FLASHBACK FRIDAY: Clipse - Lord Willin

I was watching an interview with Drake the other day and he said that along with Kanye's Graduation, Clipe's debut album Lord Willin' is one of his favorite Rap CD's. I have to agree with Drizzy on this one.

The Virginia Hip-Hop duo released their first album in 2002, with their first single "Grindin' ". I KNOW we all remember this Neptunes production! It is arguably one of the best beats we've heard in the past 10 years. Even the video was pretty tough! The song created such a huge buzz that Clipse got Lil' Wayne, Birdman, N.O.R.E., and Sean Paul to hop on the remix.

Lord Willin' also had appearances from Faith Evans, Jermaine Dupri, Kelis, Jadakiss, and Styles P. I'd say that's pretty good for a group's first album. The follow-up single "When The Last Time" featured Pharrell, which was also pretty successful. Personally, my favorite record on the album is "Gangsta Lean".

I kept Lord Willin' in my CD player for a good 6 months because it was such a new sound in 2002. Clipse came out with a unique style, using many instrumentals with percussion and bass that artists had never used before. Lyrically, Malice and Pusha T never amazed many people, but the way they flow together distinguishes them from other Rap duos. Although I can't credit Clipse to putting Virgina on the map, I would say that they gave us a new perspective into the culture of the Virginia Beach Hip-Hop scene.