Now, this was something I did not ever expect to see widely available.

While most people know of Lord Willin’, the 2002 formal major label debut of Clipse, what some may not know is that it wasn’t supposed to be Pusha T and Malice‘s first album; that would actually be 1999’s Exclusive Audio Footage. Like its successor the album was produced in its entirety by The Neptunes, and spawned just one single and music video, “The Funeral,” which failed to catch a buzz and ultimately led to the album being shelved.

While bootlegs of the album have existed for years (many people, including this quasi-former writer, own a copy), Exclusive Audio Footage has now debuted on the streaming platforms for the very first time (and, seemingly, legitimately!), likely thanks in part to Push’s It’s Almost Dry debuting atop the Billboard 200 in its first week. The project remains mostly in its original format, save for “The Funeral” (which was, interestingly enough, released on the DSPs back in 2020), with features from Kelis, N.O.R.E., Kurupt, and others. The album is also notable for the second track “Hear Me Out,” whose production was reworked and ultimately became the backdrop for Jadakiss’ 2001 hit single “Knock Yourself Out.”

Revisit the album, or get introduced to it, below.

Clipse’s Shelved Debut Album, ‘Exclusive Audio Footage,’ Released On Streaming Platforms was last modified: May 2nd, 2022 by Meka