Clipse: "We Hate The
Muthafuckas We Work For!"
As the title of their flagship hit single implicates, Clipse has been grindin'. Ever since their 2002 debut album Lord Willin', the Bronx-born and Virginia-raised brothers Pusha T and Malice have been battling some of the most documented record label woes since The LOX vs. Bad Boy campaign. But instead than descending to Industry Rule #1080 purgatory, the duo avoided hip-hop statistics: they worked out their label situation (well, sort of), and garnered a cult following with their We Got It 4 Cheap mixtape series. Now, with blazing singles “Mr. Me Too” and “Wamp Wamp (What It Do)” flooding the streets, the anticipation is high for their second Neptunes-helmed LP, Hell Hath No Fury. In a phone interview followed by a video interview with HipHopDX, Pusha T talks mixtapes, the new album, and JIVE Records.
HipHopDX: Your We Got It 4 Cheap mixtapes have really helped blow you guys up, and given you respect that wasn't there with your first album, Lord Willin'. What do you think those mixtapes gave listeners that your album didn't?
Pusha T: The mixtapes compared the original records that their favorite rappers had rapped on, and we rapped on it. I think we did a better job than a lot of the other MCs had done on those beats, and people just declared us the winner.
HipHopDX: With the new album, you told The Neptunes to make their beats completely different than they had before. But with Lord Willin', the formula that they had already done worked really well. What made you take this approach and do things differently?
Pusha T: We just wanted to come out be totally different from everything else out there in the industry. The Neptunes work with a lot of people, so in our eyes, that's going to always be our claim to fame. With other people working with them, we had to have the new distinct sound. Those are two producers that always have a lot of hits on radio, and they've always got records that people are going to be able to hear. People definitely need to be able to differentiate between us and them.
HipHopDX: Do you think that after the first album, that you guys were just viewed as some Neptunes proteges?
Pusha T: For sure, people looked at us as Neptunes proteges the first time around. Little did they know.
HipHopDX: I haven't heard the album yet, but I heard that the track “Keys Open Doors” was crazy...
Pusha T: “Keys Open Doors” is definitely my favorite record. It is the essence of hip-hop, it is boom bap, it is dungeon, gutter. And the name of the song alone is better than most rap verses, as far as the play on words. “Keys Open Doors.” It has an accordion in it. We just took some obscure things, and just roll. Who's rapping over accordions in hip-hop? Weird Al Yankovic, (so it's just) Us and Weird Al.
HipHopDX: The song “Nightmares” shows off you guys conceptual ability. Did you make songs like that just to show off your versatility, or did they just come out that way?
Pusha T: Mm-hmm. We had to show different aspects of the game, a lot of people don't do that. A lot of people just show one side of it, and say one type of thing all the time. There's a good and a bad side to everything, and you can't just sit there and glorify. That's why people love The Clipse, because you get a 360-degree view of what we're thinking about a situation and our lifestyle.
HipHopDX: On “Mr. Me Too,” you guys said, “Sorry for the fans, but them crackas wasn't playin' fair at JIVE.” Are they playing fair now?
Pusha T: Never fair! They'll never be fair. You've got to chalk that up to the game.
HipHopDX: Papoose just signed a $1.5 million deal with them. How do you feel about that, considering the drama you guys just went through?
Pusha T: Papoose is doing it, it might be a good move for him. I don't know what he wants out of this hip-hop. But if he's got that, he's doing it.
HipHopDX: If you guys wanted to deliver one message with this album, what would it be?
Pusha T: We hate the motherfuckers we work for.
Read HipHopDX's review of Hell Hath No Fury here
HipHopDX: Your We Got It 4 Cheap mixtapes have really helped blow you guys up, and given you respect that wasn't there with your first album, Lord Willin'. What do you think those mixtapes gave listeners that your album didn't?
Pusha T: The mixtapes compared the original records that their favorite rappers had rapped on, and we rapped on it. I think we did a better job than a lot of the other MCs had done on those beats, and people just declared us the winner.
HipHopDX: With the new album, you told The Neptunes to make their beats completely different than they had before. But with Lord Willin', the formula that they had already done worked really well. What made you take this approach and do things differently?
Pusha T: We just wanted to come out be totally different from everything else out there in the industry. The Neptunes work with a lot of people, so in our eyes, that's going to always be our claim to fame. With other people working with them, we had to have the new distinct sound. Those are two producers that always have a lot of hits on radio, and they've always got records that people are going to be able to hear. People definitely need to be able to differentiate between us and them.
HipHopDX: Do you think that after the first album, that you guys were just viewed as some Neptunes proteges?
Pusha T: For sure, people looked at us as Neptunes proteges the first time around. Little did they know.
HipHopDX: I haven't heard the album yet, but I heard that the track “Keys Open Doors” was crazy...
Pusha T: “Keys Open Doors” is definitely my favorite record. It is the essence of hip-hop, it is boom bap, it is dungeon, gutter. And the name of the song alone is better than most rap verses, as far as the play on words. “Keys Open Doors.” It has an accordion in it. We just took some obscure things, and just roll. Who's rapping over accordions in hip-hop? Weird Al Yankovic, (so it's just) Us and Weird Al.
HipHopDX: The song “Nightmares” shows off you guys conceptual ability. Did you make songs like that just to show off your versatility, or did they just come out that way?
Pusha T: Mm-hmm. We had to show different aspects of the game, a lot of people don't do that. A lot of people just show one side of it, and say one type of thing all the time. There's a good and a bad side to everything, and you can't just sit there and glorify. That's why people love The Clipse, because you get a 360-degree view of what we're thinking about a situation and our lifestyle.
HipHopDX: On “Mr. Me Too,” you guys said, “Sorry for the fans, but them crackas wasn't playin' fair at JIVE.” Are they playing fair now?
Pusha T: Never fair! They'll never be fair. You've got to chalk that up to the game.
HipHopDX: Papoose just signed a $1.5 million deal with them. How do you feel about that, considering the drama you guys just went through?
Pusha T: Papoose is doing it, it might be a good move for him. I don't know what he wants out of this hip-hop. But if he's got that, he's doing it.
HipHopDX: If you guys wanted to deliver one message with this album, what would it be?
Pusha T: We hate the motherfuckers we work for.
Read HipHopDX's review of Hell Hath No Fury here
