Clipse Album: “Lord Willin' [Edited]”

The Neptunes have to be the most forward-minded minds in contemparary R&B/hip hop and after releasing the brillant rock-funk-pop of "In Search Of..." as N*E*R*D so you know that they'd have to deliver a hot album for the first rappers off their new Star Trek imprint, The Clipse. For the most part they do.

The Clipse, Pusha T and Malice( brothers Gene and Terrence Thorton) are two 'hustlers' from Virginia with similar flows that rhyme about the ins and outs of the hustling game. Intrestingly, The Clipse were orginally signed with Eletkra and had a single called "The Furneral" which had a very striking video and just an overall different flow. Yet on their new debut, "Lord Willin", Pusha T (formely known as Terrar) and Malice spit over jaunty, edgy Neptunes beats. "Young Boy" has a '70s vibe to it with Pharell shouting "You're Outta Line!" like a soul shouter from the days of The Temptations and Joe Tex. "Virginia", a homage to their homestate has a hot understated beat that's just plain hot. The cocky "Cot Damn" and the clubby "When The Last Time"("Is it my whip appeal or my babyface"--that line is something else) also stand out as does the very R&B "Ma, I Don't Love Her" with Faith Evans. "Gangsta Lean" has a hot beat that slips and slides just right. So it's obvious that the beats are the real stars of the show. It's the ice cream sundae. T and Malice's rhymes are just the cherry on top. Although they do have lyrical shortcomings (not much variety in subjects) they come with some clever puns ("My niece askin' why the rims are bigger than the hoola hoop"). And I can't fail to mention "Grindin", the anthem with the tight Run-DMC-esque raw hand clap beat and the braggadocius rhymes about pushing coke. Intresingly, there's three versions of "Grindin'" to be found on "Lord Willin'". Not only the single version but two remixes. One featuring a unneeded Baby and Lil' Wanye but a tight Norega and another ill-suited reggae mix with Sean Paul and Canada's Kardinal Offishall. Why the label felt the need to contain multiple versions of the hit is anyone's guess but it's not too much of a distraction.

Overall "Lord Willin" is a musically tight disc that will turn out a party and play well in your car when you're in a hip hop mood.

Clipse, the first group to sign onto the Neptunes Star Trak label, are one of the best acts of the year. Their debut album, "Lord Willin'", has a lot of good and weak points but still comes out as a VERY solid debut. Malice and Pusha T draw you into their raps with off the hook rhymes and the dopest of beats provided by their mentors, the Neptunes. The first single off of the album, "Grindin'", basically tells their whole life story (drug dealing) in front of a grungy and very addictive beat. Most of Clipse's debut set is made up of songs like this. "Comedy Central" (no, it's not funny) which features DJ Clue's new rapper Fabolous, is a great track. Made up of the same formula as "Grindin'", it tells the game of dealin' while keeping it ultra tight with the layed-back beat and Fabolous's slow paced rhymes. "Virgina" is another "Grindin'" look alike, even though it has a more uptempo beat and deals with different subjects other than drug dealing. Basically, the only other "Grindin'" clones are the two remixes of the song itself. The regular remix is great, not only the excellent qualities of the original, but with off the hook rhymes by N.O.R.E and the Big Tymers. The 'Selector' remix is not worth your time. Yes it does have that good beat but the only people rapping are those foreign artists like Sean Paul.

A completely different type of rapping is shown on the more uptempo numbers of this album. "Cot Damn" is a great track (that guy that is featured in this CANNOT RAP). With Pharrell belting out those two title words, he sets up the chorus perfect for Pusha and Malice to kill the rest of it. "Ma, I Don't Love Her" is an uptempo pop-like single featuring Bad Boy's queen of R&B, Faith Evans (i have a feeling this will be released). "When The Last Time", the 2nd single released from the album, is a good club and party track, a perfect follow-up to the 1st single. "Ego" is just plain good, the awesome beat followed up by the kick a** rapping totally makes this a track worth listening to. "Let's Talk About It", a previously released single from Jermaine Dupri which features Clipse is the most upbeat single on the album. (NOTE: You can find this song on Jermaine's album "Instructions". You can also find the remix of it on the So So Def album "So So Def: Definition Of A Remix".) The last uptempo number you'll hear is "Gangsta Lean", where Pharrell of the Neptune's literally sings his soul out. This is one of those softer songs as well.

But, out of all the good songs on "Lord Willin'", my personal favorite has to be "I'm Not You", which features LOX rappers Jadakiss and Styles P. This is a tale of growing up rough and forfelling your dreams, which in this case is drug dealing for Malice and Pusha T. (That guy that is in this song along with 'Cot Damn', why the heck did they ruin half of this song with him, he CANNOT RAP.)

Even though there are so many good songs on "Lord Willin'", i gave it 4 stars because of the constant repeating of the same exact thing on almost every song. The message Clipse is trying to get through is: WE DO NOT LIKE TO RAP, WE LIKE TO SELL DRUGS, SO IF WE HAVE TO RAP, WE ARE GOING TO RAP ABOUT SELLING DRUGS.

I say Clipse did an alright job for their debut, let's hope Clipse's 2nd album will hold steady the awesome beats and phat rhymes that made them popular in the first place.

A lotta people don't know this but Clipse came out in 1998 with the single, The Funeral, which was in heavy rotation on BET. Pusha T was known as Terrar. Their album Exclusive Audio Footage received a 3 1/2 in The Source. Unfortunately it never came out. But I had the pleasure of hearing it and it was very different and good. Fast Foward to 2002 they come back with Grindin, which no one could sleep on.This is a STREET album and I love it. Chad and Pharrell did their thing on the beat and Pusha and Malice deliver lyrics with precision. Standout cuts are Virginia, Gangsta Lean, I'm not You( feat Jadakiss/Styles)and Ego. If they can blow up, now it is time for Kelis to blow up in the U.S also. Peace!!

They've done it again this time with a group. The neptunes have produced another head banger from beginning to end with the exception of one or two songs. What did you expect from the neptunes they produce so many hits from Jay-z to LL cool J, and the clipse rapping from grindin to partying make a good combo. I can't wait for the next cd.

The Clipse is the upper echelon of street hiphop music. Great production w/some hardcore raps. I really enjoyed it. Rap fans should own it, to hear Pusha T and Malice drop some ill raps.