‘Every time I told the story, everyone was totally amazed,’ he tells Mixtape Daily. Clipse’s Gene “Malice” Thornton might not be a rookie, but the MC — who has blessed us with a bevy of healthy verses over Neptunes production throughout the years — is a first-time author, readying the release of his book “Wretched, Pitiful, Poor, Blind, and Naked.” Admittedly, a literary career wasn’t in the plans for the former armed forces member. But after a tumultuous period in his life that Malice said began in 2008 (he didn’t elaborate on the incidents; a year later, in 2009, longtime Clipse manager Anthony “Geezy” Gonzalez was charged with leading a multimillion-dollar drug ring), he had a story that he would repeat often, and the idea for a book arose.
“Every time I told the story, everyone was totally amazed,” he explained. “The story is nothing short of phenomenal. I thought I was gonna be rapping, and I still rap; I’m gonna keep making music. But I had to stop what I was doing for a minute to really get this burden off my chest. And it’s basically the vehicle that’s gonna shed light on life and it’s gonna open up the eyes of any young person that’s aspiring to be, not just in hip-hop, but music, sports, doctors, lawyers, whatever your profession is. It’s just gonna help you be focused and learn to appreciate what you already have.” As the title suggests, “Wretched, Pitiful, Poor, Blind, and Naked” has a spiritual angle. Leaning on his faith, however, is nothing new, Malice said. Since the Brothers Thornton first arrived on the scene with their debut album “Exclusive Audio Footage (1999)” (which was shelved by Elektra Records), their rhymes have been imbued with the Lord’s guide to living.
“This thing just happened, but all of my fans know, and people who have listened to my music, they have always heard me referring to my faith, even from the first album, Exclusive Audio Footage, it gave some insight into my beliefs. I was just listening to a song form that album, I had an interlude called ‘The Prayer,’ and right after that, there’s a song called ‘Watch Over Me,’ and after I listened to that, it just confirmed who I am and who I already been. I think what happened was I strayed away from my faith and I wasn’t practicing it. I was doing what I wanted to do, whatever I felt like doing. Doing what everybody else was doing.” Now, he’s rededicated and preparing to put out his tome on Monday, Valentine’s Day. “A lot of people want more, more, more, and I think it’s just important that you stop and realize where you’re at right now and try not to take anything for granted,” he said.