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Preview Clipse’s ‘Road To Till The Casket Drops’ Mixtape

It’s been a chaotic couple years for Clipse. After signing a new deal with Columbia Records in 2007, Pusha T and Malice put their third LP Till The Casket Drops on hold to focus on releasing an independent album with their Re-Up Gang crew. The album came and went over the summer without much fanfare, which resulted in the departure of longtime crew member Sandman.

After all the distractions, we’re happy to see Clipse getting focused again. Their new clothing line Play Cloths is about to drop on November 21, and they’re currently finishing up their first mixtape in a year. Complex will be exclusively debuting the new mixtape Road To ‘Til’ The Casket Drops’ on December 1st. With the Columbia album finally being projected for a March 2009 release, this tape will be the first taste of what Pusha and Malice have been working on all this time. But for now, listen to (and download) the mixtape’s intro below…

When Rappers Break Up With Their Producers

Clipse can still rap their asses off, but there is something noticeably missing from the new Clipse Presents: The Re-Up Gang album, which dropped today. That something? Good beats. You see, we fucking love Pusha T and Malice over Neptunes production. But over Sleepwalkers (very apt name, btw) tracks? Eh…not so much.

Which got us thinking: this isn’t the first time a rap act has carved out a dope sound with a certain producer and then parted ways to dismal effect. After the jump, check out our compilation of those rappers and their respective before/after track records.

Trendhumper: Soccer Jerseys

“Who killin’ ‘em in the U.K.?”

The sports jersey game never really recovered from Jay-Z’s anti-throwback mandate in 2003, but there remains an unexploited frontier—the world of soccer uniforms (or “football kits,” to be more precise).

Pusha T rocks an all-black long-sleeve Manchester United kit in Clipse’s “Fast Life” video, making it one of the first times we’ve ever seen an American rapper wear a soccer uniform as a fashion statement. Hey, our dollar is useless and our economy’s fucked, might as well jump on the Euro bandwagon. Are you a fan of the soccer jersey swag? Vote on the trend below.

Kardinal Offishall & Clipse Set It Off

If we had to name two artists in hip-hop who are criminally slept-on, Kardinal Offishall and Clipse would probably be near the top of our list. The two first collaborated on “Grindin’ (Selector Remix)” in 2002, but things couldn’t be more different these days. Kardi is now signed with Akon’s Konvict Music, and Clipse are off Star Trak and trying to make their own way with a new Columbia deal.

On his new Clinton Sparks mixtape Limited Time Only, the Canadian MC premieres his new collabo with the Clipse, which will also appear on his upcoming album Not 4 Sale. The mixtape version only has Pusha’s verse, so we might have to wait for the album to hear what big brother Malice has to say. Listen to the song and download the mixtape below.

Wild For the Night

Call it the Complex convergence. Our June/July cover guy Nick Cannon invites our August/September cover dudes Pharrell and Clipse to perform their hit single, “Mr. Me Too” on this week’s episode of Wild ’N Out: Season 3, premiering tonight at 10PM on MTV.

We Have Liftoff…

Photography by Robert Maxwell

Pharrell Williams proves once again that he can “have it like that.” His solo debut In My Mind clocks in at #3 on the Billboard charts this week with sales of 147,000. Not too shabby for the guest editor of the Style & Design package in Complex’s August/September issue, which hits newsstands Aug. 15 with Skateboard P and his boys Clipse. Peep this exclusive Pharrell shot from the feature.