While Virginia rap duo The Clipse don't quite live up to the grandiose nature of "We Got It 4 Cheap Vol. 1 and 2" on their third official instalment "We Got It 4 Cheap Vol. 3 - The Spirit of Competition" they do come through with an excellent finished product that is better than 95% of what is out there right now. Throughout the 18 track lineup Malice, Pusha-T, Ab Liva and Sandman (the latter of which form the collective Re-Up Gang) string together a mix of popular radio beats and original productions laced with their signature facelift of introspective raps and gritty street anthems.

While so-called "cocaine rap" might be cliche by most standards Clipse dynamic wordplay and authenticity keep things intense and highly interesting to say the least. One line in particular that illustrates the level of self-examination seen on this album is delivered on the track Rainy Dayz: "Cuz I can't wait for Skateboard to save me, my house in default, his house paisley, he's not at fault, no not vaguely, he's on a yacht, somewhere with Jay Z, luckily for me I'm a hustler baby..." This referring to their split with super producer and long-time collaborator Pharrell Williams. The split with Pharrell is brought up again on "Emotionless" when Pusha-T is quoted as saying "And as for P, he has yet to wish me well, so there it is I pick my bone, a toast to CEO Maow, I sip alone."

Overall this album is worth a listen and is definitely a must have for fans of the Clipse. They prove that lyrical, authentic rap has not disappeared even in 2008.


Track listing
01. Here’s What They Think About You (Interlude)
02. Re Up Gang (Intro)
03. Show You How to Hustle (beat from "Show You How to Hustle" by Pharrell)
04. Roc Boys (beat from "Roc Boys" by Jay-Z)
05. 20K (Intro)
06. 20K Money Making Brothers
07. Dey Know Yayo (beat from "Dey Know" by Shawty Lo)
08. 500 Birds (Interlude)
09. Scenario 2008
10. Good Morning (beat from "Good Morning" by Kanye West)
11. Rainy Dayz
12. Emotionless (beat from "Emotionless" by Jim Jones)
13. Fuck you
14. Bring It Back
15. Cry Now (beat from Cry
16. Sand Solo
17. Liva Solo
18. Real Niggas

Stream the entire album by clicking here.