Malice, one-half of Virginia coke-rap duo Clipse, has made the ultimate sacrifice to showcase his newfound outspokenness about religion: he has officially changed his name to "No Malice."
On Tuesday (Mar. 6), the rapper (real name: Gene Thornton) posted on Twitter, "R.I.P. "Malice" 8/20/2002 - 3/6/2012," and linked to a video that shows him entering a funeral parlor in a dress shirt and bow tie, staring down at himself in a casket (wearing a hooded sweatshirt), shaking his head and walking away. His Twitter handle now reads @NoMalice757, and his Twitter name stands as, "aka Yes My Lord."
Since Malice and his younger brother, Terrence "Pusha T" Thornton, released its third official album as Clipse, "Til The Casket Drops," in 2009, Malice has seemingly undergone a rebirth, becoming more outspoken about his Christian affiliation and penning a memoir, "Wretched, Pitiful, Poor, Blind and Naked," in the process. "I have a good grasp on what's important now," he told the Village Voice in early 2011. "I was chasing all these material things, money, women . . . just looking for fulfillment. Ultimately though, my fulfillment came from my faith."
While Malice (er, No Malice) promises that a new solo project, "Hear Ye Him!," is coming this summer, Pusha T is currently working on his debut album for Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music imprint, after releasing a pair of mixtapes, "Fear of God" and "Fear of God II: Let Us Pray," in 2011. West will executive-produce the album, and last month, R&B songwriting maestro The-Dream told Billboard.com that he had penned eight songs for the release.