Music Request Spot

01 03:47 Freedom ¦¦
02 04:20 Popular Demand (Popeyes) Ft. Camron & Pharrell ¦¦
03 03:26 Kinda Like A Big Deal Ft. Kanye West ¦¦
04 03:39 Showing Out Ft. Yo Gotti ¦¦
05 04:21 Im Good Ft. Pharrell ¦¦
06 03:37 There Was A Murder ¦¦
07 05:08 Door Man ¦¦
08 03:21 Never Will It Stop Ft. Ab Liva ¦¦
09 03:50 All Eyes On Me Ft. Keri Hilson ¦¦
10 03:18 Counseling Ft. Nicole Hurst ¦¦
11 04:14 Champion ¦¦
12 04:21 Footsteps ¦¦
13 04:27 Life Change ¦¦
Totals ¦¦
13 51:49 min


The Clipse are seeking redemption. For rappers, and literal ¦¦¦
brothers, Malice and Pusha T, the rap biz has been bipolar, ¦¦
full of ups and downs. While their original planned debut, ¦¦
Exclusive Audio Footage, was shelved, their proper debut on ¦¦
Jive Records, Lord Willin (2002), was met with much praise ¦¦
and near-platinum sales. Unfortunately, label shenanigans ¦¦
delayed the Virginia duos sophomore salvo by four years. ¦¦
Like the We Got It 4 Cheap mixtapes their devotees rabidly ¦¦
consumed in the interim, 2006s Hell Hath No Fury was also ¦¦
critically lauded (it earned a perfect XXL rating in this ¦¦
magazine), thanks to reflectivestreet songs like the solemn ¦¦
Nightmares and the admirable Momma Im So Sorry. Still, ¦¦
despite all of the adoration, HHNF failed to move weight at ¦¦
registers, or iTunes, stalling out at about 205,000 copies ¦¦
sold to date. As persistent with their product as ever, the ¦¦
Clipse return for the hat trick, this time on Columbia ¦¦
Records. And despite its grim title, Til the Casket Drops is ¦¦
more about celebrating life than foreshadowing a tragic ¦¦
demise. ¦¦
¦¦
From the onset, the discs beats are epic in scale. On the ¦¦
albums intro track, the Sean C & LV produced Speak of ¦¦
Freedom, Pusha spits, All the apologies, I wear the cross, I ¦¦
bear the blame/We in the same group, but I dont share my ¦¦
brothers pain, as he goes on to talk of music as a self-made ¦¦
prison. Separately, Malice speaks of a similar sentiment, ¦¦
when he questions, ôHow was I to know I was happy being piss ¦¦
poor?ö over a perfect sound bed of rapid-fire drums, melodic ¦¦
strings and rock-guitar accents. ¦¦
¦¦
It is key to note that, until now, The Neptunes have been ¦¦
the sole sound providers of the two previous Clipse albums, ¦¦
but on Til the Casket Drops, Pharrell and Chad make a little ¦¦
room for Cali producer DJ Khalil and the aforementioned Sean ¦¦
C & LV. Rather than being stark contrasts, the outside ¦¦
contributions blend right in with The NeptunesÆ otherworldly ¦¦
sonic bleeps and bangsùso much so that itÆs Khalil who laces ¦¦
the bum-rushing, Kanye Westûassisted lead single, ôKinda ¦¦
Like a Big Deal,ö and the standout, dancehall-tinged ôThere ¦¦
Was a Murder,ö two menacing additions to the ClipseÆs ¦¦
catalog that otherwise wouldnÆt exist had the group not ¦¦
branched out. ¦¦
¦¦
Just as with their prior releases, it is the duoÆs ability ¦¦
to go out on a limb, beyond coke-fueled trappings, that ¦¦
remains their strong suit. On Champion,Malice kicks, A long ¦¦
way from pumpin in housing projects/Investing in real ¦¦
estate, weighing out my prospects, while a shimmering synth ¦¦
and numbing bass play in the background. Lord Willin and ¦¦
Hell Hath pounded listeners with tales of Pyrex, yet this ¦¦
album is more nuanced. Never mind the saccharine, Keri ¦¦
Hilsonûlaced radio volley All Eyes on Me the Clipses need ¦¦
for something resembling a radio hit is to be expected. ¦¦
Instead, more emphasis should be put on the mid-90s-sounding ¦¦
Counseling and the bright and boastful Im Good, which ¦¦
sonically fare much better. ¦¦
¦¦
But donÆt think for a second that the brothers Thornton have ¦¦
become milquetoast MCs who have forgotten their struggles. ¦¦
At least for a moment, the chest-thumping Never Will It Stop ¦¦
quells such notions and gives a nod to the Clipse of old. ¦¦
Says Malice, ôChild of a lesser God, so when I drop the top ¦¦
on the Porsche/Its my way of reaching for the Lord. ¦¦
¦¦
Playing both sides, though, is nothing new to the pair. ¦¦
Paranoia-stained verses with touches of spirituality is a ¦¦
formula the brothers have perfected. Malice, whose pointed ¦¦
barbs are a highlight of the album, weaves these themes into ¦¦
his bars more and more often. Consider it hip-hop gospel, ¦¦
but without the cheesiness. It is most evident on Life ¦¦
Change, where he admits that he was wretched, pitiful, poor, ¦¦
blind and naked, before adding, Money, hoes and clothes is ¦¦
Malices past tense. ¦¦
¦¦
Combining an even mix of maturity and playfulness (check ¦¦
Back by Popular Demand featuring Camron), the Clipses future ¦¦
remains as prosperous as ever. With Til the Casket Drops ¦¦
serving as a return to grace, theres proof positive that ¦¦
Pusha T and Malice still have much to live for.







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