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Review

Clipse. A hip-hop duo like no other. While they may not have hit it big like other duos such as Outkast, they still manage to maintain their status as coke rap kings, becoming one of the most beloved and celebrated in the genre. The duo has had a very long, complicated history with their own music, with their personal lives, and with their very coke-centric lifestyle, which would end up biting them later on in life. But either way, at their peak right around "Lord Willin'" and ESPECIALLY "Hell Hath No Fury", they rose to become one of the most respected duos to hit in the 2000s. The duo of Pusha T and Malice (formerly No Malice), despite their similar looks and flows, still stood out from each other very well, and their chemistry was like no other. Gritty bars, slick flows, husky voices that could stop anyone, and a knack for grimy punchy beats thanks to the help of The Neptunes. All of this came to a halt, however, after their last album in 2009, when their manager Anthony Gonzalez was arrested and sentenced to 32 years for a multi million dollar drug operation, along with many of Malice's and Pusha T's friends. So needless to say, it's easy to see why it's been silent on the Clipse front for some years.

However, the duo was not completely silent during this time. Both artists put out their respective works, although Malice moved away from rap more so due to his conversion to Christianity. Either way, Pusha T was definitely the more notable of the two in terms of solo work, having now dropped multiple very praised albums in the form of 2018's "Daytona", yet another killer album Kanye had a great deal in making during his streak in 2018, as well as "It's Almost Dry" more recently, which had lots of production from Kanye and Pharrell Williams. There were even some songs during this time that the duo decided to come together for such as "Use This Gospel" on Kanye's "JESUS IS KING", as well as "I Pray For You", the closer off of "It's Almost Dry". They never really said much about them coming back together as far as I know, but eventually, we finally got confirmation that we were getting a fucking album. And boy was it a splendid time. I may not have been a huge fan of Clipse around this time, but I was one to at least respect the duo for what they managed to do during their time, and "Hell Hath No Fury" has actually grown to become one of my favorite hip-hop albums of the 2000s. So given that these two are insanely talented and are finally reuniting after over a decade, there was a lot of reasons to be excited.

With this excitement came the first lead single to the album "Ace Trumpets", and godDAMN was this a banger to come back with. The duo's knack for standout bars and their standout gangsta rap attitude was shown in spades, and Pharrell came in with a pretty great beat too. I love how haunting the hook here is, just before the beat punches the fuck in on the verses. It's got these zany synths, hard-hitting bass, crunchy snares, and a really killer beat overall. It may not be super complicated or layered, but it doesn't really need much. It allows the boys to let their words seep into the listener's head, and considering how cutthroat and gritty they are, it doesn't take much for them to have their standout bars. And while it may not be a perfect song, I still think it makes for a fucking banger, and a good choice for a lead single too. And so waiting in anticipation for the new album, I didn't hear much else. I just wanted to go into this blind, at least as blind as I could be with just the first single, since I didn't even hear "So Be It" or any of the other snippets that apparently were spreading around, and I'm happy I didn't. I prefer going into albums without knowing much outside of the singles I hear from it.

Anyways, after listening to this album, I'm very, very, VERY pleased to say that the boys are all back, and it couldn't be a better reunion in all honesty. This will most likely go down as one of the most buzzed about and beloved rap albums of this year, and while it may not be the best, I still think the praise it will get and is already getting is most definitely deserved. For one, Pharrell is on production duties for this entire album, which is great. Sad to see Chad couldn't team up with him, but considering the drama those two have gotten themselves into over the past year or so, it's unlikely they'll ever reunite. Either way, Pharrell on production can only lead to good things, especially since Pharrell knows these guys better than just about anyone. He knows what suits them, and boy does he deliver. Just about every track here has some pretty killer production behind it, with plenty of sample chops and hard hitting beats to go around on every song. I find it extremely impressive that Pharrell is able to stay consistent on the beats for pretty much the entire album. There's not really a bad beat here by any means, and there's plenty of insanely good ones to go around, such as the somber pianos and soulful strings on the chorus of "The Birds Don't Sing", the menacing guitar-led banger that is "Chains & Whips", the gorgeous royal string samples on "So Be It", and even some of the more soulful moments on tracks like "So Far Ahead" and "By The Grace of God", both of which are carried by Pharrell's gorgeous vocals on each respective hook, all make for some of the best moments in terms of production.

As well as that, Clipse once again manage to prove here that they are a duo not to be fucked with, not just on a lyrical level, but in terms of flow and ability too. These guys brought their A-Game on just about every song here, and it shows in just how confident and powerful they sound in their raps. Their typical gangsta rap energy has only grown stronger with time, and on this album, they've still got it down packed on just about every song here. But if there's one thing I think I would've wanted from these guys as a whole, it's more personal lyrics and bars. As much as I love their coke talk and high confident gangsta rap on here, after almost 15 years, I think these two could've had a little more to say on their personal lives than they do on this album. The only track that really dives into personal material is the intro "The Birds Don't Sing", and that's one of my favorite tracks here. While the verses may be a little scant instrumentally with these barren pianos, it perfectly works and allows the boys to rap about their parents and their unfortunate deaths. It also has these gorgeous strings and pianos on the hook, as well as a stunning performance from John Legend, who does a phenomenal job selling the emotions of this track. It's the most heartfelt moment on the album by far, and one of my personal favorite tracks here. But again, beyond this track, there isn't much, which I think is a shame. Some perspective on their life after all the shit they've been through for over a decade would've been nice.

But regardless of the lack of personal lyrics, the gang are still as gripping and biting as ever when it comes to their bars, and I feel like they do a killer job on just about every track here. But what's just as impressive in my opinion is that just about every feature was able to hold their ground very well on just about every song here. I already mentioned John Legend's gorgeous voice on the intro, but there are plenty of other great singing moments here too, most of which actually come from Pharrell, and he does a pretty great job for the most part. I especially enjoyed his vocal performances on tracks like "So Far Ahead" and ESPECIALLY the closer "By the Grace of God", where Pharrell delivers this really powerful vocal performance along with these soulful, almost gospel inspired vocals, strings, and other grand instrumental embellishments that make it sound really powerful. Easily one of my favorites here. But beyond that, there are some impeccable rap performances here too. Kendrick Lamar delivers as usual on "Chains & Whips", a verse that was so good I can understand why Def Jam wanted nothing to do with it considering what Kendrick was talking about on it. Tyler, The Creator has the time of his fucking life on "P.O.V.", a track I was personally excited for because I know how much of a fan Tyler is of Clipse and Pharrell at large, so seeing him was great, and he gives one of the best features here by a mile. Stove God Cooks has a pretty nice vocal performance on the hook of "F.I.C.O.", Ab-Liva returns for the Clipse die-hards, and even Nas shows up on the title track, delivering an incredible performance that I just wished was longer in all honesty. Either way, by and large, everyone here does a phenomenal job on their respective track, adding greatly to the track.

There were definitely some low points here from time to time, mostly with the song "All Things Considered". I found the beat to be less than exhilarating here unfortunately, and the hook from Pharrell is just so awkward. On other tracks the autotune isn't that bad, but here it just sounds awkward. Also The-Dream is barely even a factor on this track, and it overall could've been much better. And some other tracks like "Inglorious Bastards" and "E.B.I.T.D.A." I thought were good, but could've done a little more in terms of production or rapping. But all in all, this is a quality album from Clipse and company. The boys are back stronger than ever, and they've delivered what is EASILY one of the best hip-hop albums this year. Definitely one to check out for the many diehard fans out there, and if you just wanna hear a good comeback album, this is not a bad place to go. Either way, this is great. Definitely a must hear for the hip-hop heads, and one of the most thrilling comebacks in hip-hop in a while. Not sure if the boys will continue to make music after this, but if they don't, this is a pretty good place to end all things considered.

S