Clipse

The problem with success is that it raises people's expectations. Such is the issue facing the Clipse on their third album, Til the Casket Drops. Casket Drops is a solid hip-hop album with more hits than misses. Unfortunately, after creating two near-classics, making a slightly better than average album isn't good enough. Songs like "Popular Demand" and "Never Will it Stop" are classic Clipse, with Pusha and Malice using incredibly elaborate metaphors to talk about selling coke, and stretching out syllables over Pharrell's digital keys. The Kanye collaboration, "Kind of Like a Big Deal," is an absolute highlight, with all three MCs running at full capacity. The problem is, for all this goodness, Casket is marred by some ugly missteps. The brothers get shown up by guest MC Yo Gotti on "Showin' Out," and the pseudo-dancehall of "There Was a Murder" is nothing short of terrible. For most artists, a somewhat inconsistent, but overall decent album would be considered a victory. For the Clipse, it can't be seen as anything but a loss.