195 words about the Clipse

“You can hop but you won’t always be hip,” noted flautist Andre 3000 once said of his decision to retire from rapping. But that hasn’t stopped these other dudes. Indeed, we now have a pantheon of old-man rap records, from Hov, Tribe, Nas, “Mount Westmore,” and so on, some better than others, all obstinately hopping while hipness wavers. The Clipse ought to be different — Pusha has released two great, innovative solo releases this decade — but the long-awaited reunion can feel anti-Clipse, peppered with mawkish musical ideas, laborious guest verses, and wince-inducing hooks. But while Pharrell seems to be tugging the Clipse toward Benson Boone, the Thornton brothers are pulling it toward EPMD, finding enormous pockets in ‘80s cadences that emphasize line after remarkable line. Frankly, our boys sound incredible, particularly on the fleet-footed acronym tracks in the record’s back half that seem to suggest a tighter 28-minute LP buried somewhere inside this one. We’ll never have that record — a certain amount of cheese is unavoidable in the old-man rap game — but I’m glad, despite everything, we got this one.