The Clipse, a Virginia duo, was a featured act at the world-renowned Kennedy Center on Friday, November 17th, further solidifying Hip Hop's place in mainstream culture. Like last week's Wale show, the audience was treated to a Hip Hop set by the group's tour DJ. After a video screen played some of their career highlights, Pusha T and No Malice finally took the stage to the adoration of a hyped crowd.
The group started their show with the banger "Popular Demand" from their last album to date, 2009's Til the Casket Drops. To my surprise, the group's verses from Birdman's "What Happened To The Boy" were up next, and I mentioned to my companion that I felt like I was back in a nightclub from my early twenties. Pusha T and Malice kept the energy going all night, performing hits from all three of their albums, which the crowd rapped along to word for word.
Highlights included radio singles such as "Mr. Me Too," "Wamp Wamp" (What It Do), "Cot Damn," and "When The Last Time." The duo also took to throw in the album tracks "Virginia," "Keys Open Doors," and "Momma I'm So Sorry." The night concluded with an energetic performance of "Grindin" followed by an encore of "I'm Good." It was also good to see Clipse affiliates Ab-Liva and Roscoe P. Coldchain on stage performing.
Overall, it was a decent night; however, a few mishaps hindered the show. For starters, the audio was terrible, and as a Kennedy Center regular, I knew the quality of their acoustics. I suspect the group didn't do a sound check and decided to wing it. While there were no boos, a few patrons did depart early on, and during high-energy songs, numerous attendees were sitting down. In addition, the popular songs "Ma I Don't Love Her" and "Kinda Like a Big Deal" were omitted from the setlist. Finaly nothing from Pusha T's impressive solo catalog was perfromed.
Although The Clipse has not released a new album in over a decade, they still maintain a solid fanbase. Hopefully, they will continue to tour.
Final Grade: B