Clipse

Clipse, also known as The Clipse, is an American hip hop duo, chiefly active from 1994 to 2010. It consists of brothers Gene “No Malice” and Terrence “Pusha T” Thornton. Pusha T was known as Terrar during the group’s early years, while No Malice was originally known as Malicious, then changed his stage name to Malice soon after the group’s formation, before changing it again to No Malice in 2012 following a conversion to Christianity. The duo were based in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and were heavily affiliated with producer and fellow Virginia Beach native, Pharrell Williams, who convinced the two in 1992 to be a rap duo instead of solo artists. Williams would go on to serve as their label head, main producer (via the production duo The Neptunes) and frequent guest artist through most of their career. The duo frequently rapped about the drug dealing they had done in their youth. Clipse was integral in establishing Virginia as one of the East Coast’s strongholds in hip hop.In 1996, with Williams’ help, Clipse got a record deal with Elektra Records, and recorded what would have been their debut album, Exclusive Audio Footage. However, the album was shelved, and the duo dropped by the label, after poor sales for the album’s lead single, “The Funeral”. In 2001, Williams signed the duo to Arista Records as the first artists on his recently-established Star Trak imprint. The duo released their debut album, Lord Willin’, in 2002. It debuted at number 4 on the Billboard 200 and received widely positive reviews from critics. The album was certified RIAA gold 2 months later.After a several-year delay due to record-label reshuffling, the duo’s second album, Hell Hath No Fury, was released in 2006. Despite modest sales, it received widespread critical acclaim and is considered to be one of the best albums of the 2000s. A third album, Til the Casket Drops, was released in 2009. In 2010 the duo went on hiatus and both members pursued solo careers.

In 2019, Clipse officially reunited when they were guest artists on Kanye West’s song “Use This Gospel”. They have since then appeared as guest artists on several artists’ songs, and No Malice appeared on Pusha T’s song “I Pray For You” from his 2022 album It’s Almost Dry.

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