Williams served as executive and lead producer for each of their albums, as part of the Neptunes and as a frequent guest performer.

[2] As key figures in establishing Virginia as one of the East Coast's strongholds in hip hop, the duo's frequent subject matter is based around illegal drug trade.

The album was shelved, and the duo dropped by the label after the lukewarm commercial reception of its lead single, "The Funeral".

[4] After a several-year delay due to record-label reshuffling, the duo's second album, Hell Hath No Fury, was released in 2006.

Clipse officially reunited to guest appear alongside Kenny G on Kanye West's 2019 song "Use This Gospel".

In junior high school, Malice began rapping in a group called Def Dual Productions, for whom the producer was classmate Timbaland, at the time going by "DJ Timmy Tim".

[6][7] During this time, Malice also began selling the drugs that would form the basis of much of the duo's lyrical subject matter.

[7] Williams and Hugo formed the production duo The Neptunes a few years later and continued recording with Malice.

After graduating high school in 1991, Malice enlisted to serve in the Army to support his family, working as a generator mechanic.

Eventually he decided to rap as well, and they recorded their first song together Thief in the Night, featuring vocals from Pharrell,[7] who suggested they should become a duo, calling themselves "Full Eclipse", later shortening their name to "Clipse".

Under Elektra, and with the Neptunes handling its production, the Clipse recorded its debut album, Exclusive Audio Footage.

The group's 1st single, "The Funeral", helped to generate fan interest in the album, but failed to make a significant chart impact.

[11][12] In early 2001, Williams signed the duo to Arista Records through his recently established Star Trak imprint.

Also in 2002, Clipse were guest artists on Justin Timberlake's first solo single, "Like I Love You", another Neptunes-produced crossover radio hit.

Pusha T featured in singer Nivea's second single "Run Away (I Wanna Be with U)", which peaked at number 47 in Australia.

Due to contractual requirements, Clipse was forced to stay on Jive, while Star Trak and the rest of its roster moved to a new home at Interscope Records.

While Clipse resumed work on the album, and eventually finished its recording, the duo became increasingly frustrated with Jive, as the label overlooked it in favor of the more pop-oriented acts on its roster, which caused numerous delays in the release of Hell Hath No Fury.

In a May 19, 2007, interview with Eye Weekly, Clipse revealed that the group had been officially released from its recording contract with Jive.

[22] A mixtape called Road to Till the Casket Drops was released on December 1, 2008, in promotion of the line and their upcoming album.

He would go on to work with Kanye on his 2010 album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, and be featured on the hit single Runaway.

[31] He also appeared on the music video for the Lecrae song off his "Lord Have Mercy", which features Tedashii and is from the 2013 Grammy Award winning Best Gospel Album Gravity.

"[33] In 2019, Clipse finally reunited to feature on Kanye West's album Jesus Is King on the track "Use This Gospel".

[34] Pusha T expressed his feelings towards the duo collaborating again in an interview with Vulture, stating "I'm the younger brother, man.

Clipse's songs frequently discuss drug dealing, specifically cocaine, often using creative metaphors to refer to this activity.