Gene Elliott Thornton Jr. (born August 18, 1972), better known by his stage name No Malice (formerly known as Malicious and later Malice), is an American rapper from
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Virginia Beach is an independent city located on the southeastern coast of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The population was 459,470 at the 2020 census. Although mostly suburban in character, it is the most populous city ...
. He is best known for being one half of
hip hop duo
Clipse
Clipse, also known as The Clipse, is an American hip hop duo, chiefly active from 1994 to 2010. It consists of brothers Gene "No Malice" and Terrence "Pusha T" Thornton. Pusha T was known as Terrar during the group's early years, while No Mal ...
, alongside his brother and fellow rapper
Pusha T
Terrence LeVarr Thornton (born May 13, 1977), better known by his stage name Pusha T, is an American rapper, songwriter and record executive. He rose to prominence as one-half of the hip hop duo Clipse, which was mainly active from 1994 to 20 ...
. No Malice released his solo debut album ''
Hear Ye Him
''Hear Ye Him'' is the debut solo studio album by American rapper No Malice. The album was released independently on August 18, 2013, by Reinvision. The album features guest appearances from Ab-Liva, Pusha T, Fam-Lay and Jaeson Ma among others.
O ...
'', in 2013, and his second studio album, ''Let the Dead Bury the Dead'', in 2017.
Life and career
1973–2009: Early life and Clipse
No Malice was born Gene Elliott Thornton Jr. on August 18, 1972, in
The Bronx
The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...
borough of New York City.
He and his family later moved down south to
Virginia Beach
Virginia Beach is an independent city located on the southeastern coast of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The population was 459,470 at the 2020 census. Although mostly suburban in character, it is the most populous city ...
.
He and his brother,
Pusha T
Terrence LeVarr Thornton (born May 13, 1977), better known by his stage name Pusha T, is an American rapper, songwriter and record executive. He rose to prominence as one-half of the hip hop duo Clipse, which was mainly active from 1994 to 20 ...
, formed the
rap group Clipse in 1992, and later were introduced to fellow Virginian
Pharrell Williams
Pharrell Lanscilo Williams (; born April 5, 1973) is an American record producer, rapper, singer, and songwriter. Alongside close colleague Chad Hugo, he formed the hip hop and R&B production duo the Neptunes in the early 1990s, with whom he ...
, one half of the high-profile production team
The Neptunes
The Neptunes are an American songwriting and production duo composed of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, formed in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in 1992. Williams often provides additional vocals on records and appears in the duo's music videos, ...
.
Impressed with their lyrical talents, Williams formed a working relationship with the duo.
He eventually helped them secure a recording contract with
Elektra Records
Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the 1 ...
, in 1997.
Under Elektra, and with
The Neptunes
The Neptunes are an American songwriting and production duo composed of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, formed in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in 1992. Williams often provides additional vocals on records and appears in the duo's music videos, ...
handling its production, Clipse recorded their debut album ''
Exclusive Audio Footage
''Exclusive Audio Footage'' is the debut studio album from Virginia hip hop duo Clipse. The album spawned one single and music video "The Funeral", which hit airwaves in 1999. Promotional CD and vinyl copies exist and the LP has been leaked onli ...
''. The group's debut single "The Funeral", helped to generate fan interest in the album, but failed to make a significant commercial impact.
With "The Funeral" deemed a failure, ''Exclusive Audio Footage'' itself was shelved indefinitely. Clipse were subsequently released from their recording contract shortly thereafter.
In early 2001, Williams signed the duo to
Arista Records
Arista Records () is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously handled by BMG Entertainmen ...
, through his recently established
Star Trak Entertainment
Star Trak was an American record label, founded by The Neptunes and Rob Walker in 2001. It operated as a division of Interscope Geffen A&M, a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. Its name is a reference to the 1960s TV program ''Star Trek''.
...
imprint.
Clipse released their commercial debut ''
Lord Willin'
''Lord Willin is the major label debut and second studio album by hip hop music, hip hop duo Clipse. The album was released on August 20, 2002 in the United States by Star Trak Entertainment, Star Trak and Arista Records, Arista. Recording sessi ...
'', on August 20, 2002.
The album debuted at No. 1 on ''Billboards Top R&B/Hip-hop Album chart and No. 4 on the
''Billboard'' 200, fueled by the strength of the lead singles "
Grindin'
"Grindin'" is the debut single from Virginia Beach rap duo Clipse. The song was produced by The Neptunes, and featured on the Clipse's debut album, ''Lord Willin. The song became a summer Top 40 hit, reaching number 30 on the ''Billboard'' ...
" and "
When the Last Time
"When the Last Time" is the second official single from the Clipse's album ''Lord Willin. It reached #19 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 on the issue dated December 21, 2002--becoming the group's highest-charting single. The video features a fr ...
", which peaked at No. 30 and No. 19 respectively, on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100.
The album's third single "
Ma, I Don't Love Her
"Ma, I Don't Love Her" is the third official single from the Clipse off their album ''Lord Willin. It features Faith Evans and was produced by The Neptunes
The Neptunes are an American songwriting and production duo composed of Pharrel ...
" (featuring
Faith Evans
Faith Renée Evans (born June 10, 1973) is an American singer and actress. Born in Lakeland, Florida, and raised in New Jersey, she relocated to Los Angeles in 1991 for a career in the music business. After working as a backing vocalist for Al B ...
), was a modest hit, reaching No. 86 on the Hot 100.
On October 1, 2002—only a month after its release—''
Lord Willin'
''Lord Willin is the major label debut and second studio album by hip hop music, hip hop duo Clipse. The album was released on August 20, 2002 in the United States by Star Trak Entertainment, Star Trak and Arista Records, Arista. Recording sessi ...
'' was certified gold by the
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA).
In late 2003, Clipse began recording material for its second album, ''
Hell Hath No Fury
Hell Hath No Fury may refer to:
Literature
* "Hell hath no fury", an interpreted line based on a quotation from the 1697 play ''The Mourning Bride'' by William Congreve
* ''Hell Hath No Fury'', a 1951 novel by Sydney James Bounds, writing as Re ...
''.
However, further work on the album ground to a halt in 2004, when
Arista Records
Arista Records () is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously handled by BMG Entertainmen ...
's urban artists were absorbed into its sister label
Jive Records
Jive Records was an American independent record label founded by Clive Calder in 1981 as a subsidiary to the Zomba Group. In the US, the label had offices in New York City and Chicago. Jive was best known for its successes with hip hop, R&B, an ...
as part of a larger merger between
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony 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
Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture with Atlantic Records of Warner Mus ...
.
While Clipse resumed work on the album, and eventually finished its recording, the duo became increasingly frustrated with Jive, as the label overlooked it in favor of the more
pop-oriented acts on its roster, which caused numerous delays in the release of ''
Hell Hath No Fury
Hell Hath No Fury may refer to:
Literature
* "Hell hath no fury", an interpreted line based on a quotation from the 1697 play ''The Mourning Bride'' by William Congreve
* ''Hell Hath No Fury'', a 1951 novel by Sydney James Bounds, writing as Re ...
''.
As delays continued, the group asked for a formal release from its contract. When Jive refused to grant this request, the duo sued the label.
On May 9, 2006, Clipse finally reached an agreement with
Jive Records
Jive Records was an American independent record label founded by Clive Calder in 1981 as a subsidiary to the Zomba Group. In the US, the label had offices in New York City and Chicago. Jive was best known for its successes with hip hop, R&B, an ...
to release the album through its own label,
Re-Up Records, along with Jive.
''Hell Hath No Fury'' was finally released on November 28, 2006.
It spawned two singles: "
Mr. Me Too
"Mr. Me Too" is a song by American hip hop duo Clipse, released on May 23, 2006 as the lead single from their second studio album '' Hell Hath No Fury'' (2006). The song features guest vocals and production by American musician Pharrell Williams ...
" with
Pharrell Williams
Pharrell Lanscilo Williams (; born April 5, 1973) is an American record producer, rapper, singer, and songwriter. Alongside close colleague Chad Hugo, he formed the hip hop and R&B production duo the Neptunes in the early 1990s, with whom he ...
and "
Wamp Wamp (What It Do)" with
Slim Thug
Stayve Jerome Thomas (born September 8, 1980), better known by his stage name Slim Thug, is an American rapper. He initially gained mainstream attention for his contribution to the hit single by rapper Mike Jones, "Still Tippin'". In July 2005, h ...
.
While the album received a great deal of critical acclaim, its sales were modest, at 78,000 in the first week.
The
hip hop magazine ''
XXL'' gave the album a "XXL" rating, marking it as a five-star album. At the time only five albums had previously received that honor.
In a May 19, 2007 interview with ''
Eye Weekly'', Clipse revealed that the group had been officially released from its recording contract with Jive.
After this, the duo began discussions with several record labels, eventually signing with
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...
on October 26, 2007.
The follow-up to ''Hell Hath No Fury'', titled ''
Til the Casket Drops'', was released on December 8, 2009 via Columbia Records.
In a departure from the group's previous works, which only featured production from the Neptunes, the album features production from
Sean "Diddy" Combs
Sean Combs (born Sean John Combs; November 4, 1969), also known by his stage names Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Puffy, or Diddy, is an American rapper, actor, record producer, and record executive. Born in New York City, he worked as a talent directo ...
' production team
The Hitmen
The Hitmen are an Australian hard rock band formed in November 1977 by long-term members, Johnny Kannis on lead vocals and Chris Masuak on lead guitar as Johnny and the Hitmen. The group went through numerous line up changes in its first run ...
, and
DJ Khalil
Khalil Abdul-Rahman Hazzard (born October 16, 1973), professionally known as DJ Khalil, is an American music producer and DJ from Los Angeles. He is the instrumental half of the hip hop duo Self Scientific (along with rapper Chace Infinite) an ...
among others. The album did not fare as well commercially as the group's first two albums, peaking at No. 41 on the ''Billboard'' 200 albums chart.
2010–present: Solo career and ''Hear Ye Him''
In April 2010, No Malice announced that he and Pusha T would release solo albums later in the year, and that they were no longer signed to Columbia Records. In 2011 No Malice published his book ''Wretched, Pitiful, Poor, Blind & Naked'', a memoir about his life, including fearing contracting
AIDS
Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...
, as well as his
conversion to Christianity
Conversion to Christianity is the religious conversion of a previously non-Christian person to Christianity. Different Christian denominations may perform various different kinds of rituals or ceremonies initiation into their community of believ ...
.
On March 6, 2012, he announced that he changed his name from Malice to No Malice via a video posted to
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
. It depicted No Malice viewing himself in a casket in a funeral parlor and walking away. The video, which was directed by No Malice, opens with multiple quotes from the Bible: first, from
Ephesians
The Epistle to the Ephesians is the tenth book of the New Testament. Its authorship has traditionally been attributed to Paul the Apostle but starting in 1792, this has been challenged as Deutero-Pauline, that is, pseudepigrapha written in Pau ...
4:31, "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice;" then, from 1 Peter 2:1, "Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings;" and Romans 1:29, "Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers;" and Colossians 3:8, "But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth."
In 2012, No Malice collaborated with
Lecrae
Lecrae Devaughn Moore (born October 9, 1979), mononymously known as Lecrae, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record and film producer, record executive, actor, and entrepreneur.
He is the president, co-owner and co-founder of the ind ...
on his mixtape ''
Church Clothes
''Church Clothes'' is the first mixtape by Christian hip hop artist Lecrae, released for free on May 10, 2012, and hosted by DJ Don Cannon. It featured No Malice of Clipse on the song "Darkest Hour", and included production work by 9th Wonder, B ...
'', on the song "Darkest Hour". On June 19, 2012, No Malice released the first single from ''
Hear Ye Him
''Hear Ye Him'' is the debut solo studio album by American rapper No Malice. The album was released independently on August 18, 2013, by Reinvision. The album features guest appearances from Ab-Liva, Pusha T, Fam-Lay and Jaeson Ma among others.
O ...
'' titled "June" featuring Eric David. On July 24, 2012, the second single from ''Hear Ye Him'' titled "Unforgettable" was released. On January 15, 2013, the third single from ''Hear Ye Him'' titled "Smoke & Mirrors" featuring
Ab-Liva
The Re-Up Gang are an American hip hop group formed in 2004, in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The group was formed by Pusha T and Malice, brothers and members of Virginia-based hip hop duo Clipse, alongside Philadelphia-based rappers Ab-Liva and ...
was released. On May 21, 2013, it was announced that his debut album ''Hear Ye Him'' would be released on July 2, 2013, but the album was later pushed back. On June 4, 2013, the fourth single from ''Hear Ye Him'' titled "Bury That" was released.
On August 18, 2017, No Malice released his second studio album, ''Let the Dead Bury the Dead'', which contains the track ''Fake News'', where No Malice denounces his earlier work, singing "''Take my catalog, I just as soon set a match to it / Money like a side chick, I ain't that attached to it''".
On July 6, 2018, his single "Give 'Em Game" was released. A reviewer on ''Jam The Hype'' wrote, "No Malice spits timeless bars that listeners will gain wisdom from."
He and his brother made a guest appearance as
Clipse
Clipse, also known as The Clipse, is an American hip hop duo, chiefly active from 1994 to 2010. It consists of brothers Gene "No Malice" and Terrence "Pusha T" Thornton. Pusha T was known as Terrar during the group's early years, while No Mal ...
on the track "Use This Gospel" on Kanye West's 2019 album ''Jesus Is King''.
In 2022, they have collaborated on
Japanese DJ Nigo’s album, titled “
I Know NIGO!” on a song called “Punch Bowl”. The following month, they collaborated on brother
Pusha T
Terrence LeVarr Thornton (born May 13, 1977), better known by his stage name Pusha T, is an American rapper, songwriter and record executive. He rose to prominence as one-half of the hip hop duo Clipse, which was mainly active from 1994 to 20 ...
’s album, titled “
It’s Almost Dry”, on a song called “I Pray For You”. He is credited as Malice on the record.
Discography
Studio albums
Guest appearances
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:No Malice
1972 births
Living people
African-American male rappers
People from the Bronx
East Coast hip hop musicians
Musicians from Virginia Beach, Virginia
Rappers from Virginia
African-American Christians
21st-century American rappers
21st-century American male musicians
21st-century African-American musicians
20th-century African-American people