On the heels of receiving ample recognition for his finest work as a solo MC, G.O.O.D. Music rapper Pusha T announced last week that not only was he planning to release a follow-up solo project, but also he intends on reuniting with his brother Malice and The Neptunes for a new joint project.
News of a Clipse reunion excited rap fans from coast to coast, especially considering King Push is riding high coming into 2014. His 2013 album My Name Is My Name (word to Marlo) was critically acclaimed and garnered “best rap album of 2013” status from several media outlets.
Sidebar: Though we never did a Tale Of The Tape for it, MNIMN was dope. Short, but very dope.
Just as hysteria began to set it though, Pusha intervened and tempered that excitement a bit in a recent interview.
Pusha T went solo after the duo released 2009’s Til The Casket Drops; the only thing that ended up dropping for the Clipse though was their album sales. The record had decent reviews and featured some moderately successful singles (“Kinda Like A Big Deal”, “Popular Demand (Popeyes)” & “I’m Good”), however it failed to grab hold of the public and made it hard to justify another joint endeavor.
While the always more charismatic Pusha T would eventually link up with Kanye West to help revive his career, the more reserve Malice faded into relative obscurity. He released a book, changed his rap name to “No Malice” and found God. No Malice then proceeded to launch his Christian rap career, even collaborating with some of the sub-genre’s most well known artists, such as Lecrae. He then worked for three years on his Christian rap debut album Here Ye Him, which finally dropped last August. No Malice recently promoted his latest video “Bury That” on 106 & Park.
The prospects of a new Clipse album produced by Chad & Skateboard P is compelling enough to make the whole rap world stop and listen. But the merger of two respected lyricists, with half of the group firmly committed to making hip-hop that glorifies Jesus, and the other who’s made a career of rhyming almost exclusively about the dope game (his name is Pusha for goodness sakes!!) could shake up the rap game in a way never before seen on this scale.
Though No Malice seems to shy away from the term “Christian rap” in his 106 appearance, he has made the distinct crossover into this lane, whether he’d care to admit it or not. But linking up with one of the premiere MCs in the game who happens to be at the highest point in his career (as well rejoining produces with the talent and pedigree of The Neptunes) could significantly raise the profile of Christian rap. Pusha T’s status and connections to some of the hottest acts in rap alone could open doors for No Malice (after all, keys open doors, right?), and other Christian rappers he’s affiliated with. If nothing else, it would be a stern test of Pusha’s true influence on the culture.
“My music, straight up and down, is street hip-hop— it just glorifies Jesus.”, No Malice emphatically told Bow Wow in his interview. This however, is a stark contrast to his little brother’s message on MNIMN, where he proceeds to spit rhymes such as, “I might sell a brick on my birthday/36 years of doing dirt like it’s Earth Day”. Though he’s been on fire of late, nobody has ever praised Pusha for his diversified content. Materialism is rampant on his latest album and few rappers have ever glorified the dope game as much as him.
While the “good vs. evil” dynamic has been done before, never would it take on such a tangible form if the Clipse were to take this angle and run with it. Pusha T’s stature in the game can give No Malice a better platform to deliver his message, while No Malice’s subject matter can give new breadth to Pusha T, who might not want to come back stagnant on his next LP.
The idea that Terrence & Gene (yes, those are their governments), two brothers could serve as the proverbial angel and devil on each rap fan’s shoulder should energize any rap fan. And there’s no way they haven’t already thought about it, especially if Chad & P laces them with production like this.
Time will tell whether or not it happens, but 2014 will be much worse off if a Clipse reunion doesn’t come to fruition.