Clipse Say Pharrell Was 'Pushing' to Produce Their Next Album for a 'Long Time': 'The Timing Was Right' (Exclusive)

The sibling rap duo spoke to PEOPLE about their long-awaited next album ahead of their reunion performance at Pepsi's Dig In Day Block Party later this month

It's a great year for hip-hop whenever The Clipse gets together to release new music.

The sibling duo, comprised of brothers Pusha T and Malice, have reached the pinnacle of rap success after over a decade in the game, marked by classic records, legendary lyricism and five studio albums that have cemented their place in the hip-hop pantheon.

Related: Pusha-T Says He'd 'Love' to Release Another Clipse Project: 'Creativity's Just Been Flowing' (Exclusive)

The Virginia pair's last album arrived in 2009 (Til the Casket Drops), marking the end of an era after Malice (born Gene Thornton), 51, left the group the following year to focus on his religion. But now, nearly 15 years later, the brothers are back together again for their next studio project: an LP (believed to be titled Let God Sort Em Out, per Pusha's Instagram) whose release date is not yet known but has longtime collaborator Pharrell Williams' iconic production credits all over it.

The rap duo excitedly tell PEOPLE how their forthcoming album has been a "long time" coming as they gear up for their next reunion performance happening at PEPSI?'s Dig In Day Block Party in Chicago on Saturday, Aug. 24.

"Pepsi Dig In Day, it being a block party, just speaks to a sense of community. It speaks to the essence of hip-hop performing in front of your people, in front of the community," Pusha (whose real name is Terrence Thornton), 47, says. "It has a very impromptu type of feel. It's just a whole bunch of people coming together and I felt like it's an awesome platform for The Clipse to have a reunion and come back."

According to the "Neck & Wrist" rapper, the annual summertime event — which encourages foodies across America to dine at Black-owned restaurants as part of an initiative covering $100,000 in meals at more than 30 establishments — is "very synonymous" with The Clipse legacy built on brotherhood, community and cultural influence.

"Pepsi Dig In Day is all about connection," Malice adds. "I think with many cultures, but especially our culture, it's about how we gather around food, talk, connect, communicate, share ideas. So just to be part of Pepsi Dig In Day is awesome."

The Clipse have had a few sporadic reunions over the last few years, perhaps most notably during their performance at Williams' Something in the Water music festival in Washington, D.C., in 2022 — which marked their first time together onstage in over a decade.

"It's always good to be on stage with my brother," Malice says with a smile. "It's always good to relive those songs and just remember. It puts me in a time and a place where us and The Neptunes [Williams and producer Chad Hugo] were creating that music, being from Virginia and seeing that these things could really happen; that they were really tangible, you know?"

Pusha interjects, "Just the crowd and watching how they react to the music and how they still carry the same energy from '02, '06, '09 when we made those songs and thought [they] were everything in the world to us. To see that 15, 20-plus years later, they're still everything to everybody."

The "Grindin'" duo confirms that Chicagoans will see that same Clipse magic come to life during their block party performance later this month. But even more enchanting rhymes await fans all over as the two rappers gear up to release their next Williams-produced album.

According to the Thorton brothers, the "Mr. Me Too" producer has been "pushing" to work on their long-awaited comeback LP "for a long time."

"He's definitely been pushing for it and we always knew in the back of our heads it was always a possibility," Malice reveals, hinting that conversations began well before Clipse's SITW reunion. "So when things just started to take shape, and the timing was right, I think it just came [together] just as it should."

Related: Pusha T Disses McDonald's in Arby's Ad, Claims He Didn't Get Paid Enough for Signature Jingle

The "I Pray For You" emcee says he and his younger brother didn't head back to the studio with any "ground rules" or expectations for what they'd record this time around. "It's a thing of either you gonna do it or you not," Malice notes. "You're not trying to change nothing. And I'm all about what we have built together as Clipse, keeping the same branding."

"The plus side, for me, is that I sat down for a while and took inventory of myself, my life, my own personal evaluations of things, and I think it's going to benefit the listener and have something more to offer," the rapper continues. "I think it's a beautiful thing, and I'm honored to be back together with my brother as Clipse."

When Malice quit The Clipse in 2010 to trade "coke raps" — the group's musical signature — for a spiritual journey, it was seemingly to escape the turmoil of the same street life he rapped about on records like "Keys Open Doors" and "Door Man," among other reasons that have been shared through the years.

However, with the wisdom he's since gained about his faith practices, the rapper tells PEOPLE it's only reassured him that he's destined to continue spreading The Clipse's gospel with another album.

"For me, faith is everything. And I think so many times when people have a true revelation of the reality and the actuality of God, they think that they can't get out and all the territory belongs to the Lord," Malice explains. "A lot of people want to go sit in a corner and think that they can't do anything, but I feel like with my connection with God, and who He is in my life, which is everything, He gave me this platform and I get to occupy it, and I'm thankful for that."

As previously teased to Vulture as being a "high taste-level piece of work," Pusha reveals The Clipse's forthcoming album will "speak to" listeners "who want to hear a body of work" again.

"I don't think we've heard a full body of work in so long musically," the six-time Grammy nominee shares when asked to compare his group's new project to the last year of rap releases. "There's just an overall taste and tone that does not deviate from song 1 to 13. It doesn't, so you really get to fall into a world."

Related: Pusha T on Grammy Recognition, 'Pure' Rap, and Parenthood: 'My Son Can't Have a Wack Rapper Dad'

"This isn't based on looking for the hit or this or that," Pusha continues. "This is like, come and step into this world and close the door behind you. And I think people are going to get a taste of that and get that feeling again. Like I said, that's not what is being pushed in the new streaming era."

In the lead-up to their upcoming project, The Clipse have already given fans a taste of what to expect with their first 2024 release, "Birds Don’t Sing," a deeply reflective track about the deaths of their parents that debuted during Williams' spring/summer mens Louis Vuitton show in Paris in June. Per the critically acclaimed duo, the rest of their album will "for sure" include more "deep raps" for eager listeners to digest.

"Definitely," Malice confirms. "I think our entire thought process is deep, so you're definitely getting that."

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