Virginia rap duo Clipse released one of last year’s best albums — a taut, masterful record called Hell Hath No Fury. Only their second album, the disc slipped out almost completely under the commercial radar despite critical raves.

And like its sleepy record release, Clipse’s show late Wednesday night at the Bowery Ballroom — its lone tour date this winter — was preceded with just as little fanfare. In fact, Clipse was originally scheduled to play the bigger Webster Hall, but sluggish ticket sales necessitated a change of venue. To make matters worse, the fans who showed up Wednesday night — and the Bowery was indeed full — were forced to wait an interminably long time for the emcee brothers Pusha T and Malice to hit the stage. Nearly an hour and forty minutes past their scheduled start time at 10, the rap outfit launched into a gritty, impassioned “Momma I’m So Sorry.”

Fans who stuck it out were treated to a characteristically blistering performance of new material and old, though the set’s strongest musical moments came from the newest record.

For the uninitiated, consider Clipse the antithesis of, say, Kanye West, an artist who tours with a full-string orchestra. Clipse kept it pared down: just two emcees and a DJ (though they brought out two guest emcees at several points). Like their recorded output, the live Clipse experience is musically lean and intense. The group mines repetitive, nearly industrial beats (provided by superstar producers the Neptunes) and tends to avoid overt melody, easy hooks and lazy product placement. Still, songs like “Aint’ Cha” possess an infectious, almost-giddy quality, thick with percussion and a sing-songy call and response structure.

Lyrically just as tough, Clipse raps — boastfully, cautiously, humorously — about drugs, cocaine especially. (New Yorker critic Sasha Frere-Jones recently examined Clipse’s lyrics in an essay about “cocaine rap.”) Consider “Ride Around Shining,” performed six songs into the set. With a chiming beat that sounds like a glittering harp, the song bounces from braggadocio to reservations. “When I’m shoveling snow, call me frosty,” the brothers tease.

Not much to look at — the two emcees crisscrossed the stage and occasionally addressed the audience — Clipse still managed to command the Bowery Ballroom on the strength of their material if not their showmanship. But the more subtle pleasures of their music — inventive beats, literary lyrical allusions, snappy humor — were too hard to find during an otherwise authoritative set.

With some time off before launching a proper tour in April, perhaps the duo can focus its energy for an even tighter performance.

Clipse Tour Dates:
04/07 – Memphis, TN – Plush
04/08 – New Orleans, LA – House of Blues
04/12 – Atlanta, GA – Earthlink Live
04/13 – Birmingham, AL – Platinum Nightclub
04/14 – Jackson, MS – Free Lons Groove
04/20 – Detroit , MI – Club Visions
04/21 – Washington, DC – 930 Club
04/26 – New York, NY – BB King’s
04/27 – Fort Bragg, NC – Sports USA
04/28 – Tampa, FL – Club Skye
04/29 – Miami, FL — TBD