This is the start of a new series I am planning, in which I will be writing about some of my favourite albums that might not have been given the widespread recognition they deserved (in my humble opinion). Hopefully in doing this I will be able to turn you on to some records you might never have heard of otherwise.The first record I'm going to talk about is Splendour & Misery by LA-based hip hop trio clipping. It is the group's second full-length album after 2014's CLPPNG (not including their 2013 Midcity mixtape), and I stumbled over it without really knowing anything about clipping. or the album. My experience with Splendour & Misery was immediately one of infatuation and obsession, and I was baffled by the fact that so few people had heard it, and more so by the generally mixed reviews it had received (but hey, what do I know).
Without going into too much detail and spoiling the narrative, the album is essentially a science-fiction story set in space, told to us through the medium of hip hop across the 15-track album. Without any prior knowledge of what to expect my mind was blown the second "The Breach" opened with Daveed Diggs' machine-gun flow, setting up the narrative to come, and I was riveted until the end. The production from William Hutson and Jonathan Snipes creates eerie, cold and desolate soundscapes that serve to enrich the experience of the story, and it all comes together as something unlike anything else I've heard in hip hop. Narrative driven hip hop isn't a new discovery by any means, but to hear it so neatly wrapped in genre was and still is an absolute treat.
If you like Splendour & Misery then I would highly recommend not only their earlier LP CLPPNG but also their 2016 EP Wriggle (but don't say I didn't warn you; it's absolutely filthy).
Have you already heard this record? What did you think? Let me know in the comments, I'd love to hear your thoughts.
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