I need you all to remember, it’s been 16 years since the last Clipse album ‘Til The Casket Drops’ and although we’ve gotten a handful of Pusha-T solo albums, all of which have ranged from great to modern-day classics, it’s still a historic moment to realise the release of a new Clipse album! It’s an announcement that had the whole world on its tippy toes waiting, and now that it’s finally here, it’s like they never left!
Clipse, Pusha T, No Malice, and of course Pharrell are back and honestly stronger than ever. With so many legends returning with new records and dropping underwhelming updates to their discographies, it’s easy to get worried about an album like this after such a notorious run back in the early to mid-2000s, but I mean it when I say it feels like they never left!
13 tracks with 40 minutes of content and features from the likes of
-John Legend
-Voices Of Fire
-Kendrick Lamar
-Tyler The Creator
-The Dream
-Stove God Cooks
-Ab Liva
-Nas
And this album is a masterclass in how to make the perfect hip-hop album and how to bring prestige back to the mainstream scene. I’d say Nas is one of the only ones keeping the quality alive, but this record is definitely future Grammy-nominated because this thing is flawless from front to back!
We kick off the album with a sentimental track by Clipse talking about the mother’s death and utilising John Legend’s incredible voice to further drive the emotional heaviness!
From there, we get the trademark grimy, drug raps that Clipse and specifically Pusha are known for! In fact, on track 2 is the song with Kendrick who absolutely DESTROYS the track with his incredible verse! To hear both Kendrick and Clipse on the same album is a dream come true!
From there, we have nothing but classic chemistry of Pharrell, No Malice, and Pusha combing together like a fine wine! One of my favourite cuts on the album is ‘So Be It’. I LOVE that beat; it’s so fucking catchy. No matter how many times I listen to it, I catch myself bumping my head!
I also love that minimal chorus ‘So Be It, So Be It’. It’s so tough! Absolutely solid.
But that’s the thing, every song on here slaps! The second-to-last track with Nas finishing the album off was SOLID! Between that and Kendrick’s, I’m not sure who had the verse of the album! Also, I love the new producer tag on the album ‘This Is Culturally Inappropriate’. Very unique and it grows on you!
If I had to nitpick, a single downside is that on the track ‘F.I.C.O’ ft Stove God Cooks, they didn’t let him have a proper full verse and go off like Nas and Kendrick did! But besides that, the collab was still dope!
I feel Pusha is the perfect example of how if the artistry is solid, then you can rap about the same thing for decades and still remain dope! He’s been rhyming ‘cocaine’ for years and still critically acclaimed and hasn’t fallen off yet. Clipse have had the same topics, but the way they do it, the styles, and the authenticity they bring to the music and the quality of the production is priority to them, and that’s why this album is as if they never left!
If you haven’t heard it yet and are worried, you don’t have to be! It may have been 16 years, but they haven’t missed a beat. My favourite mainstream album of the year by far! Trust me, you won’t be disappointed; the gang is back together!
https://open.spotify.com/album/17ScNnJ0lSWajodZaRpHdQ?si=vZWFfUxSQu2Sa9r7C_GPow
The Serpent Tongue Reviews 