Complex Blog » Till The Casket Drops

Album Art Face Off: Battle Of The Clipse Covers

bfred — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:18:15 +0000

This morning, the cover art for Clipse’s long-awaited third album Till The Casket Drops leaked, and as promised, it features an illustration by art icon Brian “KAWS” Donnelly. Obviously, we prefer the cover that KAWS and Clipse created for the current issue of Complex (this one!), but we’re probably a little biased.

How do you think their new cover matches up against the illustration from their 2001 debut Lord Willin’ and the money-filled image from the 2006 follow-up Hell Hath No Fury? Learn more about each of Clipse’s covers and cast your vote for the best below…

ALBUM: LORD WILLIN’ (2001)
ILLUSTRATION BY: Vicki Berndt
DESIGN BY: Courtney Walter
For their official debut, the Thornton brothers went with an illustration that shows them riding through Virginia Beach with black Jesus in the back seat. Damn, he couldn’t get shotgun?

ALBUM: HELL HATH NO FURY (2006)
PHOTOGRAPHY BY: Jonathan Mannion
DESIGN BY: Courtney Walter
What better way to convey the crack music inside than by photographing Pusha and Malice with a kitchen stove? The international currency on the wall was definitely all obtained through legal channels.

ALBUM: TILL THE CASKET DROPS (2009)
ILLUSTRATION BY: KAWS
He’s already done cover art for all of their 2009 singles—“Kinda Like A Big Deal”, “All Eyes On Me” and “I’m Good”—and KAWS continues the up-close graphic motif on the official album art, which shows a pink casket and the artist’s signature X’s.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Album Preview: Clipse “Till The Casket Drops”

bfred — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 19:02:26 +0000

In case you couldn’t tell from our current Clipse cover story (yeah, this one), we’re pretty psyched for the return of Pusha T and Malice. Their long-awaited third album Till The Casket Drops is currently scheduled to drop on December 8, but Complex was lucky enough to hear a nearly-completed version of the album the other day. How do the Thornton brothers fare on their debut Columbia album, the first to feature producers outside of The Neptunes? Check out the complete track list and our initial thoughts on each song below…

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:

DOWNLOAD: New Clipse Single “I’m Good” Featuring Pharrell

bfred — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 15:49:36 +0000

Here it is! The official single from Clipse’s upcoming third album Till The Casket Drops, brought to you exclusively by Complex.com. Fans of Pusha and Malice’s previous releases will be happy to hear them reuniting with Pharrell over a classic Neptunes banger. The artwork (pictured above) was created by none other than KAWS, who is also working on the cover art for the group’s album, which is now slated to drop this September.

Shout out to Steven Victor for sending over the joint—it’s the first of two official singles that Clipse will be dropping in the next few weeks. Listen or download it below!

Clipse f/ Pharrell “I’m Good” (Produced by The Neptunes)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD “I’M GOOD” FROM SHAREBEE
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD “I’M GOOD” FROM MEDIAFIRE

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

bfred — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 18:14:57 +0000

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…

Clipse “Intro” [CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD IT]

from Road To Till The Casket Drops (Coming December 1st)

-For more info on Play Cloths, check out playcloths.com/blog.
-For more info on Clipse, check out reupgangrecords.net.