It took Virginia duo the Clipse almost four years and numerous label travails to release the follow-up to 2002's "Lord Willin'," which finally arrived last year in the form of "Hell Hath No Fury." But group member Pusha T says the time off gave both he and his brother Malice "a chance to sit back and carve out where we wanted to be in this music game and to evaluate hip-hop as a whole."

And though the group remains on the road promoting "Fury," which has sold just 184,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan, work has also begun on a new studio album. Both members declined to elaborate on the progress of the project, but told Billboard.com, "We're just going to stay true to what it is we do."

"Everything happens for a reason," says Pusha. "There's so much disposable music right now and it is all being classified as hip-hop. This music thing is really a place where you can make your mark in history and build something epic."

Which is why in 2005 the brothers released their "Got It for Cheap" Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 mixtapes, through which they introduced the Re-Up Gang, their music crew consisting of Pusha, Malice and Philly rappers Ab-Liva and Sandman. A third installment of the mixtape, as well as the Re-Up Gang debut album, are also in the works.

"The Re-Up Gang is just four MCs that follow the basic rules of hip-hop and lyricism," Pusha says. "Being creative, painting those pictures, the metaphors that smack you in your face."

For this reason, the attempt by black leaders to censor hip-hop as a result of the Don Imus controversy is disappointing to Pusha. "I am floored that our leaders have let the racist comments of this white man be turned around on hip-hop," he states. "Hip-hop didn't make that man say that. I'm just appalled."

Pusha also says the Clipse will not be commenting about the Virginia Tech tragedy in song, noting, "This is bigger than a track," he says. ""It didn't even come across my mind."