What do you get when you combine rapper Daveed Diggs, noise artist William Hutson, and film score composer Jonathan Snipes? You get the experimental hip-hop group Clipping, who are developing a sound that pushes the very limits of musicality.
If the name Daveed Diggs seems familiar, it’s because he’s recently gained renown playing Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson in the Tony award-winning musical Hamilton. I only recently became acquainted with Clipping through researching Diggs. However, I wish I had found them sooner because their sound is a beautiful cacophony that is disorientating and compelling in equal measure.
As a big fan of conceptual albums, Splendor and Misery intrigued me. Clipping’s second full-length studio album is their loftiest and possibly strangest idea yet. The 15 tracks are like a musical or an opera, and take the listener through a mostly-cohesive 37-minute science fiction story.
The narrative follows Cargo 2331, a mutinous slave and the sole survivor of a riot, who’s flying into the dark abyss of space to avoid capture. Alone, and leaving behind the inhabited areas of space for the possibility of freedom, Cargo 2331 takes comfort from the beats of the onboard computer that eventually falls in love with him. The story is rapped by Diggs in alternating points of view, taking on the voices of both Cargo 2331 and the ship’s computer.
Although the album is heavy with experimentation, Diggs’ rapping places this album solidly in the hip-hop genre. This genre is particularly noticeable when listening to the interludes, where Cargo 2331 freestyles, and often references songs like ‘Hail Mary’ by 2Pac and other hip-hop culture classics.
The background music and beats in this album are like nothing I’ve ever heard before. The beeps, engine noises, crunches, and static create the ambience of the ship and the rhythm for the songs. There are melodious parts in the album as well, such as the different iterations of “Long Way Away” and the hook in “True Believer,” which borrow from gospel style and are reminiscent of slave songs.
I really enjoyed this album and its unique use of music as a story-telling medium. As an experiment, I would say that this album was a success. It did what it set out to do: tell a story and push the boundaries of music and the conventions of hip-hop as a genre. However, the narrative itself is a little muddled and it’s challenging to figure out who is speaking and how it all connects. Further, the harsh sounds of the ship and static create a dissonance that can be a little overwhelming.
If you’re looking for easy listening, this may not be the album for you. But if you’re willing to put in the effort to puzzle through Splendor and Misery, you’ll be rewarded with a thought-provoking and dark romp through space.
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