Clipse and Justin Timberlake have been linked for over two decades. The rap duo and the pop star both scored breakout hits with the Neptunes, and owe a great deal of their success to Pharrell Williams. Clipse and JT even worked together on the 2002 single "Like I Love You." Both parties have had issues over the years, with Clipse breaking up and Timberlake becoming something of a pop culture pariah. The latter is currently being roasted by the internet over his recent drunk driving arrest. Despite the anti-Timberlake sentiment that's taken root, however, Clipse maintain that they have nothing against the pop star.
Clipse, comprised of brothers Pusha T and No Malice, are back in the news. They've announced their first new song since 2009. They've also confirmed that their upcoming album will be entirely produced by Pharrell. Clipse and Justin Timberlake used to be on the same record label in the 2000s, but things became complicated when Pharrell and JT stopped working together. Pusha T claimed that Clipse and Pharrell-affiliated artists were shelved by the aforementioned label, Jive. This resulted in a four year gap between Clipse's first and second albums. Pusha made it very clear, however, that he does not hold JT responsible. The rapper told TMZ that their issues were with Jive and not Timberlake. It was an "overall label thing," he was quoted as saying. "[Not] a Justin thing."
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Clipse Claim They Never Had Issues With JT
This isn't the first time Clipse members have discussed their relationship with Timberlake. The duo was asked their feelings on the "Sexyback" singer during a recent Vulture profile, and their story remained the same. "We never had a problem with Justin," Pusha assured the interviewer. The rapper then noted the ways in which Jive Records made it difficult for them to succeed. The solo star explained how Jive frequently complained about the perceived one-dimensionality of Clipse's music. "We went through all the 'cocaine rap' complaints," he recalled. You get tired of it. Then you realize the people who only look at it that way aren’t even listening to the music correctly. You can’t even take their opinion as anything."
Pusha T loves to beef, so it's easy to take the rapper at his word when he says he's cool with Justin Timberlake. Pusha is probably best known for bombing on Drake with 2018's "The Story of Adidon," which regained relevance in the wake of the Drake vs. Kendrick Lamar battle. The rapper didn't play a role in the battle, but he admitted that he was impressed by Lamar's rapping. "Euphoria" stood out to him, in particular. "Incredible, incredible display," he told Vulture. "Incredible display of battle raps."
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