The Clipse have found that recording their ‘We Got It for Cheap’ street CD series with the Re-Up Gang has not only been therapeutic but a great means of making a living while they’ve stewed in record-contract purgatory. The Virginia Beach-bred brothers have booked shows on the strength of their street releases. They recently hit New York’s Knitting Factory for a performance where just about every audience member knew all the words to their underground records.

The Clipse’s strong following helped them make the decision to settle their differences with Jive Records. They have agreed to put out the long-awaited Hell Hath No Fury, due late this summer.

“It’s time to put that album out now,” Malice said while he and his younger brother Pusha T were in New York. “Hip-hop is dying right now. It’s not exciting anymore. No one’s really talking about anything that makes any sense. It’s just one big circus right now.”

After years of legal battles with Jive Records, the brothers are content with their label situation. The Clipse say Pharrell Williams and Star Trak offered Jive the world (including free Neptunes beats) in exchange for the Clipse’s release from their contract. But the label wouldn’t budge. Once the Clipse started making a buzz with the Re-Up Gang, Jive held them even tighter. Eventually Jive had to come up with some more dough for the group as well as offer the Clipse their own imprint, Re-Up Gang Records. (Subsequently, the Clipse are no longer with Star Trak, but remain very cool with the Neptunes).

During their hiatus, the Clipse say that they had a chance to analyze the rap game and found out that they really didn’t like any label better than Jive, so they decided to stay. “It’s not just Jive,” Pusha T explained. “I can look at few of my peers that I think are nice and have good music, and the ball gets fumbled all the time.”

The Clipse describe the feel of Hell Hath as pure throwback. “Fly East Coast dope-dealer music,” Pusha elaborated. “Only thing we’re missing is four-finger rings and gold ropes.

“It’s better than anything and anybody ever,” he continued with a grin. “We only took the greatest and most unorthodox production. We weren’t playing with Pharrell. We were harder on the Neptunes than anybody has ever been. No album fillers. It’s very street, very dark, mean.”

Hell Hath’s first single is called “Me Too,” and it’s being mixed right now. It should show up on mixtapes and in mix shows within the next couple of weeks.

“It’s the total disruption of radio,” Pusha boasted. “There’s nothing on radio that will even be close to it. It just addresses Mr. Me Toos. Mr. Me Too is the person that sits there and examines your style and takes a piece of it. It addresses the competitive dude on the street who, when you get this or that they’re like, ‘Me too.’ ” Pusha said the track also touches on some of what they went through with their label. “Briefly,” he explained, ” ’cause we don’t dwell.”