6 Things We Learned From the 20 Years of 'Lord Willin' With Clipse ComplexCon Panel
Pusha-T, No Malice, Steven Victor, and FamLay join host Andrew Barber to look back on the 20th anniversary of Clipse's historical debut album, 'Lord Willin.'
Image via Complex Original
It’s been two decades since The Clipse put Virginia Beach on the map, solidified their familial chemistry, and made lunchroom history with their debut studio album, Lord Willin.
Produced by the Neptunes, Pusha-T and No Malice released the project through Arista’s Star Trak Records shortly after their release from their deal with Elektra. At that point, in 2002, they had been operating as Clipse for roughly 10 years, but their initial debut Exclusive Audio Footage was shelved. They set the streets on fire with their lead single “Grindin;” it was one of the defining rap songs of the early aughts, synonymous with cafeteria jam sessions across the country thanks to its iconic beat. Lord Willin would go on to debut at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 200 and solidify the duo. Legend has it that Pharrell even almost gave the “Grindin” beat to Jay-Z.
In a ComplexCon(versation) with hip-hop historian Andrew Barber, Push confirmed the rumor that they were only given 15 minutes saying, “We got there in 7 [minutes].”
20 years later, Lord Willin still stands as a reflection of uncompromising southern sound. From Push and No Malice trading bars on every track to impressive features from Fam-Lay, Faith Evans, Fabolous, Jadakiss, and more, Clipse’s debut project has stood the test of time. At ComplexCon 2022, the two brothers are joined by FamLay, and Steven Victor to reflect on how it all happened.
Here are some of the most interesting things we learned from the 20 Years of Lord Willin With Clipse panel.
Clipse Considered Signing With No Limit
Before aligning with Arista and Star Trak Records, Clipse was signed to Elektra. In 1999, they released their single “The Funeral,” which was meant for their original debut, Exclusive Audio Footage. When that single flopped commercially and the album was shelved, Pharrell helped the duo get out of their deal so that they could pursue other options. Today, Push and No Malice revealed that one of those options was Master P’s No Limit Records. “We definitely entertained signing to No Limit,” Push said. “Just being fans of [Master] P and what they had going on. Being fans of that whole independent wave and the impact they had.”
LA Reid Threatened Label Staff if They Didn’t Start Promoting “Grindin” More
“Grindin” was an immediate street classic, but it didn’t take the charts by storm as quickly. The single debuted at No. 30 on the Billboard Hot 100, but LA Reid knew the song was amazing and should’ve been pushed better by the label. Push recalled overhearing a conversation during an Arista marketing meeting—which is a subsidiary of Universal Music Group—where the music executive threatened to fire the entire staff if they didn’t begin promoting the single properly: “I stumbled across a marketing meeting, and this was the meeting where they go over what’s on the roster,” Push told Complex. “LA Reid was in there, and he pointed to this paper and was like, ‘And this! This record has so many spins on the radio, and I know we didn’t spend any money on it or haven’t done anything. Matter of fact, if you don’t get record up on the charts, heads gon’ roll, I’m firing the whole staff!’”
No Malice Originally Told Pharrell That He Couldn’t Rap on the “Grindin” Beat Because He Thought It Was ‘Minimal'
Despite “Grindin” being the track that catapulted the Clipse to mainstream appeal, No Malice wasn’t sold on the beat at first. With a regretful chuckle, the rapper revealed that his first impression of the beat was that it “needed something else,” and told Pharrell he wasn’t sure if he could rap over it. “I hate admitting that now, but at that moment I didn’t understand it,” No Malice recalled. “I remember trying to tell Pharrell, ‘It sounds too minimal, it needs something else.’ But I wrote to it twice because of that.”
FamLay Rapped and Recorded Professionally for the First Time on “FamLay Freestyle”
Longtime friend and fellow rapper FamLay is the only feature artist to get his own solo song on Lord Willin. The Norfolk rapper made a cameo appearance in the music video for “Grindin,” but when Pusha and No Malice tapped him to record his verse for “FamLay Freestyle,” it was his first time ever rapping or recording professionally. “I remember when we were recording, I was rapping and T was like, ‘That’s 16 [bars],’ FamLay said light-heartedly as he remembered struggling to fit all of his rhymes in the structure of the song. “I was like, ‘Damn, I didn’t even get to all my good stuff yet.’ So we had to kind of piece it together as I figured it out.”
Pharrell Would’ve Given Clipse Busta Rhymes’ “Pass the Courvoisier” Beat If They Asked for it
There are certain perks that come with working closely with legendary producers like Neptunes, one of which is having access to a bountiful vault of beats that they were making for all kinds of talent like Jay-Z, Foxy Brown, Usher, and more. Clipse got first pickings to most of the beats they wanted, but they did end up missing out on snagging the beat that would end up becoming “Pass the Courvoisier”—all because they didn’t ask.
“I told him we wanted ‘Pass the Courvoisier,” No Malice said. “And [Pharrell] was like, ‘Man, you should’ve told me. I would’ve gave it to y’all.’ But by that time, Busta already had it. I love that beat.”
A Clipse Reunion Album Could be on the Horizon
The question everyone had coming into the anniversary panel was “What’s the future of the Clipse?” When Andrew Barber finally asked them tonight, the duo didn’t give him a direct answer, but they also didn’t shut the idea down. “The Clipse live forever,” No Malice said immediately. When asked if the door was still open for another Clipse tape, he said, “I mean, come on man,” with a snicker. Fans aren’t the only ones who want another Clipse project, either. Steven Victor was also on stage egging the duo on and saying that he wanted them to return with another classic. “It was a good try,” No Malice said after Barber attempted to get more information out of him. At least we know the door isn’t closed.