Pusha T, before stepping into the solo spotlight, was one half of the hip-hop duo Clipse with his brother, No Malice. Their 2002 track “Grindin’” captured significant attention, leading to a remix featuring Lil Wayne and Birdman. During this period, Clipse also appeared on Birdman’s “What Happened to That Boy,” produced by their regular collaborators, The Neptunes — comprised of Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams. It was around this time that tensions began to brew between Wayne and Pusha.
The Neptunes were never compensated for their production work on the Birdman track. This financial oversight caused Pharrell to cut off professional ties with Birdman’s label, Cash Money Records (CMR). So, when Wayne, a staple of CMR, later approached Pharrell to request some gear from his Billionaire Boys Club line, Pharrell turned him down flat, underscoring the rift.
