Songoftheday 7/28/23 - From ghetto to ghetto to backyard to yard, I sell it whipped or un-whipped it’s soft or hard...

 

 

"Grindin'" - The Clipse

from the album Lord Willin' (2002)

Billboard Hot 100 peak: #30 (one week)

Weeks in the Top-40: 5

 

Today's song comes from the hip-hop duo The Clipse. Brothers and rappers Terrance "Pusha T" and Gene "Malice" Thornton, who grew up in Virginia Beach, Virginia were discovered by producer/singer/rapper/musician Pharrell Williams there. In 1999 he helped produce what was supposed to be their debut album for Elektra Records, Exclusive Audio Footage, but lackluster reaction to the single "The Funeral" pulled from it led to the record not being released and the pair being let go from the label.

Nevertheless, Pharrell stuck with the duo, and ended up signing the brothers to his own imprint on Arista Records, Star Trak. It was there that Pusha T and Malice released their first studio release, Lord Willin', in 2002. The lead single from the record was "Grindin'", written by the pair with Pharrell and Neptunes production partner Chad Hugo. The verses are a word salad of "brand porn" and references to their drug-running past, with boasts about turning the hustler game to music instead. The percussion-heavy production (which Gwen Stefani would eventually take to the top) is the star here, with the verses the usual amelodic brag track material. But that sound took many an ear, and the pair found themselves with a big urban radio hit that crossed over to the mainstream chart...

"Grindin'" became the Clipse's first hit on Billboard magazine's Hot 100, reaching the top-40 in August of 2002, while making it to #10 on their R&B Singles chart and #8 on the Rap Singles list. On the radio, the song peaked at #11 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart at #37 on the dance/R&B oriented Rhythmic format. The Lord Willin' album, released in August as the single was cresting, came in at #4 on the Billboard 200 sales tally, while spending two weeks at #1 on the R&B Albums list, going on to sell over a half million copies.

Both the Clipse and the album will be back to the series.

(4/10)

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Here's a clip of the Clipse performing at the Apollo...

I'll be back on the weekend with my top hit tunes of this week, and on Monday I'll return SOTD with an Atlanta rapper in a hurry, perhaps.