Metascore
89 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 29 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 28 out of 29
  2. Negative: 0 out of 29
  1. There's not an ounce of fat here. What's left reaffirms the Neptunes' credentials as fearless sonic innovators - eradicating the memory of Pharrell Williams' underwhelming recent solo album at a stroke - and fast-tracks Clipse into the pantheon of great rap lyricists.
  2. Hell Hath No Fury is as lyrically kaleidoscopic as it is conceptually monochrome. Track after track flays the central theme, but with such consistently inventive language it seems almost churlish to dwell on its moral bankruptcy.
  3. They're unflinchingly unsensationalistic. But it's the beats that turn this into noir worthy of Jim Thompson. [Feb/Mar 2007]
  4. An album that's sonically deep, dark, and one of 2006's finest.
  5. Fury is a twelve step sequence of poisonous, caustic, and lithe rap.
  6. A lean, furious, cold-blooded album that is vividly to-the-point.
  7. Make no mistake: Hell Hath No Fury is a major event.
  8. These clattering and clear-eyed tracks add up to something singular. [27 Nov 2006]
  9. "Hell Hath No Fury" has nearly redefined its genre; it takes the coke trade's dead eyes and empty hearts, found from penthouse to pavement, and turns them into music.
  10. One listen is all that is needed to convince you that the Clipse have dropped one of the best rap albums of the year.
  11. It's impossible to guess what kind of album would've turned out had this seen the light of day two years ago, when it was originally expected. Chances are, though, we wouldn't be talking about intensity or hunger or survival with the same emotion in our voices.
  12. The hype was (gulp) correct. Hell Hath No Fury is hot. Dirtily, nastily, pipingly hot. Not Best Rap Album of the Year hot; Best Rap Album in a Few Years hot.
  13. Fury is as lean and mean sonically as it is lyrically.
  14. Listen to the beats and you'll find The Neptunes' best work in years. [27 Jan 2007, p.31]
  15. If you didn't like the casual misogyny, glorification of crack dealing and unapologetic thuggery of the debut then stop reading now, because "Hell Hath No Fury" makes it sound like "Meat Is Murder" by The Smiths.
  16. The Neptunes' pitch-perfect production allied with Pusha-T and Malice's vicious, witty rhymes make Hell Hath No Fury one of the records of the year.
  17. 80
    Concise at 12 tracks, the stylistic coherence seldom fails to engage. [Feb 2007, p.73]
  18. 80
    It's ghetto viciousness as literary exercise--an episode of The Wire with a better soundtrack. [Nov 2006, p.142]
  19. Pusha T and Malice are deft wordsmiths who deliver lean, whip-smart couplets. [Mar 2007, p.111]
  20. So why is it one of the best hip-hop albums of the year? For one, nobody gets the beats -- dry, hard and evil -- that Clipse get from Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo.
  21. 80
    On Hell Hath No Fury, Clipse transform cliches into poetry. [Nov 2006, p.105]
  22. At first the beats are jarring. But like the Clipse's debut smash, "Grindin'," once it all clicks, it's unstoppable. [2 Dec 2006]
  23. 80
    Together, they paint devastating emotional portraits, and they sidestep tedium by remaining rap's most lyrically inventive group. [Nov 2006, p.155]
  24. Hell Hath No Fury stands as one of the most entertaining releases of the year, patched with glorious lyrical play, blinging exercises in fantasy and a jaunty half-seriousness.
  25. There's a cold efficiency in how the Clipse delivers songs built on street-corner cockiness and billfold bluster. It's all shamelessly amoral, but the Clipse wouldn't be such savvy hustlers if they didn't know how to sling with style.
  26. Hell Hath No Fury isn't as well-assembled as Lord Willin' or as spontaneous as Clipse's lauded mix-CDs from 2005 but it is coldly efficient in knocking out 12 songs backed with superbly dark and sparse tracks by the Neptunes.
  27. 60
    The stark beats are the best Hugo and Williams have built in years. But its themes--dealing, girls--require more lyrical innovation to compel. [Feb 2007, p.105]
User Score

Universal acclaim- based on 127 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 80 out of 100
  2. Negative: 9 out of 100
  1. caml
    10
    Ridiculous lyrics that really give you a ripe image of gangster glory in your mind. Pusha-T and Malice are, quite honestly, the most underrated MCs of our time. And the Neptunes' simple, dark and artistic beats provide the perfect backdrop for the themes of the album. Full Review »
  2. MiguelA
    9
    Now honestly, the first time heard this album I hated it. The beats sucked, the rapppers had no charisma, and I couldn't believe it was getting rated as a "classic". Idk what was wrong with me. Fastfoward 2 years later. I really dont know what happened, but the beats sound WAAYYYYY better. It's like they had to grow onto you, or they were ahead of their time or something. Also the rappers from The Clipse may still not have much charisma, but both of them are lyrically talented. They're just pure entertainment Even without punchlines. It's crazy. They're just great. I'm not sure wether to recommend this album to everybody though because it took me a long time to like. I''m not really sure what type of Hip Hop-ers this would appeal to. Great album though. Nearly classic. Just about. Full Review »
  3. blakK
    5
    I found this to be a rather mediocre album. Nothing particularly wrong with it; it just doesn't stand up to some of the better underground hip hop albums I've heard. Maybe it just doesn't meld well with my taste in music -- I'm more into jazzy, laid-back hip hop. I also prefer songs that have meaningful messages, while this CD seemed filled with songs about the usual radio fare. Full Review »