As rumors swirled around campus about the concert being a practical joke for April Fool’s Day, Clipse proved that their concert was no joke indeed.Clipse, known throughout the world of hip-hop as “Virginia’s finest duo” performed at West Chester University to an anxious and excited crowd. The concert, which was sponsored by Student Activities Council, was held in Ehinger Gym and drew students from West Chester University as well as students from neighboring schools throughout the Philadelphia area.
Fans waited eagerly for Clipse to perform, but due to a plane delay, the concert started a little off schedule. The show, which was scheduled to begin at 9 p.m., began almost an hour late. However, two opening acts performed and hyped up the crowd with their own songs and T-shirt giveaways until members of Clipse were able to arrive.
One of the acts was from Philadelphia while the other hailed from Washington, D.C. Each group performed original songs for 20 minutes to keep the crowd from becoming disinterested. Music from the D.J. also played to the fans in the stands and on the gym floor to keep the crowd hyped.
When Clipse finally arrived, fans were excited as they performed their number one hit “When the Last Time” to start off the show. Crowd participation was strong as the Grammy-nominated duo followed with other hits such as “Grindin,” “Ma, I Don’t Love Her,” “Virginia,” and “Cot Damn,” off their debut album Lord Willin.
Featured rap artist Ab-Live performed with Clipse for the song “Cot Damn,” which even surprised the fans. Ab Live, who is a North Philadelphia native from Erie Avenue, is part of the Philly hip-hop group Major Figgas. Major Figgas are currently in the studio working on an album to be released later this year.
Another surprise for the fans came when Clipse introduced fellow Star Trak recording artist Fam-Lay who performed his first single “Rock’ n Roll.” As a fellow Virginia native like Clipse, the label-mates shared the stage to preview what is in store for the new up-and-coming artist from the South. His debut album is set to hit the stores this fall.
Even though the concert began with a delay, the rest of the show went off without any problems. Clipse rocked the stage for almost an hour, as they let the audience preview some new songs from their highly-anticipated sophomore album titled “Hell Hath No Fury.” The songs were deeper than those from their first effort, yet the crowd took advantage of this listening opportunity as a sign of what’s to come.