” he said. “So driving here today, and any time I come through Wembley, means so much to me, ‘cause right in that building next door, I was put into a band. We were called One Direction.
“Driving here today, I drove the same way I used to come when I went to that building and she brought me here. My sister is here tonight – I want to say thank you to Gemma. We went to the Natural History Museum, we went to Big Ben, we saw everything! So it means a lot for me to be in here tonight. Thank you so much for allowing me to do these shows. It means so much. Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
The Together, Together setlist features a different surprise song each night at the start of the encore. Last night, Styles treated the Wembley audience to ‘Little Freak’, taken from ‘Harry’s House’, for the first time since 2023. After the song, he spoke to the audience for the final time, saying: “I don’t know if you’ve been listening to me for a week, or a month, or a year, or five years, or 10 years, or 16 years, or whatever it is, but you have changed my life over and over again. Thank you so much for being here and allowing us to do these shows. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
“Finally, 16 years ago, my mother signed me up for the X Factor without my knowledge. I wouldn’t be here today if she hadn’t done that. She’s here today – thank you so much. You’ve changed my life, all of you.” Referencing a lyric in ‘Dance No More’, he added: “Remember – respect your mother.”
Harry Styles Wembley Stadium night one setlist was:
‘Are You Listening Yet?’
‘Golden’
‘Adore You’
‘Watermelon Sugar’
‘Music From A Sushi Restaurant’
‘Taste Back’
‘Coming Up Roses’
‘Fine Line’
‘Italian Girls’
‘American Girls’
‘Keep Driving’
‘Ready, Steady, Go!’
‘Dance No More’
‘Treat People With Kindness’
‘Pop’
‘Season 2 Weight Loss’
‘Carla’s Song’
‘Aperture’
‘Little Freak’
‘Sign Of The Times’
‘As It Was’
Harry Styles credit: Anthony Pham
The Together, Together, London residency continues at Wembley Stadium tonight, with further dates on June 17, 19, 20, 23, 26, 27, 29 and July 1, 3, and 4. Visit here for any remaining UK tickets and check out doors and stage times here.
The gigs will see Styles donate £1 from every ticket sold to LIVE’s levy to help protect UK grassroots music venues and support emerging talent, and before Styles’ headline performance, the big screens at the venue encouraged fans to support Music Venues Trust.
The tour is in support of the star’s latest album, ‘Kiss All The Time. Disco Occasionally’, which was released in March. In a four-star review, NME described it as “an album that you’ll really want to spend a lot of time with, letting all its layers envelope you”. It added: “It’s the most exploratory album of his career so far, trying out new things and steering his ship in new directions.”
The festival kicked off earlier this week (June 11) with a performance from Los Angeles’ Warpaint, whose show was their first in nearly two years. During the gig, they shared fan favourites like ‘Love Is To Die, ‘Billie Holiday’ and ‘Disco//Very’, plus a cover of Kate Bush’s ‘Running Up That Hill’.
