Virginia Beach brothers Pusha T and Malice, aka Clipse, find themselves trying to please both a mainstream fanbase—which sent 2002’s Lord Willin’ to platinum status—and critics, who fell hard for poor-selling 2006 follow-up, Hell Hath No Fury.
The Details
Thus far, Clipse has relied almost exclusively on raps about cocaine dealing over beats from hometown compadres The Neptunes, but latest album Til The Casket Drops features less drug talk and fewer beats from Pharrell and Chad. Instead, folks like DJ Khalil and Diddy affiliates Sean C & LV provide disparate kitchen-sink production, which, combined with paint-by-numbers radio R&B, keeps Casket from achieving consistency.
Throw in crooning from Keri Hilson and Nicole Hurst and verse from Kanye West, and the guys just seem outside their comfort zone.
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