clipping. Announce Splendor and Misery Fest in NYC With a Stacked Lineup

clipping. aren't just one of the most inventive groups in hip-hop right now. They're building their own world around it. The noise-rap trio just announced Splendor & Misery Fest, a curated NYC event featuring SPELLLING, Shabazz Palaces, Elucid, Fatboi Sharif, and more. If you know, you know. And if you don't, keep reading.

The festival takes its name from Splendor & Misery, the group's 2016 concept album that told the story of the sole survivor of a slave uprising aboard an interstellar cargo ship, and the onboard computer that falls in love with him. Yeah, that's the premise. It was Afrofuturist, dystopian, completely singular, and it was nominated for a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation. 2026 marks the 10th anniversary of that album, which makes this whole thing feel like a proper celebration of one of the most ambitious records in experimental hip-hop.

The Lineup Is Perfectly Curated

I'll be real, this isn't some random grab bag of names. Every artist on this bill connects to what clipping. have been doing for over a decade. Shabazz Palaces are the experiential hip-hop duo out of Seattle led by Ishmael Butler of Digable Planets and multi-instrumentalist Tendai Maraire. They were famously the first hip-hop act signed to Sub Pop, which is the same label that houses clipping. So this is a Sub Pop underground hip-hop family reunion as much as anything.

Elucid is one of the most important voices in NYC's experimental rap scene. If you follow Armand Hammer, the duo he shares with billy woods, you already know why he's on this bill. Fatboi Sharif is a New Jersey rapper who already has a direct performing history with clipping., having opened for them at their sold-out Elsewhere show in Brooklyn back in August 2025. And SPELLLING brings a psychedelic art-pop energy that fits perfectly into this world of boundary-pushing sound.

clipping. Have Been on a Tear

For anyone who hasn't been following, clipping. have been relentless. The LA trio of Daveed Diggs, William Hutson, and Jonathan Snipes dropped Dead Channel Sky in March 2025, a cyberpunk-infused record that marked a departure from their horrorcore run on There Existed an Addiction to Blood and Visions of Bodies Being Burned. It featured guests like Aesop Rock, Cartel Madras, and Nels Cline, and pulled an 82 on Metacritic. Then they followed it up with the expanded Dead Channel Sky Plus in September 2025.

The touring behind that album was extensive. They hit the road starting with an LA show at The Echoplex on release day, toured through the summer, sold out Elsewhere in Brooklyn, played dates across Europe, and wrapped things up with appearances at COLD WAVES XIII in Chicago and Talk Low Fest in Cincinnati. This isn't a group coasting on reputation. They're working.

Why This Matters

Honestly, it's rare to see an artist curate a festival that feels this intentional. This isn't a brand exercise or a label showcase with filler. Every name on the Splendor & Misery Fest bill exists in the same creative space, pushing boundaries between hip-hop, noise, experimental electronics, and performance art. clipping. have always been about tearing down the walls between genres, and this lineup reflects that.

For context, these guys formed in 2009 in LA as a remix project before Daveed Diggs joined. They're named after the distortion that happens when an audio signal maxes out an amplifier. Hutson and Snipes have backgrounds in film composition. Diggs went on to star in Hamilton on Broadway. The whole project has always been about collision, pulling from noise music, power electronics, underground rap, and genre fiction. A curated festival is honestly the most clipping. thing they could do.

Don't Sleep on This

Specific venue details, dates, and ticket info are still rolling out. Keep an eye on clipping.'s Bandcamp and Sub Pop's news page for updates. If you've been paying attention to the underground, you know how quickly shows like these sell out. Their Elsewhere gig last year moved fast, and a full festival event with this lineup in NYC is going to go even faster. Get on it.

Cover photo courtesy of Ticketmaster