Clipse Makes TV Comeback After 15 Years with Heartfelt Parent Tribute on ‘Tonight Show’

After a 15-year break from TV, rap pair Clipse returned to screens with "The Birds Don't Sing" on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on July 15. As they performed, screens lit up with photos of their parents who had passed away.

"I found both of my parents going and checking on them," said Malice to Brian "B.Dot" Miller on Cover Lines. "My faith and everything that I have read from the word of God took over. There was a supernatural sense of peace. There was no time to break down, start crying, getting out of my mind, what's going on, what's happening, you know, screaming and kicking."

The brothers faced deep loss when their mom, Mildred Thornton, died in November 2021. Just four months later, in March 2022, their dad, Gene Elliott Thornton, passed too.

Their stage show mixed sharp verses with tender family moments, as Pusha T started with words about their mother, then Malice followed with lines about their father. 

"The way you missed mama, I guess I should've known/Chivalry ain't dead, you ain't let her go alone," Malice rapped during the song, which starts their new album, Let God Sort Em Out, released July 11.

The new record was their first music comeback since Til the Casket Drops in 2009. Pharrell Williams produced the beats, with several tracks featuring Kendrick Lamar, Tyler, the Creator, and Nas, adding their sounds.

"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," said Pusha T to Rolling Stone. "We didn't foresee these twists and turns, but I think it always works out for the best."

Starting August 3 in Boston, they'll hit the road. The tour winds through New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Chicago, with a final stop in Detroit on September 10. It's their first big tour across North America since 2007.

Want to see them perform their latest hits live? You can find more information on their upcoming shows and buy tickets from Clipse's official tour page.

During the Tonight Show set, a guest singer took on John Legend's parts. The words "The birds don't sing, they screech in pain" filled the air while old family snapshots glowed on screen.