Method Man

Clifford Smith, Jr. (born March 2, 1971), known professionally as Method Man, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. He is a member of the East Coast hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan, and is half of the hip hop duo Method Man & Redman. His debut solo album, '' Tical'' (1994), peaked at number four on the ''Billboard'' 200 and spawned the single " I'll Be There for You/You're All I Need to Get By" (featuring Mary J. Blige), which won Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group at the 38th Annual Grammy Awards. The song also peaked within the top five of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100; he and Blige later starred in '' Power Book II: Ghost'', a spin-off of '' Power''.

Method Man has appeared in films such as '' 187'' (1997), '' Belly'' (1998), '' How High'' (2001), '' Garden State'' (2004), '' The Wackness'' (2008), ''Venom'' (2005), '' Red Tails'' (2012), '' Keanu'' (2016), '' The Cobbler'' (2014), and '' Bad Shabbos'' (2024). He and Redman co-starred on the short-lived Fox television sitcom '' Method & Red''. He has also had recurring roles in three HBO series, as Tug Daniels in '' Oz'', Melvin "Cheese" Wagstaff in ''The Wire'', and Rodney in '' The Deuce''. Method Man also appeared in the TBS comedy series '' The Last O.G.''.

His stage name is a tribute to the 1979 martial arts film '' Method Man''.

Early life

Born on March 2, 1971 in Hempstead, Long Island, Smith divided his childhood between his father's Long Island residence and his mother's home in the Park Hill section of Clifton, Staten Island, locally known as Killa Hill. Growing up in Hempstead, Smith began playing lacrosse at a young age and continues to be a passionate supporter of the sport. He attended New Dorp High School, where he became friends with Remedy. He has two sisters.

Music career

1992–1996: ''Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)'' and ''Tical''

As Wu-Tang Clan ascended to hip hop stardom, Method Man was always one of the most visible members of the collective. He was one of only two members (along with GZA) to get a solo song on the group's debut album '' Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)'' (" Method Man") and the first to release a solo album under the Clan's unusual contract which allowed its members to release albums under any record label. Method Man chose to sign with rap label Def Jam Recordings, although Elektra Records A&R man Dante Ross initially wanted to sign him around the same time Ross signed fellow group member Ol' Dirty Bastard. Method Man's solo debut, '' Tical'' (1994), was critically acclaimed and well received, entering the American charts at #4 and eventually selling in excess of one million copies. That album featured the hit single "All I Need", later remixed featuring Mary J. Blige, which won a Grammy (" I'll Be There for You/You're All I Need to Get By"). During this time Method Man also became close friends with fellow New York City-based rapper The Notorious B.I.G., and was the only guest rapper featured on his debut album ''Ready to Die,'' on the song "The What". He was also featured on Spice 1's album '' AmeriKKKa's Nightmare'' on the track "Hard 2 Kill". In 1995, he was also featured on "Got the Flava" off Showbiz and A.G.'s album '' Goodfellas''. He also appeared on the Batman Forever soundtrack: his track, The Riddler, produced by RZA included a video with clips from the film. In 1996, Method Man appeared on Tupac Shakur's album '' All Eyez on Me'', on the song "Got My Mind Made Up" alongside his rhyme partner Redman, Tha Dogg Pound and Inspectah Deck, whose verse did not make the released album version, although his nickname "Rebel INS" can be heard as the song fades. He was also featured on Redman's 1996 album ''Muddy Waters'' on the track "Do What Ya Feel".

1997–1998: ''Wu-Tang Forever'' and ''Tical 2000: Judgment Day''

On June 3, 1997, the Wu-Tang Clan released their Grammy-nominated multiplatinum double CD '' Wu-Tang Forever'', the long-awaited follow up to ''36 Chambers''. The album has sold over 6 million copies to date worldwide.

In 1996, the movie Space Jam was released. Method Man, alongside LL Cool J, Busta Rhymes, B-Real and Coolio released a song from the Space Jam Soundtrack called, " Hit 'Em High". Method Man would go on to feature on LL Cool J's, " 4 ,3, 2, 1" the following year.

His second solo album was '' Tical 2000: Judgement Day'', released in 1998, which was heavily influenced by the apocalypse theories surrounding the forthcoming end of the millennium, and featured myriad guest appearances from his fellow Wu-Tang MCs. Other guest appearances include Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, D'Angelo, Chris Rock, Mobb Deep, Redman, and brief cameos from Russell Simmons, Bishop Don "Magic" Juan, Janet Jackson, and Donald Trump. Fueled by the party track "Judgment Day" and the D'Angelo collaboration " Break Ups 2 Make Ups", the album sold better than his debut, earning Platinum certifications in both the U.S. and Canada. Reviews for the album were mixed and its long runtime and abundance of intermittent comedy skits were widely criticized. Producers on this album included True Master, 4th Disciple and the RZA.

In 1997, the Scottish rock band Texas, found some success with their single, " Say What You Want". In 1998, the band collaborated with Method Man and RZA on a remix of the song titled "Say What You Want (All Day, Every Day)", with RZA producing. It was later included in the Greatest Hits album released by Texas.

1999–2001: ''Blackout!'' (with Redman) and WWF Aggression

Method Man was part of the very successful Hard Knock Life Tour with Jay-Z, Redman, Ja Rule, and DMX. During this tour, Method Man & Redman recorded '' Blackout!'', a light-hearted, bass-heavy, profanity-laced, party record with an EPMD-evoking emphasis on funky beats and the mischievous wit and cool flows and good rhythm of the two MCs. The album reached platinum status quickly, both in the U.S. and Canada, fueled by " Da Rockwilder", "Cereal Killa", "1, 2, 1, 2", "Tear It Off" and "Y.O.U." This album also featured three previously released tracks on which the two collaborated.

Their success would lead the duo on to star in movies and TV shows, become product spokespersons and household names, but also associated them with marijuana use in the media. The most immediate results of their success were their co-starring roles in the major motion picture film '' How High'', their endorsement deal for '' Right Guard'', Redman's starring role in '' Seed of Chucky'' and a short-lived sitcom on Fox Television entitled '' Method & Red''.

In 1999, Method Man featured on Limp Bizkit's song " N 2 Gether Now" from their album '' Significant Other''.

In 2000, Method Man performed Know Your Role which was included on the album titled, WWF Aggression. The song is focused on the popularity of professional wrestler at the time Dwayne Johnson whose wrestling name was 'The Rock' and the main line in the song is The Rock's most famous caption "Do you smell what The Rock is cookin'?".

2001–2004: ''The W'', ''Iron Flag'', and ''Tical 0: The Prequel''

The Wu-Tang Clan released '' The W'' on November 21, 2000, and Iron Flag on December 18, 2001. ''The W'' received both critical and commercial success for the group, while ''Iron Flag'' did receive some but not to the same extent as its predecessor. The efforts earned two more platinum plaques for the Wu-Tang Clan.

In 2003, Method Man criticized Oli "Power" Grant and Mitchell "Divine" Diggs, the managers of the Wu-Tang Clan business. "Number 1 on my shit list right now is Divine from Wu-Tang management. He took something major from me that he had no intention of giving back."

Aside from the financial issues, Method Man was unhappy with the decision to bring Wu-Tang into the fashion world for a brief period of time with Wu-Wear, despite the brand being a major money-maker for the group. "When Wu-Wear started making shoes and sneakers and pants, it was shoddy material. I never rocked that shit."

In 2004, Method Man released his third solo album '' Tical 0: The Prequel'', which featured the hit party single " What's Happenin'" with Busta Rhymes and included guest appearances of pop-rap stars like Missy Elliott and P. Diddy. The album sold well and was certified gold record by the RIAA but did not see the platinum success of his previous solo releases.

P. Diddy was one of the executive producers for the album, although Meth later voiced his displeasure with the final product. "On the third LP, it was suggested (by Def Jam) to bring in Harve Pierre and P. Diddy. Who am I to argue? Puff knows how to sell some records. But that wasn't the direction to go in, and I know that."

2006–2007: ''4:21... The Day After''

Method Man's fourth album, entitled '' 4:21: The Day After'' was released in August 2006 with a star lineup of producers featuring Havoc, Erick Sermon, Scott Storch, Allah Mathematics, Mr. Porter, and fellow Wu-Tang Clan member, RZA. This time around, a more focused Method Man went back to his hip hop roots and both hip hop fans and the media took notice. He did an interview on the ItsHipHop.Tv. Despite this being one of Meth's strongest solo efforts to date, the album failed to do well commercially due to it having no single or video, which Method Man has held discontent towards his own label for. However, he toured strongly all over the world to promote the album, and appeared onstage with fellow Wu-Tang member Inspectah Deck, as well as New York up and comers Saigon, and Gat Murdah. Meth cited various reasons for the problems between him and his label, Def Jam. While he puts most of the blame on personal agendas in the Def Jam offices, Meth did take some blame, himself, for giving in to his record label.

In early May 2007, Method Man's camp leaked the street single "New York New York" which became a popular track on the internet.

2007–2010: ''Blackout! 2''

On March 27, 2007, Redman confirmed on BET's ''Rap City: Tha Bassment'' that a sequel to ''How High'' was then being written .

In an April 10, 2007, Onion A.V. Club interview, Redman hinted that there would be a second collaborative album with Method Man, with work beginning in midsummer or early September.

In early 2008, a remake of the Smooth da Hustler and Trigger tha Gambler classic ''Broken Language'' was released to the internet by the duo entitled ''Broken Language 2008'', fueling rumors of an upcoming ''Blackout!'' sequel. This rumor was further fueled by the duo while performing in Gainesville, Florida, at the University of Florida. ''Blackout! 2'' was scheduled for a December 9, 2008, release but was pushed back to the second quarter of 2009, with a new release date of May 19, 2009. Bun B confirmed that he guested on ''Blackout! 2''. In April 2009, a single was released entitled "City Lights", produced by Nasty Kutt. Erick Sermon, Rockwilder and Pete Rock also confirmed their presence on Blackout! 2.

The duo finished their ''Still High'' tour with Termanology, The Alchemist, and Evidence of Dilated Peoples.

2011–present: ''The Meth Lab'' and ''Crystal Meth''

''Crystal Meth'' was to be Method Man's fifth and final studio album.Method Man Wants Next Solo Album To Be 'My Classic LP'
MTV. Retrieved on April 11, 2010. The album has no confirmed release date. The ''Crystal Meth'' album was first announced before Method Man began working on his and Redman's second album together, '' Blackout! 2'', at which time it was tentatively titled ''The Crystal Method''. In the liner notes of that album, it was given a scheduled release date of 2009. The album, however, was further postponed until it was later mentioned in an MTV interview that it would be released in early 2010. At a concert on December 23, 2010, Method Man told the crowd to look for his album in March 2011. However, the album was postponed again.

In an April 2011 interview with ''The Come Up Show'', following a performance in Canada, Method Man replied to a question regarding his "weed-loving" image: "When you get older and you've got kids and your kids are going to school and you know heirteachers...and they see how active you are and concerned ou arewith your kids' education or well being, it's hard to sit there and be taken seriously if people are always talking about he's always high...which is totally not the case", he said. "When I first came out, I was young, we were doing our thing, we smoked a lot...and we didn't care if the world knew. Now, I have to use more discretion because of my kids. This is not for me; everything I do is for them now, so I use a bit more discretion and I don't put weed as a forefront any more."

On October 5, 2011, a new single from Method Man, entitled "World Gone Sour (The Lost Kids)", was released on iTunes. In July 2012, he confirmed that the album would come out in 2013 & would be produced by RZA, although he has also stated that RZA would not produce the whole album, but instead be one of a few producers which would also include Erick Sermon, Rockwilder, and some then-younger producers such as Diggilo. He also expressed a desire to work with Odd Future frontman Tyler, the Creator. Throughout 2013, Method Man worked on material for ''Crystal Meth'' and on the Wu-Tang Clan's sixth studio album, ''A Better Tomorrow''. He also toured with Redman throughout the year. On January 1, 2014, Method Man announced that a mixtape titled ''The Meth Lab'' would be released in March 2014 and that ''Crystal Meth'' would be released in August 2014 on Tommy Boy Entertainment. However, Method Man released '' The Meth Lab'' as a mixtape album through Tommy Boy on August 21, 2015. In 2019 Method Man featured on the record 'Winnebago' with South London rapper Blue Meth. The music video was directed by Nick Donnelly.

''Crystal Meth'' was supposedly going to be released in August 2016 but still hasn't been released as of .

Acting career

In the late 1990s, Method Man began a career in acting. He has had recurring roles in critically acclaimed television shows such as HBO's '' Oz'' as Tug Daniels, HBO's ''The Wire'' as Prop Joe's nephew Cheese, '' The Twilight Zone'', and '' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', in which Method Man portrays Drops, a wealthy Las Vegas party promoter who clashes with the CSI team (specifically investigator Nick Stokes) in their investigations involving Drops' clubs or entourage, in the episodes "Poppin' Tags" (2006), "Big Shots" (2007), and "Drops Out" (2008).

Method Man and Redman hosted a pilot on MTV called ''Stung''. Additionally, Method Man has made numerous appearances as himself on TV shows such as '' Mind of Mencia'' and '' Chappelle's Show''.

His first prominent role came in with the film '' Belly'' (1998), along with fellow rappers Nas and DMX. Method Man has since added many credits to his name, including roles in the films '' Garden State'', '' One Eight Seven'', and many others, with starring roles in feature films such as ''How High'' and '' Soul Plane''. Method Man had a cameo in the horror movie ''Venom'' (2005), where he played a deputy who is killed shortly into the movie. On March 27, 2007, Redman confirmed on BET's show '' Rap City'' that the sequel to '' How High'' was being written; the script for '' How High 2'' is being written by Dustin Lee Abraham of ''CSI'', who also wrote the first movie. Method Man also appeared in the 2008 movies '' The Wackness'' (2008) and '' Meet the Spartans'' (2008).

Method Man starred in the '' Law & Order SVU'' episode "Snitch" as the main antagonist. The episode was first broadcast December 4, 2007.

Method Man appeared in the ''Def Jam'' series of video games. In '' Fight for NY'' he voiced Blaze, one of the main characters. In ''Icon'', he voiced Gooch, a major character in the storyline. In ''Underground'', he voiced Meth, one of the major characters.

He made a guest appearance in the music video for " If I Ain't Got You" (2003) by Alicia Keys, where he played the role of her boyfriend. He also appeared in Beanie Sigel's music video " Feel It in the Air", where Method Man played an undercover cop leading an operation against Sigel.

Method Man played the main antagonist, an arsonist wealthy executive, in an episode of the FOX TV show '' The Good Guys''.

Method Man appears as Valentine, a hip hop business mogul, in the episode ''Bad Blood'' in season 2 of '' Burn Notice''.

Method Man had a cameo appearance in the film '' Cop Land'' (1997), as a violent criminal who, while fleeing, throws Peter Berg's character off of a New York rooftop. Method Man has also appeared in the TV drama '' Wonderland'', as a patient in a mental hospital.

Method Man has a small role in the film '' The Sitter'' (2011), starring Jonah Hill. He also played crewman "Sticks" in the George Lucas movie '' Red Tails'' (2012), about the Tuskegee Airmen.

Method Man played the leads in the films ''The Mortician'' (2011) and ''#Lucky Number'' (2015).

In 2014, he voiced Phantasm, the primary antagonist on the FX animated comedy ''Chozen

HOME


Content is Copyleft
Website design, code, and AI is Copyrighted (c) 2014-2017 by Stephen Payne


Consider donating to Wikimedia



As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases