Clipping - CLPPNG [Hip-Hop/Experimental]

Release date 10^th June 2014

It’s been a while. But you don’t want any excuses from me.

SOOOOooooooooooo…….

Clipping are an experimental hip-hop trio hailing from the west coast consisting of Jonathan Snipes, William Hudson and MC Daveed Diggs. They dropped an album called Midcity last year and their sound embraces elements of noise and industrial music, but not to the same extremes as groups like Death Grips, instead taking a more accessible and "poppy" approach.

I’d never heard of these guys until someone posted a link of their single Work Work on twitter, so it’s hard for me to comment on how Clipping have developed as a group. Nonetheless, this experimental hip-hop trio have created one hell of a buzz with the release of their second full length CLPPNG.

The album kicks off with an ear splitting high pitched electronic whine, while rapper Daveed Diggs spits fast and hard, relentlessly lamenting the state of the streets:

“Ghosts on the avenue were talking to theyselves,

Somebody been selling them dreams again,

Breathe again, the breeze is full of trees again,

The beast buried under the streets is ‘bout to,

Leave the den of thieves and hooligans.”

He never pauses, and the pace of the album’s intro combined with the feedback and white noise sounds like some sort of pirate transmission, you feel like Diggs is going to get pulled off the air at any moment, and the sense of urgency is as compelling as the lyrics. This is achieved without a single kick or snare.

Immediately, I was impressed.

More transmission noises and feedback rattle around before the start of Body and Blood, a track which tells the story of a psychotic black widow seducing her victims, before drugging them, cutting them up with chainsaws and taking some lovely polaroids of the severed heads.

Did I mention this album is a little on the dark side?

The pounding, distorted kick drum stands almost completely alone at the start of this track, only accompanied by more industrial schreeches and whines. The track progresses excellently, with more and more elements tastefully added as it plays on.

But it’s the verses that really make this track and indeed the whole album; I’m new to Clipping, but I already consider Daveed Diggs one of my favourite all time rappers. His flow is relentless and fast, and his pace, delivery, and his obvious passion make him an incredibly addictive listen, I can only image how fantastic this guy is live.

The third track on here, Work Work, is the album’s lead single for good reason. It has to be one of the catchiest tracks I’ve heard in a long time. I’m not a big fan of hooks in hip-hop, but after one listen I was strutting around repeating “Get that work, make that work work” like a giddy teenager. It’s a single which has everything, great narrative, a catchy hook, deep bass, and fantastic production. Work Work manages to expertly straddle the line between mainstream and experimental; just dark enough to be interesting, just fun enough to play at the club. The narrative isn’t anything especially new to hip-hop, it’s another tale about turning to crime when there are few other options available, but the quality of the story's delivery is undeniable. Cocc Pistol Cree features on here with a great verse too, proving herself to be a very capable and interesting MC, and I’m looking forward to hearing more of her stuff in future.

Another great feature on CLPPNG is none other than King Tee, who spits on Summertime. For those who don’t know who he is, check him out, this is the guy who influenced Notorious BIG’s flow style and has been a hip hop legend since the late 80s.

The sounds and production on CLPPNG are so rich you can almost taste them; thick, distorted bass sounds, synths that drip with texture, and various metallic percussion, feedback and industrial noise all combined to make an expertly produced album that still sounds raw and lo-fi. To me, it tastes like blood and pennies.

Mmm….

There are one or two weak spots on this album, not all of the hooks are on par with Work Work or Body and Blood, and Tonight features some pretty bad autotune singing from Gangstar Boo, but then again I’m not a fan of autotune in most cases.

One of my favourite tracks on here is Story 2, a sequel to Story from the group’s first album Midcity which comes in at number 11. At just over a minute long, the track is a brief moment of mad genius; Digg’s manages to work a captivating story about a young arsonist dwelling on his crimes into a glitchy ¾ instrumental, set to the tune of video game style synthesisers.

Overall this has shaped up to be one of the best hip-hop albums I’ve heard this year, it may even be one of the best albums of any genre that I’ve ever heard. The production is deep and textured, and rewards repeated listens with more and more sound. The performances are passionate, and the stories told are captivating.

But for me, for an album to be truly great, it has to strike the right balance between experimentation and familiarity. Luckily for Clipping, CLPPNG does this with passion, style and grace.

[9/10]