Lord Willin’ - Clipse (2002)

In case you were born during the George W Bush administration, or lived in a cave in the Hindu Kush in the early 2000s, it’s worth mentioning. The Neptunes, Pharrell Williams and and Chad Hugo, came out of Virginia as a superproducer team and basically created the dominant sound of pop and hip hop for several years. One of the early artists they worked with was a pair of brothers, Pusha T and Malice, aka Clipse. This is not necessarily a review of The Neptunes, but like a lot of Neptunes-produced records from this era, the production is notable and inseparable from the lyrical work.

The biggest innovation in records like this is pairing fun, throwback-y beats and rhythms with harder-edged lyrical themes. Rappers were show business by this time, and it had always been a fine line to walk between authenticity and pop appeal. Neptunes records like this one really blew away the distinction, bridging that gap of being fully present and legitimate in both worlds. The beats are hard, but they’re also accessible and danceable. They’re not rap shoe-horned into a pop context, but something new.

Tracks I Liked

Young Boy - As with a lot of tracks here, a fun and booming beat hides some serious lyrical pathos. You’d think it was joyous and nostalgic if you weren’t paying attention to the drug dealing narrative. At the same time, they embrace their past and don’t apologize for it.

When The Last Time - i suppose it’s possible not to move while listening, but I bet you can’t do it.