Audiopagitica

Artist: clipping.

Album: CLPPNG


Genre: Noise Hop, Rap


Date: July 6
th
, 2014


The newest experimental hip hop outfit to come out of California represents an
interesting take on how established artists are taking on the genre. Clipping,
stylized as clipping., consists of bay area based rapper Daveed Diggs, producer
William Hutson, and soundtrack composer Jonathan Snipes. Prior to forming the
trio, each member participated in the arts. Diggs was a stage actor, while Hutson
and Snipes had worked together before on the soundtrack for Room 237. In 2011,
the trio wrote, recorded, mixed, and mastered the full length LP midcity, an
uncompromising album with coherent and straightforward ideas placed over a
sporadic, noisy, and loud backdrop. In 2014, theyve released their first album with
the label Sub Pop behind them.


Just to preface this, I most likely will say noisy a lot. Because thats what this
album is. Its noisy. Its loud and provocative. This is mainly done through Hutson
and Snipes interesting take on hip hop production. Their last release felt relentless
and sometimes stifling in its production. But CLPPNG is different. Its fluid and
pulsating, but can be distorted and rough around the edges. There is a level of
awareness that comes with the production; it knows when it needs to subside and
it knows when it needs to explode. This shift comes with being assisted by a label,
and it surprisingly aides the end product. I find myself being amazed about how
the duo behind production are able to transform a screech into a chainsaw, or
slightly alter it to act as a G-Funk whistle, or how the childrens chorus on
Dominoes would usually be soulful, feel bleak on CLPPNG. This album, as an
instrumental release, would be impressive on its own.


I dont mean to say Daveed Diggs is a bad rapper. He isnt. Often times he feels
like he carries the track on its own. He can sometime double (or triple) his speed
and it feels like the beat is trying to ride the flow that comes with his cadence and
speed. Songs like Taking Off has a slow beat stutter and stumble as it tries to keep
up with his themes, adding a jazz sample seamlessly into an already dark song
that adds a noir-like effect. His ability to weave interesting takes on previously
tread ideas feels fresh. Body and Blood takes a femme fatale literally with a NSFW
tweak, while Story 2 tells a story (shocking), but it differs from the track Story, from
midcity, by showing the life altering events first. As the story progresses, the tempo
with the story arc builds until it cascades with Diggs asking Why wont you just let
me die?! But for every positive aspect that Diggs adds, he takes two away. For
every self aware line Diggs spits, hell intentionally try too hard at being cryptic that
its off-putting. For every precise flow that has great chemistry with the production,
Diggs will make references that make him seem like hes trying to be the smartest
person in the room. I was actually surprised that someone was still talking about
Treyvon Martin, and that he would equate him to a patron saint.


But of all the hip hop groups to emerge from the west coast with experimental or
progressive themes, such as Odd Future or Death Grips, clipping. is the one with
its roots firmly in traditional hip hop. From the flow, to the themes of bloodshed
and clubbing, to the appearance of several underground or old school rappers,
clipping. stems from classical hip hop and has the ability to emulate if not recreate
the orthodox hip hop sound. This is done mainly through Diggs rapping ability and
lyricism. A portion of this album feels as if they were specifically made to be club
anthems. Body and Blood erupts with a hook chanting Twerk somethin girl, twerk
somethin girl, twerk somethin girl., while the radio single Work Work resembles
the motif of money making with Get that work/ Make that work work. And these
songs would work fine as singles, if that what they were trying to do. But it cant
be satirical. And from the rest of the album, Diggs tries to shift into a cryptic
intellectual whose thoughts of what life is like on the street, I can only gather that
the tracks that are more accessible are attempting to separate its from their
subject matter. But because Diggs does nothing intrinsically different on those
tracks, they themselves become what they try to mock. The derivative take on
singles isolates itself from being satirical in the first place. Thats not to say
theyre not entertaining or captivating, because they are, its just that they arent
that successful at what they strived to do if nobody can tell theyre doing it in the
first place. Even the featured artists on this album embellish the flaws. People like
Cocc Pistol Cree, King T, and Gangsta Boo show that clipping. is trying to stretch
further into more commercial sounding hip hop, but they feel out of place with the
clamorous and boisterous production.


And thats the biggest problem I have with this album. Its audacious, yes,
but because it tries to explore both the traditional and commercial aspect of hip
hop and the experimental abrasive side of hip hop, it ends up lacking as a whole. I
appreciated what this album tried to be, and it has interesting aspects. The
transition from Dream to Get Up to Or Die shows great cohesion between the
songs. And the tongue-in-cheek references to their previous work are done well
because they arent done blatantly. The forced duality to CLPPNG lacked the
resolute and tenacious edge midcity had, but its still an entertaining endeavor into
noise and hip hop.



BEST TRACKS: Intro, Body and Blood, Taking Off, Story 2, Dominoes

WORST TRACKS: Tonight, Dream,









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