
After what they called a "forced hiatus," rap duo Clipse burst back on the scene in November with their sophomore album, "Hell Hath No Fury," and plan to make relentless touring part of the equation.
Virginia-based brothers Malice and Pusha T, who are affiliated with multi-platinum production team The Neptunes, will kick off a North American outing Feb. 27 in Cambridge, MA, and crisscross the US through March. The itinerary is listed below.
Clipse's 2002 debut album, "Lord Willin'," scored gold status on the strength of hit single "Gridin'." On a roll, the brothers began working on their follow-up but a label merger put a wrench in their plans, delaying their sophomore set and landing them in a legal fight with Jive Records, according to various reports.
While litigation was ongoing, Clipse launched its own imprint, Re-Up Records, and put out 2005 mixtapes "We Got It 4 Cheap" vols. 1 and 2 with fellow rappers Ab-Liva and Sandman under the name Re-Up Gang.
"We had to do something to make us stay relevant," Malice said in the group's bio. "Time was passing and we was fading out. You might think you still there, but for the listeners and the fans you not."
Clipse finally reached an agreement to release "Hell Hath No Fury" as a joint venture between Jive and Re-Up. The album includes singles "Mr. Me Too" with Pharrell Williams and "Wamp Wamp (What it Do)" with Slim Thug. Songs from the record are streaming at Clipse's MySpace page.
Pusha T said the group is now set on hitting the road hard.
"We're doing nothing but shows and more shows and more promotion. We're trying to do 200 shows like The Roots," Pusha told Hip Hop Crack in a recent interview. "We respect those guys' drive and hunger, and that's what you have to do when you're with a label. Everything, 100 percent, relies on you."