Hell Hath No Fury by CLIPSE

I thought that this week I would change it up a bit, and by change it up I simply mean not “underground” hip hop. Now I will admit right away that I am not the biggest fan of gangster rap. Nothing against gangster rap, it’s just not my style. So many of you may be wondering why I chose to pick HELL HATH NO FURY by CLIPSE for the album you should be listening to this week, especially considering that these guys are definitely gangster (although they probably wouldn’t like that title). I chose this album because I consider CLIPSE to be the most “underground” mainstream hip hop group out there right now, even despite their recent popularity on MTV and other forms of mainstream music media with the release of their newest album. And what I mean by “underground” in relation to CLIPSE is that they have released 3 albums total (I am not including their mixtape), and only their newest one has gotten them the attention that they deserve. The first two albums, LORD WILLIN’ and HELL HATH NO FURY, have both received critical acclaim, and HELL HATH NO FURY even received a XXL rating in XXL magazine, the highest rating possible. Only 6 albums have been given this rating(if you don’t count the re-rated albums that came out before the magazine existed). That is one hell of an honor for a group, especially for a sophomore album if you are familiar with the sophomore slump. But moving on to the actual album…

I will state right now, this is one of my favorite albums of all time. I know I say that a lot, but I mean it, especially this early in my blogging, I’m only doing favorites. I also think it’s safe to say this because (not like this really influenced my decision) it is also one of Pharrell’s favorite albums. How do I know this? Because The Neptunes (one of the most celebrated production groups, Pharrell is a member) are the ones who discovered CLIPSE and chose to produce their album. This brings me to my first point about this album, the production is phenomenal. Every beat on this album gets your head nodding. From the intro track to the too cool final track (which is very R&B) you will not stop moving your head, and even your body. I am far and away not the kind of person you will see on the dance floor, but I can guarantee you that if you put on CLIPSE at a party, I will be dancing for sure.

But the most important part of this album is going to be the hardest to explain without ruining the beauty of it. The emcees, PUSHA T and MALICE, come with some of the best lyrics and hard hitting one liners that I have ever heard on any album, ever, hands down, end of story. When you listen I’m sure you will think, “oh this is just typical rap, money, cars, bitches, weed,” but trust me it is so much more than that. The way they do it is so original and unique, I would almost go as far as saying they are doing the impossible; reinventing the wheel. It’s not just with the clever one liners, it’s the entire swagger of the album. A hip hop group from the UK once claimed that they wanted a seven figure swagger, well CLIPSE has a ten figure swagger at the least. And I won’t say what they talk about in their lyrics because you will figure it out immediately, but let me tell you, no one can rhyme about it better than these two. Just listen to the two songs I put up on this blog and you will get the vibe of the entire album. But I can not stress enough how important it is to listen to every lyric they spit, no matter how hard you listen I guarantee you will not catch it all in one listen. The amount of thought that MALICE and PUSHA T put into their lyrics shows throughout the entire album, and I can easily say they are two of my favorite emcees. I suggest to all of you out there to buy this album right now, as well as their first album LORD WILLIN’. Hell, I invite any of you out there reading this to come kick it with me at my apartment and listen to HELL HATH NO FURY. I would be more than happy to show you every bit of perfection the album has to offer. So please, do yourself a favor, pick this album up now and hit me up in a week.

-Paul B.