Rap and noise are coming together out in LA and it has nothing to do with parental complaints, although keep ya parents away from overhearing this teaser video. The trio of Clipping is comprised of Jonathan Snipes from ravesploitation duo Captain Ahab, William Hutson of Rale, and Daveed Diggs on the mic. Clipping operates in a zone not quite the in-the-red of Death Grips but smart enough to not join forces with Tom Morello in faux-militant uniforms. Far from susceptible to the scarlett letter of “rap rock”, Clipping is a truce in turf that is becoming less forced and painful with the passing years.
Our introduction came with “Killer”, a minimalist composition that threatens to split wide open but elects to whisper “you ain't a killer” like it's egging us on. On “Bout That” Clipping is Daveed Diggs exercising the rap demons from his skull with all the frustrations of the city delivered in steady rapid fire. It's not an endorsement of “that life”, but it ain't knocking the hustle. Where Rat King is built from the haunted past of no wave New York, Clipping seeks a similar kinship in LA's lingering, but often under-appreciated noise scene. With “Bout That” functioning as a single, the raucous is in hibernation, but based on the bleeding pulse in the teaser video, it sounds as though Clipping has a deafening side.
Clipping's debut is out February 5. Here more from Clipping on Bandcamp.
