"Ace Trumpets" is a song by American hip hop duo

Clipse Clipse, also known as the Clipse, is an American hip-hop, hip hop duo from Virginia Beach, Virginia. Formed in 1994, it consists of brothers No Malice, Gene "Malice" and Pusha T, Terrence "Pusha T" Thornton. Pusha T was known as Terrar during t ...

, released on May 30, 2025 as the lead single from their upcoming fourth studio album ''

Let God Sort Em Out ''Let God Sort Em Out'' is the upcoming fourth studio album by American hip-hop duo Clipse, consisting of brothers Malice and Pusha T. Set to be released by Roc Nation on July 11, 2025, it marks the duo's first album since '' Til the Casket Dr ...

''. It was produced by

Pharrell Williams Pharrell Lanscilo Williams (; born April 5, 1973), also known mononymously as Pharrell, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, and fashion designer. He first became known as one half of the music production duo ...

Composition and lyrics

The production is composed of a mid-tempo

boom bap Boom bap is a subgenre and music production style that was prominent in East Coast hip hop during the golden age of hip hop from the late 1980s to the early 1990s. The term "boom bap" is an onomatopoeia that represents the sounds used for the ...

beat with synths and Spanish guitar. The song opens with a sampled woman's voice saying "This is culturally inappropriate," after which

Pusha T Terrence LeVarr Thornton (born May 13, 1977), better known by his stage name Pusha T, is an American rapper. He rose to prominence as one half of the Virginia-based hip hop duo Clipse, which he formed with his older brother No Malice, Malice. M ...

performs the chorus, which includes the lyrics "Ballerinas doin' pirouettes inside of my snow globe, shoppin' sprees in

SoHo SoHo, short for "South of Houston Street, Houston Street", is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Since the 1970s, the neighborhood has been the location of many artists' lofts and art galleries, art installations such as The Wall ...

" and a line about strippers. In the first verse, Pusha T details his expensive taste in fashion. He compares himself to

Luigi Luigi (; ) is a character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Part of Nintendo's ''Mario'' franchise, he is a kind-hearted, cowardly Italian plumber, and the younger fraternal twin brother and sidekick of Mario. Like ...

and

Harry Houdini Erik Weisz (March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926), known professionally as Harry Houdini ( ), was a Hungarian-American escapologist, illusionist, and stunt performer noted for his escape acts. Houdini first attracted notice in vaudeville in ...

in regard to drug dealing, before proceeding to mock fellow rapper and former friend

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...

; Pusha alludes to the shipping delays of Yeezy products, Ye's recent remarks about Push, and Ye taking offense at the romantic interest discussed in rapper

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals and creatures * A male duck * Drake (mythology), a term related to and often synonymous with dragon People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family ...

's song "

In My Feelings "In My Feelings" is a song by Canadian rapper Drake (musician), Drake from his fifth studio album ''Scorpion (Drake album), Scorpion'' (2018). It was released to rhythmic contemporary, rhythmic and contemporary hit radio on July 10, 2018, as th ...

". In the second verse,

No Malice Gene Elliott Thornton Jr. (born August 18, 1972), better known by his stage name Malice (formerly Malicious and later No Malice), is an American rapper from Virginia Beach, Virginia. He is best known for being one half of hip hop duo Clipse, a ...

makes references with the

double-entendre A double entendre (plural double entendres) is a figure of speech or a particular way of wording that is devised to have a double meaning, one of which is typically obvious, and the other often conveys a message that would be too socially unacc ...

with

Nirvana Nirvana, in the Indian religions (Jainism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism), is the concept of an individual's passions being extinguished as the ultimate state of salvation, release, or liberation from suffering ('' duḥkha'') and from the ...

and the band

("Drugs killed my teen spirit"), as well as singer

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her image reinventions and versatility across the entertainment industry, she is an influ ...

's portrayal of Italian criminal

Patrizia Reggiani Patrizia Reggiani (; Martinelli; born 2 December 1948) is an Italian convicted criminal and former socialite. She was convicted in a highly publicized trial of hiring a hitman to kill her ex-husband, Maurizio Gucci. Early life and marriage t ...

in the film ''

House of Gucci ''House of Gucci'' is a 2021 American biographical crime drama film directed by Ridley Scott, based on the 2001 book ''The House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed'' by Sara Gay Forden. The film follows Patri ...

'' in a euphemism for selling

cocaine Cocaine is a tropane alkaloid and central nervous system stimulant, derived primarily from the leaves of two South American coca plants, ''Erythroxylum coca'' and ''Erythroxylum novogranatense, E. novogranatense'', which are cultivated a ...

. Both Pusha and Malice alter the pronunciation of certain words to make them rhyme.

Critical reception

The song was well-received by music critics. Alex Hudson of ''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly ''Exclaim!'' print magazine publishes seven ...

'' commented "The beat certainly isn't Pharrell's hookiest, but the thundering

808 808 may refer to: Music * Roland-808, Roland TR-808, a drum machine * 808 (film), ''808'' (film), a documentary about the Roland TR-808 * 808 State, British electronic group * ''808s & Heartbreak'', the fourth studio album by American Hip hop arti ...

bludgeons with pure muscle. Hell yeah — welcome back, guys." DR of ''

The Fader ''The Fader'' is a magazine established in 1999 as an outlet for Cornerstone Agency, a marketing and public relations firm established by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The magazine covers music, style and culture. History and work It is owned by T ...

'' stated "Pusha T and Malice return in fine form with 'Ace Trumpets,' a bulletproof reminder of the Clipse supremacy. It's been over 15 years since the brothers Thornton released music together but the moment Pusha T raps 'Ballerinas doin' pirouettes inside of my snow globe' over a gauzy, Pharrell-produced beat, it feels like no time at all." Writing for ''

HotNewHipHop ''HotNewHipHop'' (HNHH) is an online publication that covers daily news about hip hop and pop culture, including streetwear, sports, and Sneaker collecting, sneakers. In addition to its editorial content, HotNewHipHop also produces the video seri ...

'', Bryson "Boom" Paul lauded No Malice's performance, describing him as "calm, collective and as meticulous as ever on the track with soon-to-be memorable bars." ''Paper'''s Shaad D'Souza wrote "Just like no time passed at all, Clipse are back, produced immaculately by Pharrell Williams. Do I like the line 'Yellow diamonds look like pee pee?' No, of course I don't. But Pusha and Malice are still sharper and more charismatic than most. 'Ace Trumpets' is a welcome harbinger for the duo's new album, due in July." ''Revolt'''s Jon Powell wrote "The production flex is classic

Neptunes The Neptunes were an American record production duo composed of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, formed in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in 1992. Williams often provided backing vocals and music video appearances on the duo's productions, while H ...

: Icy drums, lush synths and unsettling elegance. It's the kind of soundtrack only the Clipse could rap over with this much conviction." Tom Breihan of ''

Stereogum ''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine. ''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several awar ...

'' called the song "nasty" and its beat "an epic boom-bap honk", before remarking "Pusha and Malice both sound cold and imperious. Malice's verse is a real masterclass. He sticks with the same rhyme scheme throughout and announces his return to form".

Personnel

Credits adapted from

Apple Music Apple Music is an audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users can select music to stream to their device on-demand, or listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the sister internet radio stations Apple Musi ...

. * Gene Thornton – vocals * Terrence Thornton – vocals * Mike Larson – programming, mixing engineer *

Manny Marroquin Manny Marroquin (born September 21, 1971) is a Guatemalan-American record mixing engineer. He has been credited on albums for high-profile pop, R&B, hip hop and rock acts. He has worked with artists including Rihanna, Kanye West, Katy Perry ...

– mixing engineer *

– mixing engineer * Zach Pereyra – mastering engineer * Trey Station – assistant engineer * Anthony Vilchis – assistant engineer * Rob Ulsh – engineer

Charts

References

{{Clipse 2025 singles 2025 songs Clipse songs Song recordings produced by Pharrell Williams Songs written by Pusha T Songs written by Pharrell Williams Roc Nation singles Diss tracks