I’m in total awe of Clipse ‘s Hell Hath No Fury, the duo’s long-delayed second album (which Jessica Hopper wrote about this week; the “Everly Brothers of trap rap” open for Lil Wayne this Saturday). Endless rapping about slinging ‘caine and owning Louis Vuitton ain’t my thing, but Malice and Pusha T are inventive enough and have more than enough street charisma to make it all seem strangely compelling. The way Pusha T juggles braggadocio and paranoia on “Nightmares” is par for the course:
I make big money, drive big cars
Everybody know me, it’s like I’m a movie star
Virginia nights, selling hard white
To sellin’ out shows, every gangsta love my flow
Still I creep low, thinking niggers trying to harm me
Hoping my karma ain’t coming back here to haunt me
Was it that nigga, I took his powder with a smile
The album is also a major return to form for the Neptunes, who produced every track. There have been loads of strong hip-hop albums this year, but this one is the strongest.