With Let the God Sort ‘Em Out dropping July 11, The Clipse are addressing the absence of Chad Hugo, one-half of the legendary Neptunes, and his role in the group’s new chapter.

For decades, The Neptunes—made up of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo—created the sound behind The Clipse’s most iconic work, including “Lord Willin” and “Hell Hath No Fury.” But as the brothers prepare to release their first full-length project in over a decade, Hugo isn’t part of the rollout.

“Absolutely miss Chad. As far as you know, being on the album,” No Malice said in a recent interview. “But I'll see Chad in the airport, in the street, at Buffalo Wild Wings, you know, in VA. Whatever they got going on, just hope for the best for that [...] Whenever we see each other, it's always still love. Always.”

Pusha T shared his view on Hugo’s absence and how it affects their musical process. “For me no, you know, no. Everybody knows my favorite album is “Hell Hath No Fury.” Pharrell did that alone. That's it [...] Chad's my guy. I love Chad. Pharrell's my guy, love Chad, too. We're brothers, we came up together,” he said. “But, you know, when you say missing in the music, there is no missing in the music when it comes to the Clipse. And if it's just P, it don't matter—we find what we find.”

Tension between Pharrell and Hugo became public in March when Hugo’s legal team filed a notice of opposition claiming Pharrell tried to trademark The Neptunes' name without his consent. Hugo’s camp alleged Pharrell was attempting to secure full rights to their shared brand. Pharrell’s team responded, saying the filing was part of standard business procedure.

Though Pharrell is behind the boards for the new Clipse album, Hugo’s uninvolvement had minimal impact on its release.