Episode 22 - 20 Years of Lord Willin with Mychal Denzel Smith

00:00 20 Years ago, the Thornton brothers, Gene and Terrence, dropped a classic album that put the spotlight on Virginia. New York Times Best Selling Author, Hampton University Graduate and Virginia Beach Native, Mychal Denzel Smith joins us to talk about the legacy and impact of The Clipse and their album, Lord Willin (Recorded August 18, 2022)

02:30 Quick Clipse History Lesson

04:21 Exclusive Audio Footage: The Clipse and Neptunes make a rough draft

13:17 The success of The Neptunes in 2001-2002 helped put Clipse in position to take advantage of their second chance to make an album

17:30 Lord Willin is full of references that make it culturally significant to Virginia

27:20 Personal memories from the album when it was released

32:48 The Grindin beat could have gone to Jay-Z and that ultimately has led to a dope collaborative relationship between Hov and Pusha

34:40 Favorite songs on the album

41:01 Clipse comparison to Philly’s Most Wanted

42:02 The impact of the Re-Up Gang Mixtapes

46:28 Clipse taking ownership of VA Sound with Lord Willin

48:06 Thoughts on Till the Casket Drops

52:37 Ranking the Clips Albums