Lord Willin' [ECD] [PA] - Clipse

"What we have is a perspective you don't hear. A Virginia perspective....I don't think Virginia has ever been exposed like this." ~ Malice

Malice couldn't be more right with this statement; the only other hiphop export from Virginia was Missy Elliot and she didn't bring us any tales of what it's like to grow up and live in the streets of Virginia. So this album "Lord Willin" brings us the tale of two brothers, Malice ...
...toughest areas of the Bronx in New York but later moved to Virginia (VA) in the 1980s. Inspired by the rappers of New York Big Pun, KRS-1 and what they were experiencing in Viriginia they decided to start rapping and writing their own rhymes. At the same time in the state, the then unknown producers, Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams (The Neptunes), were looking for new projects. Pharrell met the brothers, who had decided to called themselves Clipse, ... more

"What we have is a perspective you don't hear. A Virginia perspective....I don't think Virginia has ever been exposed like this." ~ Malice

Malice couldn't be more right with this statement; the only other hiphop export from Virginia was Missy Elliot and she didn't bring us any tales of what it's like to grow up and live in the streets of Virginia. So this album "Lord Willin" brings us the tale of two brothers, Malice and Pusha T. Originally they lived in one of the toughest areas of the Bronx in New York but later moved to Virginia (VA) in the 1980s. Inspired by the rappers of New York Big Pun, KRS-1 and what they were experiencing in Viriginia they decided to start rapping and writing their own rhymes. At the same time in the state, the then unknown producers, Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams (The Neptunes), were looking for new projects. Pharrell met the brothers, who had decided to called themselves Clipse, and was impressed by their talent and skills. When The Neptunes hit the big time by producing hits for the hiphop heavyweights, they didn't forget about Clipse. Malice and Pusha-T got a deal with Elektra. "The Funeral" their first single to be unleashed went down a storm. However Elektra started playing games with the boys and eventually the record company got rid of them.

However this only made them more determined to succeed. The Neptunes still had a lot of faith in them and so Pusha-T and Malice went on to guest on Neptunes produced tracks by Kelis, Backstreet Boys and Nelly Furtado. They also featured heavily on the critically acclaimed n*e*r*d album "In Search Of..." Most people will know Clipse as the two rappers who featured on Justin Timberlake's smash "Like I Love You". So eventually in 2002 the album was recorded and the whole world got to feel hiphop the Virginia way.

As with a lot of hiphop albums there is an "Intro". But this is rather long lasting around two minutes. The simple beats which sound almost calypso like are the perfect base for their rapping. Their lyrics tell the story of growing up a neighbourhood amongst drug deals and violence and how innocent they were to it all. But when they were older they turned to this way of life. "Young Boy", what a way to set this album off. This is such a funky tune, the beats march along at a steady pace but it's the trumpets and the funky tune that makes this superb. Again their raps are based on childhood and growing up. "When i was a young boy, my momma always told me don't none of this sh*t". Pharrell provides an amazing chorus quite high pitched yet full of soul. Malice and Pusha-T sound rather similar and in this tune their style is laid back just keeping in time with the tune. The third tune "Virginia" paints a more dark mood. The drums and chimes make for an eerie feel. Their rhymes are lot more serious than the previous offering. This is about Virginia and the way of life; it provides a real insight into what it's like to live there. There raps are still relatively slow but the tone is more dark and serious. Lyrically this track is superb from start to finish.

"Grindin" is one of their most famous tracks. From the minute the thumping beat starts you that this is going to be one hell of a tune. Again Pharrell lends a hand for some of the vocals but his are very distorted and barely recognisable. Malice and Pusha-T have their rhymes perfectly in time with the beats; their raps and lines lead perfectly into one and another and where one leaves off the other begins. This was one of their biggest tunes to hit the streets and clubs. The lyrics in this song kind of chart how they are rich and famous and how people will see them now. "Cot Damn" is a fabulous track that features Rosco P Coldchain and Ab-liva. The construction is simple enough a decent drumbeat with pianos and horns weaved throughout. Pharrell sings the chorus yet again in his infectious voice. This song shows the tough life of being involved in drugs, pimping, violence and being caught up with the police, on the wrong side of the law. Rosco and Ab-Liva are excellent and provide a real toughness and grittiness that the voices of Clipse can sometimes lack.

"Ma, I Don't Love Her" is a more light hearted song. This song is all about being accused of adultery by their girlfriend. In this track Malice and Pusha-T are basically trying to say "I didn't do it!", grovelling to their girlfriend. "I don't know who she is, don't care who told, look stop flippin'". Faith Evan's chorus makes this a really accessible song and gives it a kind of R'n'B feel. Her singing is just fantastic and beautiful as always! The production is kept rather minimal with just a funky beat and not much else going on. The "Famlay Freestyle" by Famlay and featuring Pharrell, surprise surprise, is a good little interlude between the tracks. His gritty voice and the tough beats go well together. This displays his talents as a great rapper who is featured on a lot of Neptunes tracks. "In Virginia don't go bang bang!"

"When the Last Time" is a superb song, simple as that! The production on this track is fantastic, the Neptunes at their best surely. The beats are heavy; the high pitched samples and funky tune in the background makes this excellent. As for the rhymes, well they are just as good as the tune. It's typical hiphop topics I guess, being at a party, looking good and meeting girls. Malice and Pusha-T's voices just blend so well together. Pharrell's chorus is done as a rap and he shows that he can be tough as well. "When the last time you heard it like this? Smoke somethin' Drink somethin' get ripped." So after that banging one we move to "Ego" which is still quite tough but in a different sense. The beats are big but more gritty and rough. Clipse do their rhymes in a really slow and clear style on this track which means every single line can be understood. This song is like a warning, coming from their experiences, "don't let cha ego get trick your ass, cause this motherf***** tech will get your ass."

"Comedy Central" is just a pure hiphop track none of Pharrell's funky choruses on here. The basis to this is about coming against people who hate you and want to ruin you. Clipse however answer back stating that they live off this hate and it doesn't bother them. Fabulous lends his laid back style raps to this track and comes up top. His verses are fantastic and they flow seemlessly; a great track and one of the more under-rated ones on this album. "Let's Talk About It" even though it's a Neptunes production I really can't stand this track. Maybe more because of Jermaine Dupri and his lame, sub-standard raps but hey that's not new with him. Clipse don't do too badly I suppose but the lyrics are weak as they have no depth. This is one of these tracks "look at my money and my girls..I'm so much better than you". The production is boring and well below what the Neptunes are capable of. This easily the poorest track on the whole album!

Thank goodness for the smooth, laid back vibe of "Gangsta Lean" which saves us from the disaster track before. This really pulls the album back up to where it was before "Let's Talk About It". This song is perfect, the drumbeat is just right not to banging and the strings in the background make this sophisticated and chilled. Malice's verses are laid back as well and remind me of summer for some reason. Pusha-T looks more at the girl who he really likes. However the song also pays tribute to one of the favourite gangsta past times: smoking weed. Pharrell provides the hook and chorus with such smoothness and soul; almost Curtis Mayfield inspired. "I'm Not You" is the last song on the album. Calypso style steel drums introduce us to the minimal beats and production on this track. On this track Clipse confess all their sins and talk about all the bad things they have done; they don't want to be branded the same as all other rappers. This track gets quite tough in parts. There are various guest appearances on this tune by Jadakiss, Styles P and Roscoe P Coldchain.

Well it's not quite over! There are two remixes of Grindin. The first is by NORE, Baby and Lil Wayne. NORE is the best one on this track, he makes it fast and furious, which means it ain't a bad remix. The second features Sean Paul, Bless and Kardinal Offishall which is pretty good as well. It has a distinct dancehall vibe; which is decent enough.

So is this album any good? I think that it's a fantastic album and there is only bad, well just plain awful track and apart from that the rest are all of the highest quality. Clipse on this album have given an insight into their lives from the childhood memories of "Young Boy" to the tough,often unlawful drug pushing life they led in Virginia which is well documented throughout the album. What they bring is something new and fresh. Their rapping style isn't overly complex and the rhymes are pretty simple but their voices are distinctive and instantly recognisable. This album would be a good buy for all hiphop fans as there are a lot of good rappers who guest on the tracks and if you love the Neptunes you will love this. Pharrell and Chad as album producers have their stamp all over this and in nearly all of the tracks the production is well thought out and of high quality.

The inlay to the album is nothing special; it's simple with mainly black with a couple of photos of Malice and Pusha-T. The front cover is a cartoon of a street in Virginia and this makes it distinctive. I got the album on sale at a local record shop for £5. However it is available from Amazon for £14.99.

useful websites:
www.startrakmusic.com
www.arista.com
www.clipseonline.com ~ official website
www.vaclipse.com ~ unofficial fans website.

Thanks for reading! h.xo
 

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