About this item

The contemporary realm of hip hop music can be seen as polarized between two sides; mainstream versus underground, industry versus independent, at a base level boiled down to catchy sounds and infective hooks over higher quality lyrical content. It's rare to find an act that can please all sides of the discussion. Clipse are one of the few groups that successfully and consistently caters to both sides of rap's splintered psyche. Though their preceding official albums 'Lord Willin' (2002) and 'Hell Hath No Fury' (2006) made bigger splashes commercially, 2009's 'Til The Casket Drops' is surely no slouch, a gem which deserves to be revisited with fresh ears. 'Til The Casket Drops' was a departure from the duo of Malice and Pusha T's previous works in that it was their first LP not completely produced by The Neptunes.

However, the celebrated team who brought us 'Grindin' & 'Mr. Me Too' still helmed 8 of the album's 13 tracks, thus dominating the soundscapes and aesthetic of the album anyway. With the remaining beats handled by Hitmen Sean C and LV (Jay-Z, Big Pun, Ghostface) and Aftermath's DJ Khalil (Kendrick Lamar, Aloe Blacc, Eminem) clearly Clipse stock hadn't lowered in the game. While boasting notable vocal features from Kanye West, Pharrell, Cam ron, Keri Hilson, Yo Gotti and their Re-Up Gang affiliate Ab-Liva, 'Til The Casket Drops' leaves ample space for the core emcee duo of Pusha and Malice to shine in the spotlight, with verses revolving around each other succinctly in-synch and bonded by an exceptional creative rhythm only biological brothers could share.

TRACK LISTING

1. Freedom
2. Popular Demand (Popeyes) (featuring Cam'ron And Pharrell)
3. Kinda Like A Big Deal (featuring Kanye West)
4. Showing Out (featuring Yo Gotti)
5. I'm Good (featuring Pharrell)
6. There Was A Murder
7. Door Man
8. Never Will It Stop (featuring Ab Liva)
9. All Eyes On Me (featuring Keri Hilson)
10. Counseling (featuring Nicole Hurst)
11. Champion
12. Footsteps
13. Life Change