Lord Willin’

“Lord Willin’” is the debut studio album by Clipse, released on August 20, 2002, through Star Trak and Arista Records.

The story

Clipse are the Virginia Beach brothers Terrence “Pusha T” Thornton and Gene “Malice” Thornton. The Neptunes helped them sign with Elektra Records in 1996, but after their single “The Funeral” failed to make a significant chart impact, the label shelved their planned debut, “Exclusive Audio Footage.” In early 2001 Pharrell Williams signed the duo to his new Star Trak imprint, distributed through Arista, and the brothers began again with their neighbors from the Tidewater production scene behind them.

Sound and production

The Neptunes produced the entire album, and Pharrell Williams appears on six tracks. The production is minimal and percussion-driven, leaving space for the brothers’ detailed, drug-trade narratives. The lead single “Grindin’,” released in May 2002, reached No. 30 on the Billboard Hot 100. “When the Last Time,” issued in July, peaked at No. 19 and spent 21 weeks on the chart, the group’s highest-charting song. “Ma, I Don’t Love Her” reached No. 86 in early 2003, and “Cot Damn,” retitled “Hot Damn” for radio, reached No. 58 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

Legacy

The album debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart with 122,000 units in its first week, and the RIAA certified it gold on October 1, 2002. Rolling Stone ranked it No. 12 on its list of the 100 Best Debut Albums of All Time, and the BBC placed “Grindin’” at No. 23 on a list of the greatest hip hop songs. It is widely regarded as one of the best rap albums of the 2000s. Clipse followed it with “Hell Hath No Fury,” released on November 28, 2006, which debuted at No. 14, and in 2025 the brothers reunited for “Let God Sort Em Out,” again produced by Pharrell Williams. “Lord Willin’” stands as the rap counterpart to the Neptunes’ pop hits of the same period and a central record of the Virginia scene.

Released August 20, 2002. More from hip hop in 2002.