Clipse Presents: We Got It 4 Cheap – Re-Up Royalty in Mixtape Form
Before playlists ruled the game, mixtapes were the streets’ favorite plug. For Clipse, We Got It 4 Cheap wasn’t just a pit stop between albums—it was their Purple Tape moment. Across three volumes from 2004 to 2008, Pusha T and Malice, flanked by the Re-Up Gang, gave us raw bars, white lines, and no filler. Let’s break it down, brick by brick. This was the warm-up to Hell Hath No Fury.
Join us as we celebrate Clipse’s upcoming comeback album and tour. Listen to “Ace Trumpets.” Watch the stunning video for “So Be It.”
Related: Listen to my favorite Clipse songs
Volume 1 (2004): Raw Deals & Re-Ups
Dropped during label limbo, Volume 1 was their response to industry stalls. Hosted by DJ Clinton Sparks, this one felt like stepping into a backroom cipher. Loose freestyles, drug talk sharper than a boxcutter, and some Pharrell assists that hit like luxury with a razor edge.
- “You’ll See” (feat Pharrell)
This one glides over a LOX instrumental. Pharrell’s hook haunts while Pusha and Malice trade verses like twin baggies—precise and potent. - “Coast to Coast”
Over Kanye and Just Blaze’s “Breathe Easy” beat, they take the mic cross-country. The energy? Relentless. A hungry flex from Virginia to wherever you’re tuned in. - “Stuntin’ Y’all” (feat.. Pharrell)
Classic Neptunes bounce, Clipse in cruise control. It’s that casual floss where ice meets intellect. - “Re-Up Anthem”
Explore Clipse’s best songs in their entire discography.
Volume 2 (2005): The Pyrex Vision
This right here? Their Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… moment. Volume 2 wasn’t just a mixtape—it was a blueprint. No DJs, no shouting, just surgical flows and coke-rap poetry over borrowed beats. Released for free, but sonically priceless.
- “What’s Up” (feat Pharrell)
Neptunes behind the boards, Skateboard P on the hook, Clipse going bar-for-bar like brothers raised in a scale house. Smooth but lethal. - “Run This Shit”
Using “So Seductive” like a weapon, they turn a club beat into a lyrical execution. Re-Up Gang came to set the tone. - “Hate It or Love It” (feat.. Pharrell)
The Game and 50 Cent laid the blueprint, but Clipse renovated the house. Pharrell slides in, and suddenly it’s less about success, more about survival. - “Play Your Part” (feat Pharrell)
Glossy Neptunes meets grimy bars—that Clipse duality—one foot in the spotlight, the other in the shadows. - “The Corner”
They take Common’s meditative joint and flip it into a street sermon. This ain’t coffee-shop rap—this is powdered white philosophy. - “I’m a Hustla”
Freestyle over Cassidy’s heater, but it’s Clipse that brings the fire—bragging rights with battle-tested bars.
Volume 3 (2008): Coke Chronicles with Clarity
By now, they’d survived label purgatory and seen the industry change. Volume 3 is the calm after the storm. Less fireworks, more focus. It’s the voice of veterans who’ve walked through fire and come back colder.
- “Show You How to Hustle”
A Re-Up posse cut with Neptunes’ production. No gimmicks, just grown-man game and survival scriptures. - “Roc Boys”
Flipping Jay-Z’s victory lap into a cautionary tale. Less champagne, more surveillance vans. - “Good Morning”
Kanye’s opener becomes Clipse’s reflection pool. Malice starts to question, and Pusha is still counting. It’s balance. - “Rainy Dayz”
Tapping into Raekwon’s Cuban Linx again, this one’s all mood and menace. Slow burn with sharp turns. - “Real Niggas”
Built off a West Coast loop, but soaked in Virginia hustle. Everybody eats on this one—Re-Up unity in full force. - “Dey Know”
The Best Way to Re-Up
Start with Volume 2—it’s their Cuban Linx. Straight dope, no DJ drops, all bars.
Then circle back to Volume 1—raw, rugged, and full of promise.
Finish with Volume 3—wiser, colder, but still sharp. The game aged them, but never dulled them.
Final Word: Built for Lyrical Linx
The We Got It 4 Cheap series stands tall in mixtape history. Clipse didn’t just ride Neptunes beats or recycle radio hits. They turned borrowed instrumentals into their own corner stores, hustled every bar, and walked away legends in the mixtape hall of fame.
Their trilogy might not come with a purple cassette, but it’s pure uncut legacy.
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