he says to his pet in mock disappointment.
The energy stays light as he gives everyone a pound and sits at the long dining table.
No, Im ready for the interview, he says.
Malice
Malices resolve is the reason Im here in the first place.
After 15 long years, theClipse the duo of Gene Thornton, a.k.a.
Malice, and Terrence Thornton, a.k.a.
Pusha T are back together, with a new album due later this year.
If Push was the unrepentant flexer of rewind-worthy drug boasts, Malice was the conscience.
Everybody falls victim to the industry, Pusha recalls.
Not just the group.
Now its your homeboy, its your road manager.
At that time, everybody went back to what they knew.
It was story, after story, after story, Malice tells me.
[They were] picking up everybody, Malice says.
We talking on the phone: Yo, heard about so-and-so?
He prayed for Pushas arrival.
Many people didnt understand why I would do something like that, Malice reflects now.
It was only because of what I saw, what it meant to me, he continues.
I never condemned anybody else.
This was totally about me.
Pusha says that he was fine with his brothers decision.
I respect my brother so much that I was just like, All right, he says.
Im a solution-based person.
Theres no roadblock that you put in front of me that Im never going to attempt to look around.
And more importantly, I cared about how he felt.
If thats what he felt like, it wasnt for me to have a go at change his mind.
They both talk with their hands.
Each man has big, expressive eyes that punctuate his answers, but their wide-eyed glares radiate different emotions.
Pushas glare is exuberant and often comes with a smile.
But when I ask if he shared his brothers concerns about potential legal peril, hes succinct.
I didnt feel shit, he says.
At that time, I was like I am with everything else: by any means necessary.
We going to keep hammering this music out.
Were awesome, and its going to work itself out.
It wasnt going to exhaust me worrying about it.
Fuck that shit, Im still going to [NBA] All-Star weekend.
Im still going to blow this money.
Pusha had been envisioning solo moves for years.
Back home in Virginia, Malice sought to figure out his next steps after leaving the industry behind.
I didnt know how bills was getting paid, he says.
I didnt know how [my] house was going to stand.
I aint know nothing.
He tells me he still gets DMs from those who resonate with his story.
A lot of things that you experience aint even got nothing to do with you, he says.
Its just that you may be able to handle it better than other people.
He adds that the spiritual searching of this era was rooted in an innate curiosity.
Whats going on in life, really?
I needed a real answer.
I was never one to just flow.
I think my dad gave me that example, he recalls.
At the time, it made the most sense.
It can happen to anyone.
When sin goes unchecked, it can lead to anywhere.
The entertainment world is full of stars who have publicly given their life to Christ.
But Malices belief feels like the real deal.
As on-the-nose as it sounds, parts of our conversation feel like a sermon.
He reads the Bible every morning.
I find the Bible to answer everything to my satisfaction, he says.
As intelligent as I might think that I am, that Word satisfies me perfectly.
I like the name Malice better, he tells me with a smile.
Thats who the Clipse is Malice and Pusha.
In all seriousness, he adds that his beliefs transcend a stage name.
When I changed my name to No Malice, I was making a statement, he says.
There were things that needed to be said, lessons that needed to be learned.
And I know exactly who I am.
I have been cut to the heart.
I am a new creation.
I see things different, and I am able to assume any name I choose for myself.
Whats going on in life, really?
I needed a real answer.
I was never one to just flow.
IN THEIR YOUNGER YEARS, the Clipse found themselves in surroundings where certain corners contained life-or-death decisions.
He calls the home a playland for his four-year-old son, Nigel.
A cleaning lady bounces around on an upper floor while we talk, the day after the studio visit.
Behind me, a window holds a shimmering view of the Lafayette River.
The two brothers share several laughs during our conversation in Pushas home.
Malice recalls Pusha messing up a Run-D.M.C.
But Push wouldnt outright rip them up or draw on them.
It was just a bend, Pusha says.
Anything to throw off that pristine [condition].
But now he does the same thing, Malice says.
Because all his notebooks, they got to be pristine!
Hell write something and get a brand-new notebook, write again.
Hearing this, Pusha runs upstairs and returns with about six legal pads in his hand.
Sure enough, the rest of the pad is empty beyond that.
That last album, in his eyes, was another chance to prove his superiority to all rap competitors.
I make the best music with Kanye, and I make the best music with Pharrell, he says.
For Malice, nothing was surprising about Pushas solo ascendance.
While they received numerous lucrative offers to reunite over the years, Malice just wasnt ready.
The money wasnt comforting to my soul, he says.
He felt like he needed a firm confirmation spiritually before jumping back in the booth.
Its a lot of different influences out there, Push says.
Youre trying to write from a perspective of where you think hes at.
You keep it as cool as you think is possible, and think youre getting the point across proper.
Then, he says, Kanye would come through, nix it.
He gave us the beat, Pusha says.
Forgot about the beat.
We working on the records.
We probably laid something to it.
We laid it, Malice confirms.
Kanye was like, I need that back.
Malice says he was still grappling with the idea of a full-time return to rap at the time.
IN NOVEMBER 2021, the Thornton brothers lost their mother.
While they were still grieving her, their father passed, just three months later.
Its been tough, Push reflects.
You never really get used to it.
But thats about it.
Malice tells me that talk occurred just days before their fathers death.
We were sitting in the car.
And I asked him, What do you think about me rapping again?
He said, Son, I think youve been too hard on yourself.
You still have to get out here in this world.
You still got to take care of your family.
My dad was a deacon in the church, so he was heavy on Jesus.
For him to be able to say that gave me encouragement.
I feel like some chains was broken from that conversation.
After choosing five beats, they realized they had the makings of a new Clipse album.
Instantly, the music morphs him from a chill, unguarded demeanor to the Joker-esque King Push persona.
Even so, he and his brother give each other space to be the informal vibes conductor.
Both men rap each others verses on every song.
Back in July, hed said they were hoping to get a final feature in within the month.
It will be a well-marinated appearance if we ever hear it.)
The guys both sound hungry and in sync.
And yes the coke bars are rife.
He prayed with his engineer before every recording session in Virginia.
(Other sessions took place in Paris with Pharrell.)
Theres so many nuances in this album and in the verses, he says.
The Bible says Jesus sat with the publicans and the sinners, he says.
I feel like this space is mine to occupy.
I dont think anyone else could do it.
And I feel like now I am able to do it, and Im not going to forfeit it.
I know I can count on him.
He knows he can count on me, Malice says.
I get a lot of security in that.
Production Credits
Styling by Marcus Paul.
