Clipse, the duo of brothers Pusha T and No Malice, reunited on stage Saturday night for Pharrell Williams‘ Something in the Waterfestival in Washington D.C. The last time the two gave a live performance as Clipse was in 2010, shortly after the release of their final album “Til The Casket Drops.”
Just as Justin Timberlake was exiting the stage after singing hits like “My Love” with T.I. and “Sexy Back,” as well as the Neptunes-directed “Señorita” and “Rock Your Body,” the crooner invited the reunited duo to deliver their guest verse on “Like I Love You.” Clipse remained onstage, opening their set with “Mr. Me Too,” followed by “What Happened to That Boy,” “Cot Damn” and concluding with “Grindin.’”
Pusha and Malice began their career together in 1992, performing together for 18 years before announced a split during their last live performance as a duo in 2010. However, the two have made somewhat of an unofficial reunion in recent years. They featured on Kanye West’s “Use This Gospel,” as a part of his 2019 album “Jesus is King” and most recently appeared on Nigo’s Neptunes-produced “Punch Bowl.”
Clipse’s 18-minute set was a part of the Pharrell & Phriends segment of the night which also included appearances by T.I. and N.O.R.E.
This year marks an active one for Clipse, as their original 1999 major-label debut album “Exclusive Audio Footage” was released for streaming for the first time earlier this May. In 1999, the pair had released a single called “The Funeral,” which had reportedly failed to make an impact on the charts and led Elektra to shelve the project, releasing Clipse from their contract shortly after.
Nevertheless, bootleg copies of “Exclusive Audio Footage” were sold and distributed for years after. The 20-track album, which was entirely produced by the Neptunes, features collaborations from N.O.R.E., Kelis and Kurupt. Not long after their Elektra deal crumbled, Pharrell signed Clipse to Artista Records via Star Trak Entertainment in 2001.
Pusha-T has also seen plenty of solo success as his new album, “It’s Almost Dry,” granted the rapper his first No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
