Boasting a sly, mischievous smirk, Malice, 1/2 of Clipse, the realest rhyme duo since Mobb Deep is sitting in SIR Studios in Midtown Manhattan, answering his label rep’s questions-with hesitation. His virtual answers will be posted on www.arista.com, and he wants to make sure they sound aiight. Performing at The VMAs with Justin Timberlake? “That was our largest audience so far. It was a good look. We like it grimier though.” Dealing with women? “I don’t.” Hobbies? “I like to ride in my Mercedes Benz X5, steel gray.” That’s where he writes his rhymes and listens to CDs ranging from B.G.-“Chopper City In The Ghetto is my joint. That is so real.”-to Alien Ant Farm. The group’s name, Clipse? “As in Full Eclipse. We’re throwing some shade on the industry, casting a shadow.” Later Malice adds, “Pusha says it’s because we’re both black as a b***h. Terror Squad had a crew called Full Clips Crew like gun clips and we didn’t want to step on their toes because I’m sure they had it first.” When asked to sign off, Malice shouts out his MC a.k.a, Malicious. Far from fitting that description, Malice has a sweet, boy-next-door demeanor. “Malicious goes way back,” he explains. “The way I attack them tracks. When I was coming up, rhyming and freestyling, I thought Malice was appropriate. If you ask a few people, they would say it’s very fitting, even though you may look at me and can’t tell. I’m a cool guy but I get backed into that corner and that’s when the beast comes out.”
So Malice doesn’t deal with women? “Of course, who don’t love women?” he questions. “I got my wife. She’s been in my corner and been very supportive of the whole rap game. Before the deal, before the rap thing took place, she was like do what you gotta do. She held it down and worked. She told me I didn’t have to work when I got out of the army. She had my back. Not many women are gonna give you the room or let you believe in your dream or support you, especially something that may seem as far-fetched as becoming an entertainer or rapper” Like Shaggy and Mystikal, Malice has spent time in the barracks. “The army was what it was,” he says. “I needed money I could depend on real quick. 2 years, 23 weeks. Not a second longer.” And like Jay-Z and Beanie, he has also spent time on the block. According to a recent XXL article, it was his grandma that put him up on what was up. “My grandmother just sat me down and said she wasn’t happy with what she read. It exposed too much. I respect what my grandma said. The whole drug-selling thing was where we were at a little bit before Elektra after we lost the deal It was easy I guess. What came to mind. Let me tell you something. You meet the best connects with the best prices in this game. We don’t do that now so we’ll see where the next album takes us.”
With their debut Lord Willin’, Clipse accomplished what Philly’s Most Wanted couldn’t. “You gotta know that we come up with the Neptunes,” the street vet points out. “We’re best friends. We’re all from the same area in VA. We work really well together and if you listen to the album, you can tell that we’re a close-knit family. Philly’s Most Wanted is real talented. We got a lot of respect for them. They happened to come out first. That’s how the game works. We’ve been patient. And our time is trying to come around right now. So it’s all good.” Knowing the Neptunes also produced Philly’s entire album, is it good fortune, great timing or ridiculous skills (or all three) that made Clipse blow. “The secret is grooming,” Malice assures. “Being involved in anything you do for a while. It’s better when you have to work hard for something as opposed to it just falling in your lap. They didn’t just throw us to the wall to see if we stick or not. We’ve been at this, been exposed to the industry and how it works. Clipse were groomed for this.”
“Coming into the game no one was giving us a fair chance,” Malice reveals. “We couldn’t get on any mix tapes. No one wanted to hear what we had to say so we were forced to stay to ourselves and so far it’s working. With the Neptunes, everything feels at home. Everything is at home. I don’t mind working with other producers, but I like our formula so I’m not really pressed to work with anyone else. We want to stay with what works.” And it is working. “We respect the hip-hop music that’s out. I can’t stand when someone says hip-hop ain’t what it used to be because everything changes. I think whatever it is you dislike or feel is missing from hip-hop, you can get in there and do what you think is different. Add to it but don’t just criticize what people are doing. That’s what I’m doing. I’m bringing to the table what I feel was missing.”
