Reviews Because I'm Bored: The Clipse Presn't: Re Up Gang

Drug rap aficionados The Clipse and their group the Re Up Gang have garnered an esteemed following (mostly on the internet but i digress) amongst hip hop fans, whether it be the near classic and under promoted "Hell Hath No Fury" or their much talked about "We Got It For Cheap" mixtapes, the fans have been behind them through their many ups...and downs.

Take for instance their recent upheaval from Jive records, to whom Pusha and Malice were locked into for years, into a more lucrative situation, with new management to boot!

With this bright future looming, its finally time for the brothers (pushing 30 years old along with the rest of their camp as it is) to make their name in the game.

This album is not the way to do it.

The Re Up Gang compilation is not an album but a redone compilation of We Got It For Cheap Part 3 with elementary, soulless, ultimately middling production (all done by some no names called "The Sleepwalkers"...seriously)

. Where were the big name producers Clipse promised us (Scott Storch, turn around)? are they being saved for the much more anticipated Clipse album?

I can understand that the instrumentals couldnt be carried over into a retail album, but for soul of their mixtapes to be unceremoniously ripped out and replaced with Fisher Price instruments is ultimately discouraging. This is the same Clipse more or less, but this isnt the same marriage of sound and lyrics that we know from them.

Starting off is the mediocre repackaging of the Re Up Intro, followed by....well songs that are mostly named similarly to the mixtape. there's "Street Money" (which sounds like the sleepwalkers stole the "Patron" instrumental from Yung Joc aand added the sound of gorillas having sex) and...uh..."Money". I would be repeating myself to try and re-review old songs, but It's worth noting that these songs arent bad, but they arent a accurate representation of the quality known of the Clipse, and even the skills we know from them are starting to get a little old.

The new songs, including first single "Fast Life", which features NONE of the rest of Re Up Gang..thanks guys, and "Been Through So Much" are also marred by the lazy, uninspired production. They leave you less likely to listen to what Pusha and Malice (or Sandman and Ab Liva where applicable) are saying and instead make you want to change the track.

For the Clipse to complain and exclaim about their "movement" being overlooked by more successful acts (such as Lil' Wayne), the fact is, in their first play in the big game, they fumbled, and this doesnt make the rest of their group look any good either. For what its worth, at least we have the new Clipse album to look forward to. If it releases this decade.