Clipse @ Shepherds Bush Empire, London

Clipse @ Shepherds Bush Empire, London

- 21 June 2007

Reviewed by Chloe McCloskey

Clipse are your pushers. Clipse are the hottest sh*t out of Virginia Beach right now. Clipse are down with Pharrell and Timbo. Clipse brought out Hell Hath No Fury, the best rap album of 2006. So how, may we ask, did Clipse manage to suck so bad at Shepherd’s Bush Empire last week?

It’s hard to pin-point, especially considering that by the close of last year Clipse – made up of brothers Malice and Pusha-T (born Gene and Terrence Thornton respectively) – were featured on every valuable year-end top 10 list. They garnered rave reviews from high brow publications like The Guardian, and earned respect from hip hop heads worldwide. Much was made of their former incarnation as slangers of crack – and of course how their music, much of which delicately depicts the particulars of this lifestyle, has spawned the term/genre ‘coke-rap.’ So what happened?

Well, in spite of all the hype – there weren’t enough people there. Those who were, at least, seemed to represent today’s UK rap fans. Decked out from head to toe in pricey Japanese street apparel and full-backs, the kids flipped N*E*R*D birds to the sky – showing off their loyalty to mentor Pharrell, despite his absence. When Malice demanded to know if there were any real Clipse fans in the house, the response was subdued. Shame.

Adding to the sparse crowd was the bewilderingly disappointing sound. Joined by fellow Re-Up Gang member Ab-Liva, Malice and Pusha shouted over the beats (which is never done on the records) and weren’t done any justice by the Empire’s acoustics. Some might blame it on laziness; rumours have it that Malice and Pusha didn’t bother to show up for the sound check, and according to their MySpace page – they’re performing every night for a month. On the other hand, it could be said that the music plays best on headphones or blasted through speakers (while doing ‘a buck-six in the cockpit’) where each word spoken over Pharrell’s flawlessly produced beats provides for the full Clipse experience.

Following a luke-warm response to 2002 banger ‘Grindin,’ Pusha-T offered up a shout-out to those “who’re biting Clipse’s swagger”, adding, “You dun know what you call him, you call him ‘Mr Me Too’”, before launching into the single of the same name, and the evening’s stripped-down, bass-heavy highlight. The crowd did go wild – for about a minute before seeping back down to their unimpressed slouch.

Shutting the night with ‘Virginia’ – the murky ode to their home state and old life - the unenthused DJ did nothing to help as the Clipse offered up what can only be called a mediocre performance. The only thing that saved them was the fact that they were playing mildly recognisable songs that are often thought of as future classics.

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	Clipse @ Shepherds Bush Empire, London - 21 June 2007 Reviewed by Chloe McCloskey Clipse are your pushers. Clipse are the hottest sht out of Virginia Beach right now. Clipse are down with Pharrell* and Timbo. Clipse brought out Hell Hath No Fury, the best rap album of 2006. So how, may we ask, did Clipse manage to suck so bad at Shepherd’s Bush Empire last week? It’s hard to pin-point, especially considering that by the close of last year Clipse – made up of brothers Malice and Pusha-T (born Gene and Terrence Thornton respectively) – were featured on every valuable year-end top 10 list. They garnered rave reviews from high brow publications like The Guardian, and earned respect from hip hop heads worldwide. Much was made of their former incarnation as slangers of crack – and of course how their music, much of which delicately depicts the particulars of this lifestyle, has spawned the term/genre ‘coke-rap.’ So what happened? Well, in spite of all the hype – there weren’t enough people there. Those who were, at least, seemed to represent today’s UK rap fans. Decked out from head to toe in pricey Japanese street apparel and full-backs, the kids flipped *NERD birds to the sky – showing off their loyalty to mentor Pharrell, despite his absence. When Malice demanded to know if there were any real Clipse fans in the house, the response was subdued. Shame. Adding to the sparse crowd was the bewilderingly disappointing sound. Joined by fellow Re-Up Gang member Ab-Liva, Malice and Pusha shouted over the beats (which is never done on the records) and weren’t done any justice by the Empire’s acoustics. Some might blame it on laziness; rumours have it that Malice and Pusha didn’t bother to show up for the sound check, and according to their MySpace page – they’re performing every night for a month. On the other hand, it could be said that the music plays best on headphones or blasted through speakers (while doing ‘a buck-six in the cockpit’) where each word spoken over Pharrell’s flawlessly produced beats provides for the full Clipse experience. Following a luke-warm response to 2002 banger ‘Grindin,’ Pusha-T offered up a shout-out to those “who’re biting Clipse’s swagger”, adding, “You dun know what you call him, you call him ‘Mr Me Too’”, before launching into the single of the same name, and the evening’s stripped-down, bass-heavy highlight. The crowd did go wild – for about a minute before seeping back down to their unimpressed slouch. Shutting the night with ‘Virginia’ – the murky ode to their home state and old life - the unenthused DJ did nothing to help as the Clipse offered up what can only be called a mediocre performance. The only thing that saved them was the fact that they were playing mildly recognisable songs that are often thought of as future classics. Return To Concert Review Archive**
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