Finally, we have a new release from VA's finest, aka The Clipse. They have ridden a round robin of majors in the last couple years, tarrying at Jive and Arista before settling at Columbia for the short term. The Bros. Thornton are no fools, so it's been all about the licensing. The gents are affiliated with Star Trak and have their own Re-up imprint, which begs the question why they insist on bothering with a major in the first place, especially given their purported *ahem* entreprenurial acumen.Til The Casket Drops is an interesting (assumably Pyrex) kettle of fish. It's definitely a departure from the street rhyming of their early records and mix tapes, all bright and shiny and Jay-Z'd up. I'm not so crazy about the turn, although truth be told, Mal and Pusha still rhyme their asses off. A lot is being made of the departure from exclusively Neptunes beats, but don't think you're getting drastic departures when Khalil or Sean C are at the helm. Respect is due to all the parties here, but why they didn't choose a single Primo or Just Blaze beat is beyond me. I will give begrudging props to the Kanye track, but won't go so far as to say that I'm crazy about a fucking Cam'ron collabo. All in all, Til The Casket Drops is a decent record, but nothing here is going to knock Joell or Sean P off my playlists anytime soon.
R
