#clipping

Holy shit.

Clipping is incredible live

Dead Channel Sky by Clipping

Actual wizardry. Their heavily experimental style with inexplicable pop appeal invites comparison to Death Grips, but I find that they address my main criticism of the latter. I love Death Grips, but MC Ride is often buried in the mix in a way I don't like. clipping never approaches this, Diggs is undeniably the centerpiece of this unsettling soundscape envisioning criminal life through a series of horror-oriented vignettes. These vignettes, in which Diggs is always a narrator, not a character almost seem to tell an chronological, overarching story through unrelated characters. The lyrics paired with Diggs' enthralling delivery of them and the minimalist production setting a scene behind them create such a complete atmosphere in spite of (or perhaps because of) the limitation of never saying "I" in lyrics. In another group's hands this could lead to feeling disconnected, but the detailed yet approachable lyrics pull you in, crafting believable situations, and placing "you" in them.

Standout Tracks

Intro and Get Up. Only a truly elite MC could make such appealing tracks over an unaccompanied dentist drill or alarm clock

Body and Blood is absolutely infectious, that pounding bass only letting up for an equally driving chorus

Inside Out is the finest example of Diggs' lyricism, the focus on tiny details as if looking around as time is stopped, its so good

Story 2 is one of my favorite hip hop tracks ever, the gimmick of counting up meters is absolutely enthralling

I appreciate their commitment to ending albums with performances of avant-garde "instructive" music, but I don't like Williams Mix due to my huge aversion to musique concrète and John Cage specifically.

Honorable mentions: Every other track except Tonight and Dominoes, which are painfully cliché (yes I know Tonight is on purpose and I get the joke)

Cover Art

would love a beginner’s guide for getting into clipping?

any recs/suggestions wld be greatly appreciated😋

Hey there hi there ho there!

Oh that's such a personal journey, but I'll do my best to give you some useful options.

Depending on your personal preferences, I would start by listening to CLPPNG (I would argue their most 'accessible' album, as it's not as harsh as Midcity, and has quite a wide variety of styles since it's not tied to one contained concept) here Or if you're feeling like a narrative, and/or sci-fi, start with Splendor & Misery here Or if horror's your jam, There Existed an Addiction to Blood here

And once you're into the style, go back to bandcamp and listen through (and buy) all the albums, each is distinct and interesting in its own right. Also, I would suggest reading along on genius - even if English is your native language, it's easy to miss out on their lyrical artistry.

For an overview and mildly detailed introduction into their process and history, here's a good interview from 2 years ago.

If you wanna scroll my own descent into obsession, here's a decade of posts in chronological order, feat. a glut of performances and interviews and social media silliness.

I happen to already have uploaded the media I possess from around the time of the Splendor & Misery release for use in the upcoming anniversary, so feel free to download from my proton. (For personal viewing only, please.) I still have a crapton of stuffs saved over the years on my harddrive, so if you can't find something specific, it's likely that I have it and am happy to upload.