The Clipse Dropped from Jive Records?

By: Rizoh

      Bad news for crack-rap fans everywhere. The Clipse—Pusha T and Malice—have severed ties with Jive Records and the Zomba Label Group, according to Malice (born Gene Thornton).

      “Right now Clipse are free agents. There are a few labels that are interested,” said Malice in an interview with Canadian publication Eye Weekly.

       Considering the label drama that eclipsed Clipse’s last album, this shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. The Thornton brothers watched their sophomore album, Hell Hath No Fury, sit on the backburner while attempting to sort out legal differences with the label.

      Malice also told Eye Weekly that several labels are currently vying for the duo’s signature.

      On a related note, the Clipse are billed to play Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago‘s Union Park on July 14.

Andre 3000 Talks New OutKast Album

      With Andre 3000 popping up on collaborations here and there, OutKast fans are beginning to wonder when one of hip-hop’s most consistent duos will drop another full-length. Andre disclosed to MTV News that he and partner-in-rhyme Big Boi are discussing what direction to take for the next Outkast album, which may be another dual-solo release, a la Speakerboxxx/ The Love Below.

     For Dre, it’s not so much about when to retire his cameo hat and clock in full time as it is about what to say when crunch time arrives. Confused? Yeah…me, too. Isn’t Ice Cold supposed to be one of the illest in the game?

      Apparently, even the best emcees need some time to refill their creative juices. “Really, I gotta find out what I’m tryin’ to say,” Dre told MTV News. “It’s almost like a picnic — you call your auntie and say, ‘You bringin’ some greens? Yeah? OK, I’m not gonna bring any greens.’ I gotta find out what I gotta cook up. But to quote James Brown, ‘Whatever it is, it’s got to be funky.’”

      For now, you can catch OutKast in UGK’s new music video for “Int’l Players Anthem.”