1. “Speak of Freedom”
Produced By Sean C & LV
Complex Says: An intense start to the album, the erratic, rapid-fire drums and guitar stabs create the perfect atmosphere for the duo’s urgent verses, ending with a distorted, angry rant: “Do I entertain you, motherfucker?”

2. Popular Demand (Popeyes) f/ Cam’ron
Produced By The Neptunes
Complex Says: The collaboration everyone’s been waiting for definitely does not disappoint, with all three coke-friendly rappers in tight competition for the best verse. Production-wise, Pharrell and Chad drop a piano-heavy, mid-tempo neck-snapper that has a similar vibe to their recent Jay-Z cut “So Ambitious.”

3. “Kinda Like a Big Deal” f/ Kanye West
Produced By DJ Khalil
Complex Says: The so-called “street single” leaked from the album leaked back in April. Refresh your memory:

4. “Showin’ Out” f/ Yo Gotti
Produced By The Neptunes
Complex Says: A quick crunch of reversed snare drums (á la “Paul Revere”) and horn synths featuring an unexpected collabo with the slept-on Memphis MC that makes perfect sense. Show ’em out, Lil’ Daddy!

5. “I’m Good” f/ Pharrell
Produced By The Neptunes
Complex Says: This one’s the “official” single, complete with music video and requisite Rick Ross remix. Listen:

6. “There Was A Murder”
Produced By DJ Khalil
Complex Says: Clipse take it to the islands with this reggae-tinged track from Khalil about killing informants. Pusha even tries his hand at a little Patois flavor without completely embarrassing himself.

7. “Door Man”
Produced By The Neptunes
Complex Says: Possibly the closest thing to a Down South ballin’ record the duo has ever made—Pharrell comes through with an unexpectedly hard 808 thump, and the hook features a memorable boast: “Put my money on the roof and crush this bitch!”

8. “Never Will It Stop” f/ Ab-Liva
Produced By Sean C & LV
Complex Says: Sandman might have left, but the remaining Re-Up Gang member still holds it down on this tough-talkin’ organ and synth banger. Throughout the album, Sean C & LV’s signature live instrumentation meshes surprisingly well with the Neptunes’ current sound.

9. “Eyes On Me” f/ Keri Hilson
Produced By The Neptunes
Complex Says: Originally rumored to be the second “official” single, we’re not really sure now since it leaked back in June. Definitely one designed for the clubs, but it’s dope hearing P&M switch their flows up like this regardless. Listen:


10. “Counseling” f/ Nicole Hurst
Produced By The Neptunes
Complex Says: Like a lot of recent Neptunes stuff, this easy-going joint about relationships uses drums that hark back to the thump of classic ’90s East Coast hip-hop, mixing them with a more modern gradient synth sound.

11. “Champion”
Produced By The Neptunes
Complex Says: An 808-filled victory lap that features Pusha going back and forth with a female on the hook. The assault of snares on part of the beat definitely sounds similar to Lil Wayne’s “A Milli.” No shots!

12. “Footsteps”
Produced By DJ Khalil
Complex Says: Clipse go auto-tune? Don’t worry, Pusha and Malice don’t use the effect, but hookmaster Kobe (who’s also done tracks with Fabolous and Paul Wall) checks in on this joint about their trend-setting status.

13. “Life Change”
Produced By The Neptunes
Complex Says: The album’s most introspective track closes things out with a slower synth chord progression and some harrowing verses about getting out of the crime life. “Last night, what I seen made my life change.”

*BONUS* “I’m Good (Remix)” f/ Rick Ross
Produced By The Neptunes
Complex Says: The official remix, with all-new verses. This is now our favorite Clipse song ever, thanks to Pusha’s line “G.I. Joe wrap my body on that Complex cover.” We’re so vain! Listen below:

RELATED: Clipse x Complex: The Full Cover Story & Behind-The-Scenes Video

ALBUM: Love The Future

SOUNDS LIKE: Pop-rock made by kids who love hip-hop

FUN FACT: Chester French’s founding members D.A. Wallach (left) and Maxwell Drummey named the group after the American sculptor Daniel Chester French, who designed the statue of Abraham Lincoln at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C.

WHY COMPLEX IS CO-SIGNING IT: Anyone who can get Pharrell Williams and Kanye West into a bidding war is worth taking a listen to. (For the record, Skateboard P won.) First featured on Entourage, the two Harvard University grads have been making music together ever since their freshman year in 2003. After signing with Star Trak, the duo in recent months have toured on and off with acts such as N*E*R*D and Lady Gaga and performed at SXSW. They’ve also released a free mixtape—Jacques Jams Vol. 1: Endurance—on their website that has artists like Pharrell, Bun B, Talib Kweli, Jadakiss, Diddy, Jermaine Dupri and Wale rapping over their instrumentals. Even if its genre isn’t your thing, Love The Future is accessible pop-rock with a hip-hop sensibility.

To promote their new album, which drops today, Maxwell and D.A. came by the office to give an exclusive track-by-track breakdown of Love The Future. Check out their behind-the-scenes stories and listen to snippets from the new LP below…

Interview by Andrew Rivera and Reginal Thomas

“Introduction”

D.A.: We did this song in Portuguese because we were struggling to find a lyric in English that wouldn’t make it super cheesy.

“C’mon (On My Own)”

MAX: Every now and then you’re in the studio pumping some high and you’re really feeling your manhood and shit and you’ve just got to make a cock-rock anthem. We were tired of making cock-block anthems.

“Bebee Buell”

MAX: We were wrapping up some recordings and were re-doing a few things and I woke up early one morning and made a demo of that verse riff and hated it like real bad. Then D.A. heard it and was like, “That’s super hot, lets make that!” and I was like, “No…”

D.A.: We got into a screaming match because of it.

“The Jimmy Choos”

MAX: That was one of the first songs we made. In our dorm there was a bell tower and at the top of it there is this room with no heat or air conditioning and Leonard Bernstein’s piano in it. So we got a bunch of Adderall and a loaf of bread and locked ourselves in there for probably 20 hours…it sucked…it was really a terrible night.

“Time to Unwind”

D.A.: The working title for this song was “Chuck” because we got the vibe for this song from this dude named Chuck Jackson.

MAX: I was at the studio for like two or three days with that song and I remember getting breakfast at 10 and saw my friends and asked them to come check it out and make sure it didn’t suck.

“Fingers”

D.A.: Recording the vocals on that was one of the more agonizing things on the album, because we had already recorded the piano and the rhythm was there but it wasn’t to a click and those notes were hard for me to hit. It’s about liking a girl in a non-threatening way.

“Country Interlude”

Max: That was a stupid song to make. When we first presented the album to Pharrell and Chad we left that off because we thought they were going to have beef with it. As soon we were done playing it for them, Pharrell was asked, “Why don’t you put that super slow one on it?” And we were like, “Alright cool!”

“Beneath The Veil”

D.A.: It started kind of as a joke like, what if we did a country song, and we ended up liking it and we just went with it.

Max: I had this awesome tap dancer and choreographer come in and she tapped for me for like three hours and I basically sampled her tapping. I paid her like $50.

“Neal”

Max: We saw the Idlewild trailer and heard the song “PJ and Rooster,” and we were like that song is awesome and we should make some shit that’s on that vibe.

D.A.: I was obsessed with the lyric when [Andre 3000] says, “I had a lot of time on my hands. Now I gotta lot of hands on my time, and everybody wanna be a friend of mine.” Then you have the piano going there and it sounds sick as fuck. I wish that whole album had all been like that song because I was like, “Oh, shit they’re gonna make a country album that sounds like it’s in space!” and they didn’t.

“Not Over You”

Max: I was like, I’m going to play this melody at the end of the song, it’s going to be super-sweet, so I went out and bought this theremin and went to the studio and those shits are hard to play. It was a hard learning experience.

“She Loves Everybody”

D.A: Neal Pogue mixed our album and told us it was cool but we needed some hit songs cause there are no hit songs. So then we went and did “Neal” and “She Loves Everybody.” That’s the one everybody got behind and that’s why it’s the single.

“Sleep”

D.A.: Last song we wrote. We were vacationing in the Caribbean, the drum pattern was inspired by “Takeover,” the Jay-Z song.

[CLICK HERE TO BUY THE MP3 ALBUM ON AMAZON FOR ONLY $7.99!]

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.

RAPPER: JERU THE DAMAJA
O.G. PRODUCER: DJ PREMIER

BEFORE: “Come Clean”

AFTER: “99.9 Pa Cent” (Produced by Jeru)

Verdict: Pras said it best in his Damaja dis: “Without Premier, you couldn't sell it.” When Pras is dissing you, you know you got a problem.

RAPPER: COMMON
O.G. PRODUCER: NO I.D.

BEFORE: “Resurrection”

AFTER: “The Light” (prod. by Jay Dee)

Verdict: We have much love for Dilla (R.I.P.) and the track has its merits, but Com's post-No-I.D. sound is altogether soft like Twinkie filling. With a sleeveless turtleneck on top.

RAPPER: RAEKWON
O.G. PRODUCER: RZA

BEFORE: “Criminology” (feat. Ghostface Killah)

AFTER: “Live From New York” (prod. by Infinite Arkatechz)

Verdict: The sad thing is, “Live From New York” is leagues better than most rap out today. But it's severely lacking when compared with any track off Cuban Linx.

RAPPER: SNOOP DOGG
O.G. PRODUCER: DR. DRE

BEFORE: “Gin and Juice”

AFTER: “Snoop's Upside Ya Head” (prod. by DJ Pooh)

Verdict: His longevity has proven that Snoop can rhyme (or sing) well over virtually anything, but his entire Dre-free sophomore album was a major letdown. Probably his worst album to date.

RAPPER: T.I.
O.G. PRODUCER: DJ TOOMP

BEFORE: “U Don't Know Me”

AFTER: “You Know What It Is” (Produced by Wyclef & Jerry Wonder)

Verdict: T.I. vs. T.I.P. is the only T.I. album without a DJ Toomp joint. It's no coincidence that it's also the worst T.I. album. The lesson? As always, never fuck with Wyclef. Thankfully, Toomp has a joint on Paper Trail.

RAPPERS: CLIPSE
O.G. PRODUCER: THE NEPTUNES

BEFORE: “Grindin'”

AFTER: “My Life's the Shit” (Produced by Illfonics)

Verdict: We fucks with a couple tracks on the new LP, but overall we can't get past the ABC production. Yo P'your boys need help.