Clipse - Til the Casket Drops

They're 'Kinda Like a Big Deal' and with already their fourth album (don't forget Exclusive Audio Footage) we guess at the least they have some staying power. With all eyes on them in this review of "Til the Casket Drops" let's see if those words hold true for this Hip-hop duo.

It's not hard to see why Clipse (formed in '92 by brothers Malice and Pusha T) have some musical stamina when they're backed by multi-platinum production duo The Neptunes. As with their previous works, most of the production is in the hands of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo and it shows. The Neptunes sound -- like the riff on 'Popular Demand (Popeyes)' (ft. Cam'ron & Pharrell) continuously pounding away at your eardrums or the synth as the base for 'I'm Good' (ft Pharrell) -- defines "Til the Casket Drops" and makes for a very balanced and overall distinctive (not to forget spacey) sound.

The non-Neptunian production on this album is in the hands of The Hitmen's Sean C & LV. DJ Khalil also provides a few compositions with 'Kinda Like a Big Deal' being the most notable one. This track featuring Kanye West -- in his pre-autotune era -- has a very addictive beat to it that could have jumped out of Chad Hugo's repertoire, putting it in line with the rest of the album.

While almost every song on this album has a club-vibe to it (thanks to the production), Malice and Pusha T still deliver lyrically spitting lines like: "Heart filled with remorse, my life was such a mess, now I'm back on board due to the Lord's GPS" from 'Life Change' or on the intro 'Freedom': "With every line written and all I have given. Music has been nothing more than a self-made prison." and further on "Speaking my truth in rhyme no matter how bland it is, a heavy heart lyin' that's just what my ransom is". All of this accompanied by an impeccable flow adding to the repeat-value of Clipse's fourth.

with Wale's "Attention Deficit", Jay-Z's "Blueprint 3.0", Kid Cudi's "Man On The Moon", Mos Def's "The Ecstatic" and so forth, reaching for the title of 09's best Hiphop release, Clipse's "Til the Casket Drops" shows it can hold its own against newcomers and Hip-hop heavyweights alike. This fourth album is bit of a departure from their previous works and only time will tell if their fans will like them for it or not, but in our eyes "Til the Casket Drops" ticks almost every checkbox needed to deliver greatness in wave form. With "All Eyes On Me" (ft. Keri Hilson) to draw you in and "There Was a Murder" to keep you occupied the Clipse show they can please both the mainstream and underground as well, delivering one of the best Hip-hop albums of this year to your doorstep. All you have to do is just answer the doorbell.

Clipse's "Til the Casket Drops" in stores December 8th 2009.

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