METHOD MAN
DRUNK OFF A CHEAP WINE...salute to that...many a time that was a slogan of mine...many a time i raised my bottle of merlot to that line...and salut to our french canadian friends while we are saluting things...bonjour, oui, oui and all that good stuff...all that good stuff...the telepaths are back in the telepathic wu tang chambers once again...this time to talk about M-E-T-H-O-D MAN...coming in #2 in our rankings...so join us in a telepathic conversation that will slightly bend how you perceive your life at this moment in time...or at the very least will entertain you for a few minutes!
I remember stickin fiends at the one-six-oohWhen we was starvin, duckin five-oh, payin em duesTimes is hard in the slums I'm from, they got us barred inWe warrin and cage dodgin, rippin and robbinGot the NARC sabotagin, slippin cracks inYour camoflougin, now you snitchin on the squadronThat's somethin niggas can't pardonCity overrun by young gun with bad intention, and Wu-Wear garmentSo I see no need to mention, the potencyOf a sting from a killa bee, kickin the batteryOut the back of them wisecracksDistorted for your get high you hijackThese friendly skies ain't for you, they for me and mineThis the year of the grimy nigga, ragtimeKeep these niggas on the run, peep my Clan emblemIron Lung ain't got to tell you where it's comin fromCatch us swimmin with these sharks now, you rap villainsWe feel the same way you feelin, let it be knownWhat the blood clot you niggas dealin, you crash dummies
Cash rules, still don't nuttin move but the money
WILLIAM BROWN
So we got method man in the
#2 slot...was it pretty close between him and ghostface killah? what gave him
the edge?
DRAMA EN SABAH
You know I think in hindsight
I can't say it should have been close. Even though Ghost has had more recent
success and a real strong cult following he still isn't as big as Meth was
during his peak. Remember Meth was so big that he would wear a mask around in
public just so that he wouldn't be bothered by his fans? Meth also had a solo
song on the Protect Ya Neck single with a video and as I mentioned before was
the go to guy for posse cuts. He was everywhere. During interviews he was the
guy being asked all the questions. Which lead to the confrontation with I think
U-God where Meth was like "But look at the answers you be giving."
Also though he's not so much in the spot light anymore he has had a bit of
quality resurgence. His last solo album was a good one and he was really good
on 8 Diagrams.
Let's start at the
beginning...he had the two most popular cuts on enter the 36 chambers...cream
and method man...which then translated into him being the first out of the gate
with a wutang solo album...so let's talk about "tical" first...the
album title is a play on the word "methodical" as well as meaning a
blunt that has been laced with some mind altering shit...was this a mind
altering album for you?...what was your initial reaction when you heard method
man off 36 chambers?
DRAMA EN SABAH
I
wasn't necessarily the biggest Wu-Tang fan before Enter. It took me awhile to
get into Protect Your Neck and what I really liked was a little heard
remix for Method Man (Home Grown Version) on the b-side. Still I wasn't
convinced until I bought Enter. Even at the time I thought to myself how funny
it was that I bought the album on sight even though I didn't really love the
early stuff and then the album just blew me way.
Tical
is one of two albums that I didn't like until I listened to it with other
people. Coincidentally the other album is by another Wu-Tang member Ghostface
Killah and his Iron Man album. That's never happened to me at any other time.
Though funny enough Iron Man is one of my favourite Wu-Tang albums but Tical
isn't. Anyway to answer the question when I first heard Tical I didn't
like it. The beats and lyrics didn't really jump out at me. Didn't have quite
the energy of Enter...Which is funny because Meth got a lot of credit for the
energy on Enter... I was away at school when I first heard the album. When I
came back to Toronto my friends who loved Tical were playing it non stop and it
quickly became the sound track of the winter of '94. There a some big songs on
that album. Subcrazy being one of my favourites as was Release Yo' Delf. It
went well with whatever we were into at the time so yeah I'd say it was fairly
mind altering or at least a very good compliment for when you're having your
mind altered by other things. Songs like Tical and Mr.Sandman were pretty trippy
if you're tripping.
Did
you buy into Meth as the break out star? I know you usually aren't into the
guys getting the most spotlight but in the early days of the Wu was there a
more deserving guy to wave the Wu flag .
Little
known fact. Tical was originally supposed to be called The Burning Bush.
Additionally: Do you remember
how many people dressed like him and even adopted his mannerisms? There were
tons of them.
WILLIAM BROWN
I remember you put me on
to the wu...i was a hardcore head back in the day...back when dude's like me
were non-existent in terms of listening to hip hop...and that's not even no ego
talk...it just wasn't the case...and i don't even want to talk shit and put
labels on things...but for somebody like me...who was white and an outkast...at
that time period in the late 80s...there was nobody around me...and that's the
thing...my love of rap doesn't come from nothing but rap...it doesn't come from
my peers or anything like that...it doesn't come from any colours or anything
that was cool or any of that shit...i found this shit on my own...period...and
any one that challenges me, and says "oh william brown, you ain't no
head"...i'll fucking bring you back to things in my time machine and then
you'll see...but why am i so angry?...fucking colt. 45 got a bit of a hold on
me...brings out the demon in me...but like i said drama put me on to some wu
tang...and meth was the shit...straight up...he was the shit...who else in wu
tang sticks out like meth?!...here's the thing about wu tang...these dudes
brought the lyrics...and by lyrics i mean the flow, the depth, the
wordplay...meth brought that shit...with charisma...with style...with depth...i
mean shit...seriously...
...you
know what's amazing is that he hooked up with another kindred soul in redman
and they collaborated on albums and tv shows...what's your feeling on that
collaboration?
DRAMA EN SABAH
The
best of the Red and Meth was the original How High. The one without the chick
singing the chorus. I remember I first heard it on a mixtape. I believe it was
DJ Clue's Halloween Havoc aka the Flavour in Your Ass mixtape. So named because
clue said something about someone's ass that my friend Matic somehow turned
into "Flavour in Your Ass". Anyway this was back when mixtapes
were actually useful in that they were filled with leaked songs and bootleg
shit. Biggie was looking to crack Clue's head for leaking his songs. Good
times. Anyway that was my favourite song of the moment and shortly thereafter
Def Jam started advertising "The Month of the Man" as they were
dropping Redman's second and Meth's first that month. Two weed head rappers
setting up to collaborate was a given but I was disappointed in the Black Out
project. It had some great songs like the Rocwilda but all in all it didn't
move me. I also didn't like how they co-opted Cypress Hill, it felt like biting
because Hand On the Pump wasn't that old of a song. That being said I do enjoy
their chemistry. They've a bunch of songs together I thought were really good.
They had a good one on the The Dare Iz A Darkside LP.
All
in all I think Red and Meth together has helped both their careers.
Were
you bumping Blackout? I don't remember you bumping to Blackout.
WILLIAM BROWN
I never got into the blackout
albums...tried but it didn't really catch on...or the how high movie for that matter...what did you think of meth's 2nd
album...judgement day...i remember feeling really hyped before it came out and
while the album was solid it kind of killed the momentum for me in terms of
meth's career and i don't think i checked out any of his solo stuff after
that...
DRAMA EN SABAH
I thought Judgement Day was a
disappointment. While there may be a couple songs I liked the only one I can
remember is Sweet Love. That song I played fairly regularly but the album was
forgettable for the most part. One thing that did stand out was how big a star
Meth was. He had a phone call from Janet Jackson on the album. I believe there
was another skit or two that really let us know that this guy's world had
changed! And maybe not for the better going by the interviews he was giving at
the time. Surprisingly that second album sold nearly as well as the first
album.
His
3rd album I can't remember at all but his forth album I heard at a friend's
house one summer and I thought it was pretty good. Maybe his overall best
album. Shortly after the Meth renaissance continued with his stellar work on
the Wu album 8 Diagrams.
WILLIAM BROWN
I thought he was amazing on 8
diagrams...he really provided a nice vibe to that...rza said he made that album
to be played in the "winter"...and i remember playing that alot when
i lived in nova scotia that winter...do you know why ghost and rae came down so
hard on that?...ego perhaps...something went awry there with rza...anyway, meth
got me hyped again to listen to him and i'm looking forward to his
"crystal meth" album...
How did you feel about his acting and
character on "the wire"? We didn't get
into it yet about meth and the wire...his character
"cheese"...how did you feel about his acting skills in that
show?...average...above average...
DRAMA EN SABAH
See Meth has a lot of
personality. You see it in his videos as well. So while he may not be an actor
with "range" he definitely has enough personality to carry a role.
While I haven't seen much of his acting work I thought he was really good on
the Wire. Of course I'm also one of the people who feel writing carried that
show far more than acting. I really liked his Cheese character. I mean
"Omar had one of them commando squads with him, man. I mean, he
had this one ho' pulling guns out her pussy, unc! The shit was unseemly,
man."
That's
one of the many great lines in that series!
WILLIAM BROWN
In the end...how do we not
mention "street life"...?
DRAMA EN SABAH
Street Life might be the
Memphis Bleek of the Wu-Tang Clan. I have no idea what Meth was trying to
accomplish with that guy. He must have had a good gun game or something. Though
I did think he had the best verse on Sweet Love.
WILLIAM BROWN
In the end part 2...bunch of wu tang stuff has come out recently in the press...rza trying to pull everyone back together for this wu tang reunion album, but having problems, most specifically with rae and ghost...rza mentioned that method man is still fully down with the wu and that not much has changed...
"[What's changed?]" Method Man said. "Zip codes. That’s as simple as I can put it—zip codes have changed. We’re all still the same dudes. At least, I feel like we’re the same dudes; you’d have to ask somebody on the outside looking in. I still see the child in all my niggas. And it’s funny, I can see it in the things they do. RZA made a Kung-Fu movie last year. If that’s not screaming childhood fantasy, I don’t know what is, you know what I mean? Rae’s living the lifestyle of a mobster and shit—childhood fantasy? Yeah. Me? I got millions of pairs of sneakers and video games, shit that I didn’t have as a child. So in that sense, yeah"
DRAMA EN SABAH
Meth is not being entirely
truthful here though. As a huge problem with Wu-Tang as of late is that
everyone is determined to go their own way. Rae and Ghost especially have been
vocal in their criticisms of RZA and his control or influence of the clan.
Personally I think those two really generated a lot of negative press for 8
Diagrams which was the best Wu album since Forever. But Rae and Ghost were
always knocking the musical selection and that had to turn some fans off of the
project before they even heard it. So to say everyone is the same can't be
entirely correct. These guys are older and aren't looking to fall in line as
easily as they use to. Funny enough Meth is the one who would seemingly have
the most reason to break away from the Clan given his success but he's remained
a really loyal soldier.
Method
Man fun fact **Method Man's name in the Nation of Gods and Earths is Shaquan
which he also used as an emcee name. Old Dirty Bastard calls him by that name
on the Mystery of Chessboxing "Represent the GZA Abbot,
RZA, Shaquan, Inspectah Deck Dirty Ol'/ getting low wit his flow/
Introducing, the Ghost..face.. Killah!!/No one could get
iller"
He
was also known as the Panty Raider. He only settled on Method Man because of
the hit song of the same name. So yeah your favourite Wu-Tang emcee was nearly
named the Panty Raider. Meth would eventually name his new born son
Shaquan.
FAVOURITE METHOD MAN BANGERS
Meth is a tricky one for favourites because some much of his dopest shit might be on features or with other members of the Clan. I mean as essentials go you have to list the "All I Need" remix, "Method Man" or of course the brilliant choruses on "C.R.E.A.M" and "Ice Cream". Despite people considering him a bit of a disappointment as a solo artist he has more dope records than you can count on your hands and toes.
Meth is a tricky one for favourites because some much of his dopest shit might be on features or with other members of the Clan. I mean as essentials go you have to list the "All I Need" remix, "Method Man" or of course the brilliant choruses on "C.R.E.A.M" and "Ice Cream". Despite people considering him a bit of a disappointment as a solo artist he has more dope records than you can count on your hands and toes.
How High with Redman. This is the original version that I first heard on I believe a DJ Clue mixtape. This song blew my fuckin mind when it I heard it. I still kinda lose my shit when it comes on to be honest.
Release Yo' Delf. I've always been fascinated by the apostrophe in the title. Like this is the time and place for correct punctuation. Cause I need to know that word is actually "your" and not "yo" but at the same time I'm expected to know what the fuck a delf(self) is. Anyway if you're throwing a party and decided that you need some insurance money and arson is the ticket. Throw this track on and watch the building burn. High energy Meth is as great as slow flow Meth.
Do What Ya Feel. Meth on that ill slow flow shit. Reminds me of some of his work on Liquid Swords.
Sub Crazy is one of my favourite joints off of Tical
I really liked this "freestyle". Don't know if it ever ended up on a track or not but I really was hoping that Meth would continue to use this type of subject matter going forward.