Clipse - Ego

The first hip-hop group signed to The Neptunes’ newly formed Star Trak label in the early 2000s was a Virginia based duo known as The Clipse. The group’s first single “Grindin’,” impacted young people with its bare-boned but infectious drum beat in the same way that Run-DMC’s “Sucker MCs” did almost two decades earlier. MCs Pusha T and Malice, combined with The Neptunes’ groundbreaking production, sent a clear message to the rap world – “we are not the same.” Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo were able to combine their electro-punk production with just the right group to create a street masterpiece. Following in the footsteps of such rap criminologists as Kool G Rap, Nas, Jay-Z and Mobb Deep, the Clipse offer a hustler’s viewpoint, with clever, hard-hitting lyrics that are consistent throughout the album.