It’s been a lot of fun to see the Clipse comeback owning the music media.
When I was 23, I signed Clipse to the boutique talent agency I was working at. Soon after, their album went #2 on the Billboard Charts. That year, we went on The Grindin’ Street Tour; a Nelly Arena Tour produced by Al Haymon; a Jay-Z European Tour; Tommy Hilfiger’s Spring Break in Jamaica; and a 50 Cent college run. Eventually, they switched management and I slowly got fired and replaced by their new manager’s brother’s inhouse booking agency.
It was a crazy business then and it’s a different kind of crazy now, but it will always be a miracle to see a new artist on the scene hit as big and as quickly as the Clipse did. We built their live strategy from the beginning to be focused on touring secondary & tertiary markets, working with credible, blue chip promoters, and doing high profile live shows. There’s a reason they have such die hard fandom and continue to be a highly touted live act to this day.
These guys gave me my first big break in the business, and countless memories and experiences that I am eternally grateful for. Over the years, every time Malice sees me, he calls me the original Don Dada. Not many artists name their booking agent in their album artwork, but Clipse did that for me on Lord Willin’. Needless to say, they’ve had a lot of agents come and go since.
Here we are, 23 years later, with that gold plaque following me from office to office, and Clipse are the last great rap duo standing and haven’t lost a step. Pusha has always been in my top 5 MCs, even when it was controversial to say that. Over the past decade he’s kept trailblazing despite his brother’s absence. To see them come out on the other side, together creatively and spiritually, and deliver the reunion album we all wanted to see, makes me so, so happy.
As you can imagine, I’ve studied the rollout. The press tour has been a master class: from the depth, breadth, and timing of the press selections to the slow burn of the videos and feature leaks. I was worried that when it finally dropped, it could fizzle, but even Lil Bieber’s surprise album, Bad Bunny’s groundbreaking hometown shows, Morgan Wallen taking Miami by storm, and Bitcoin marching to all-time highs couldn’t get in the way of Clipse and their brilliant manager, Steven Victor, who knows how to dominate the news cycle with taste and grace. The mainstream press headlines couldn’t be better and they did it all while staying true to form, without chasing any funky livestreamers or trends. Even if this doesn’t hit #1 on the charts, they’ve returned to the epicenter of our hip-hop hearts with a bullet.
To boot, the brothers gave new depth to their maniacal, marvel characters. They took the mask off, going deeper and more personal than we’ve seen, and somehow finding new stories to tell of their relationships, families, experiences, and connection to God.
Clipse’s brand of rap is a testament to staying relevant in every age, not unlike mafia movies do. Let God Sort Em Out is so nostalgic but still so fresh; so culturally specific but so relatable; so risky but so comforting. I appreciate the music, the lyrics, and the depth of emotion. Sir Pharrell’s beats were made in his office at Louis Vuitton, but they sound like the streets of Virginia Beach.
Everyone wants their life to be a movie, but Clipse gave us a major motion picture. In a world where new music comes and goes so quickly, this project will unquestionably have staying power. The tour will go bananas and I’m expecting a Grammy nomination if not a W. The cream always rises and we all love a good villain. The summer’s hottest record got it snowing in July!
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Jesse Kirshbaum
Co-Founder of Nue
