Clipse, also known as the Clipse (pronounced as clips) is an American hip hop duo from Virginia Beach, Virginia. Formed in 1994, it consists of brothers Gene "Malice" and Terrence "Pusha T" Thornton. Pusha T was known as Terrar during the group's early years, while Malice was originally known as Malicious. As key figures in establishing Virginia as one of Down South's strongholds in hip hop, the duo's frequent subject matter is based around illegal drug trade.

The two were discovered by producer and fellow Virginia Beach native, Pharrell Williams, who convinced the artists to work in tandem. Williams served as executive and lead producer for their first two albums, as part of the Neptunes and as a frequent guest performer. Williams led Clipse to sign with Elektra Records, for whom they recorded an album, Exclusive Audio Footage. The album was shelved, and the duo were dropped by the label after the lukewarm commercial response of its supposed lead single, "The Funeral".

In 2001, Williams signed the duo to Arista Records as the first act to sign with his newfound Star Trak Entertainment imprint. Their debut studio album, Lord Willin' (2002), peaked at number four on the Billboard 200, received gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and was met with critical praise. After a several-year delay due to record-label reshuffling, the duo's second album and third albums, Hell Hath No Fury (2006) and Til the Casket Drops (2009), were both met with critical acclaim despite commercial stagnation. In 2010, the duo went on hiatus and both members pursued solo careers.

Clipse officially reunited to guest appear alongside Kenny G on Kanye West's 2019 song "Use This Gospel", from the latter's album Jesus Is King. The duo's fourth studio album, Let God Sort Em Out was self-released (distributed by Roc Nation Distribution) on July 11, 2025 to widespread acclaim. Produced entirely by Williams, it was preceded by the singles "Ace Trumpets", "So Be It" and "Chains & Whips".

The Thornton brothers were born in The Bronx, and in 1979 their family moved to Virginia Beach, Virginia. It was here that the brothers were exposed to the illegal cocaine trade, and this would become an essential part of their musical career. In junior high school, Malice began rapping in a group called Def Dual Productions, for whom the producer was classmate Timbaland, at the time going by DJ Timmy Tim. During this time, Malice also began selling the drugs that would form the basis of much of the duo's lyrical subject matter. A mutual friend introduced him to Chad Hugo in 1988, with whom he started recording songs as a solo act. In 1990, he met Hugo's friends Magoo, Larry Live, and Pharrell Williams through other mutual friends. Williams and Hugo formed the production duo The Neptunes a few years later and continued recording with Malice. After graduating high school in 1991, Malice enlisted to serve in the Army to support his family, working as a generator mechanic. It would not be until Malice's enlistment ended in 1994 that the brothers would start recording together. Pusha, five years Malice's junior, would accompany his brother to recording sessions at Hugo's house. He eventually decided to rap as well. They recorded their first song together "Thief in the Night", featuring vocals from Pharrell, who suggested they should become a duo, calling themselves Full Eclipse, later shortening their name to only Clipse. The Neptunes helped them secure a recording contract with Elektra Records in 1996. Under Elektra, and with the Neptunes handling its production, the Clipse recorded its debut album, Exclusive Audio Footage. The group's first single, "The Funeral", helped to generate fan interest in the album, but failed to make a significant chart impact. With "The Funeral" deemed a failure, Exclusive Audio Footage itself was shelved. The Clipse was released from Elektra shortly thereafter. However, promotional CDs of the album still exist; it would get an official release on May 2, 2022 via Spotify.

In early 2001, Williams signed the duo to Arista Records through his recently established Star Trak Entertainment imprint. With the backing of the record label and the Neptunes, Clipse proceeded to record material for their debut album. The lead single "Grindin'" was released on May 14, 2002, and was an instant hit. It peaked at number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song would go on to become Clipse's most famous song, and many publications ranked the single highly on their year-end lists. The second single, "When the Last Time", was dropped on July 30. It would become the group's highest-charting song, peaking at number 19 on the Billboard Hot 100, and staying on the chart for 21 weeks. Clipse then released its commercial debut Lord Willin' on August 20, 2002. The album opened at Number 1 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and Number 4 on the Billboard 200, selling 122,000 in its first week. On October 1, 2002—a month after its release—Lord Willin' was certified Gold by the RIAA. A third single, "Ma, I Don't Love Her" featuring Faith Evans was released on December 3, 2002. It was a modest hit, peaking at number 86 on the Billboard Hot 100, and staying on the chart for six weeks.

Also in 2002, Clipse were guest artists on Justin Timberlake's first solo single, "Like I Love You", another Neptunes-produced crossover radio hit. It peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. Clipse also featured on the song "What Happened to That Boy" with Birdman. Pusha T featured in singer Nivea's second single "Run Away (I Wanna Be with U)", which peaked at number 47 in Australia. In 2003, Clipse went on tour with rapper 50 Cent.

In late 2003, Clipse began recording material for their second album, Hell Hath No Fury. However, further work on the album ground to a halt in 2004, when Arista Records's urban artists were absorbed by its sister label Jive Records as part of a larger merger between Sony Music Entertainment and BMG. Due to contractual requirements, Clipse was forced to stay on Jive, while Star Trak and the rest of its roster moved to a new home at Interscope Records.