Lyrically, clipping.’s music attempts to reshuffle and repeat accepted rap scenarios, while eliminating a traditional single-point perspective. Diggs’s writing is heavily citational, like a rough-edged collage, gluing together half-glimpsed images and misremembered references, many of which might feel familiar, and some of which assuredly do not. But even while he consumes and regurgitates established styles, his self-erasure is incomplete; Diggs’s dense, often motormouthed flow remains wholly his own.
Individually, the members are known outside of the group for their extra-curricular artistic projects. Diggs is a stage actor, while Snipes composes music for film, and Hutson is an established noise music artist. Snipes and Hutson have collaborated on many projects, including the score to the documentary Room 237, which was released by IFC in 2013.
In February 2013, clipping. released their debut album, Midcity, on their website. The project was created entirely in-house, with the trio writing, producing, engineering, mixing and mastering all of the material themselves. There was no budget, no outside promotion, no hype-machine, no blog or label interest. In fact, clipping. had no expectation that anyone would bother listening to the album, let alone enjoy it. Nevertheless, reactions were largely positive— despite the uncompromising nature of the production, and its obfuscatory lyrical content— and within five month’s of Midcity’s release, clipping. signed a deal with Sub Pop Records.
CLPPNG, the band’s label debut, was written and recorded between February and October of 2013. Highly well-received, CLPPNG is an album that demonstrates the variety of sounds available when the ‘rules’ of a genre are willfully questioned.
http://www.itsclippingbitch.com
The Show
clipping. Lyrics
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Nice blood bouquet, trace of marrow
Fuckboy tryin' to hold his nose
Let it drip, one sip, taste his halo
Say bro, why's your skin on the flo'?
Where's your hair? It's nothin' but follicles
That's called a close shave, don't y'all suppose?
Trail of toenails left through the snow, but he should know
Can't afford talk, cat got his tongue
And she might get his lips next just for fun
The blessed refreshment when his breath's barely there
To blast his slashed face with fresh compressed air
And press his chest just to keep his heart beatin'
Open your eyes, bitch, you got to see this
Don't know, which body part should go?
First, spin the wheel, vertigo
It's an art you partake in and just know
You all paid to watch, let's start the show
Come out, sit your ass down, don't blink
Don't make a sound, just look
It's okay to cry, you live your best life when you watch 'em die
The best menage is a death menage, agree?
Chest massage with electric rods for three
Just because, prolly set their jaws with rebar and then pause while you get photography
Tendon saw to extend the cavity, what can fit, what are you imagining?
Share your thoughts, it is time for banterin', killer be right back to enact a masterpiece
In the intract- should they contemplate escape, bear trap to the calf, that's just basic pain
Paced to make the brain face its strength and strain gracefully to places
Escaping sane thoughts to basic survival of
Y'all came to see the amygdala
A signal fire in the limbic nerves, and gotta give the kill what the kill deserves
Don't know, which body part should go?
First, spin the wheel, vertigo
It's an art you partake in and just know
You all paid to watch, let's start the show
Come out, sit your ass down, don't blink
Don't make a sound, just look
It's okay to cry, you live your best life when you watch them die
Gotta reach the bottom, why you muddy waters with your hollerin' for help? (uh?)
That is not an option, throw your caution to the wind and live within yourself (uh?)
You can prolly count on one hand all the times that you have ever really felt anything
And when it's finally done and everything is numb your killer lets you know you're welcome
Over to the edge and look over it
You ain't never gonna fly with all the comfort your holdin' with all of your might
And then try as your might to get over it, it ain't over
To kill a saint, killer say you will know the limits of
Flesh stretched and eyes bled before they die, you said you had demons to exorcise
And cash in hand, stand to witness demise, time's come, killer wants audience advice
Don't know, which body part should go?
First, spin the wheel, vertigo
It's an art you partake in and just know
You all paid to watch, let's start the show
Come out, sit your ass down, don't blink
Don't make a sound, just look
It's okay to cry, you live your best life when you watch them die
In the song "The Show" by clipping., the lyrics delve into a dark and gruesome narrative that explores themes of violence, sadism, and voyeurism. The imagery described in the first verse depicts a grisly scene where someone's bone is exposed, creating a macabre visual of blood and marrow. The singer taunts a "fuckboy" who tries to recoil from the horror, challenging him to embrace the visceral experience. The act of violence is detailed, with mentions of severed body parts and a malicious intent to inflict harm on the victim. The twisted pleasure derived from the suffering and mutilation is evident as the lyrics describe the sadistic enjoyment in witnessing the aftermath of a brutal attack.
The second verse intensifies the portrayal of a ghastly spectacle, where audience members are complicit in their passive consumption of gore and savagery. The notion of choosing which body part to mutilate suggests a perverse game or ritualistic performance, with a callous disregard for human life. The audience is urged to revel in the horror, encouraged to abandon empathy and succumb to their primal instincts. The lyrics suggest that there is a perverse satisfaction in witnessing death and violence, blurring the lines between entertainment and depravity.
The third verse delves deeper into the twisted mindset of the perpetrator, framing the act of violence as a form of artistry and a display of control and power. The graphic descriptions of torture and mutilation are presented with a chilling detachment, emphasizing the killer's cold-blooded precision and sadistic pleasure. The lyrics explore themes of dominance, manipulation, and the blurring of morality in the pursuit of inflicting pain and instilling fear. The audience is implicated in the act, complicit in the spectacle of suffering and death.
In the final verse, the lyrics confront the listener with the consequences of voyeurism and desensitization to violence. The singer challenges the audience to confront their own capacity for cruelty and indifference, questioning the limits of their empathy and humanity. The lyrics serve as a stark commentary on society's fascination with violence and death, critiquing the voyeuristic tendencies that permeate our culture. The song forces the listener to reflect on their own complicity in the cycle of violence and to confront the uncomfortable truths about their own capacity for darkness.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Daveed Diggs, Jonathan Snipes, Steven L Kaplan, William Hutson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind