How ÔÇÿClipse Presents: Re-Up GangÔÇÖ Damn Near Ruined The GangÔÇÖs Legacy

Koch Records

I was blown away the first time I pressed played on We Got It For Cheap Vol. 2: The Black Card Era. As someone whoÔÇÖs always had an appreciation for lyric-driven rap, what the Re-Up Gang offered here is a veritable buffet of top notch lyricism. While itÔÇÖs always been understood that Malice and Pusha T were lyrical heavyweights, it seemed they took things to another level when paired with Philly brethren Ab-Liva and Sandman. Pusha especially, as he was widely though to be the weaker sibling before he kicked it up like five notches on this tape. Suffice it to say, thereÔÇÖs a reason this mixtape was voted as one of the best in 2005 and I wore my eardrums out listening to it.

When the third mixtape in the series, The Spirit of Competition, dropped, I died and went to heaven. Back when beat jackinÔÇÖ was still a thing, the Re-Up Gang were doing some serious damage to other peopleÔÇÖs instrumentals. They murdered Shawty LoÔÇÖs ÔÇ£Dey Know,ÔÇØ caught a few bodies on Jay-ZÔÇÖs ÔÇ£Roc Boys,ÔÇØ blacked out on PharrellÔÇÖs ÔÇ£Show You How to Hustle,ÔÇØ and put out one of the finest tracks in their entire catalog on Jim JonesÔÇÖ ÔÇ£Emotionless.ÔÇØ The pounding bass, brooding overtones, and Ab-LivaÔÇÖs verse all served for the perfect recipe to make ÔÇ£EmotionlessÔÇØ a classic record. To quote Jay-Z, ÔÇ£the shitÔÇÖs just mean, man.ÔÇØ

If it feels like IÔÇÖm spending a lot of time not talking about Clipse Presents: Re-Up Gang, this is intentional. In order to know why I was so disappointed in the album, one would have to understand the context in which I purchased it. When the crew said they were done with mixtapes and working on a new album, it mightÔÇÖve been the fourth happiest music day of my life. My hype was leveled up beyond reason until I heard the groupÔÇÖs first single, ÔÇ£Fast Life.ÔÇØ

Produced by Scott Storch, the song was an all Clipse affair as the single didn’t feature Ab-Liva or Sandman. Also, as much as it hurts to say, the song sucked. The lyrics werenÔÇÖt the problem, but Scott StorchÔÇÖs beat just didnÔÇÖt fit the Re-Up Gang’s aesthetic. It didnÔÇÖt feel like a Re-Up Gang record, it felt like an obvious shot at mainstream relevance. ThatÔÇÖs not to say that they shouldnÔÇÖt have tried to make a marketable record, but more so to say this was a piss poor attempt at that goal.

After giving out 60+ songs of lyrical fire over the previous four years, a poor single could be overlooked. What really burned my grits, however, was that I felt cheated when I heard the album. Earlier I talked about how much love I had for Vol. 3. ThereÔÇÖs still plenty to love about the tape, but not enough love to want to hear it again, over less impressive beats. By that I mean, some of the verses from Vol. 3 landed on the album and while they were awesome to hear in their original forms, I found it less awesome the second time around.

Songs like ÔÇ£Re-Up Gang Intro,ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Bring It Back,ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Emotionless,ÔÇØ and ÔÇ£Show You How to Hustle,ÔÇØ all show up in a re-purposed fashion. Some, like ÔÇ£Emotionless,ÔÇØ translated well but others werenÔÇÖt as endearing as they were when IÔÇÖd previously heard them. Truthfully, it really felt like a waste of money to pay for songs when thereÔÇÖs a superior version located elsewhere.

Even worse, the way the Clipse allegedly handled the album served as a direct catalyst for Sandman leaving the group. Sandman said he wasnÔÇÖt happy with ÔÇ£Fast LifeÔÇØ being the lead single and felt like they spent all that time grinding for nothing.┬áSo, not only did die-hard Re-Up fans get a pretty weak album after supporting the group for four years, Clipse Presents: Re-Up Gang was the last time the group starred the original cast of Liva, Sandman, Pusha, and Malice.

How a person feels about this album likely depends on how much they listening to Vol. 3. If one has never been exposed to The Spirit of Competition, then itÔÇÖs pretty likely theyÔÇÖll enjoy the album. If one heard the tape before they heard the album, however, the album might feel like a disappointment. For a group that gave fans a mixtape three-peat, this album defined the end of era more than it served as a testament to such a great legacy of music. And it’s unfortunate they ended on such a sour note.

How ÔÇÿClipse Presents: Re-Up GangÔÇÖ Damn Near Ruined The GangÔÇÖs Legacy : UPROXX