Method Man
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Method Man | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Clifford Smith | |
| Also known as | Meth | |
| Born | March 2, 1971 (age 36) | |
| Origin |  Staten Island,New York, USA |
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| Genre(s) | Hip hop East Coast Rap |
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| Occupation(s) | Rapper, record producer, actor | |
| Years active | 1993 - present | |
| Label(s) | Def Jam (1994-present) | |
| Associated acts |
Wu-Tang Clan Redman Streetlife |
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Method Man (born Clifford Smith, March 2, 1971 in New York) is a Grammy-winning American rapper, record producer, actor, and member of the hip hop collective, Wu-Tang Clan. Method Man may have derived his name from the film The Fearless Young Boxer, also known as Method Man, a 1979 film by Jimmy Shaw starring Peter Chen Lau. It is more likely that his name originates from the slang use of the word "method," which also means marijuana in his native Staten Island.
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[edit] Pre Wu-Tang
Method Man was raised in Staten Island, New York. In an apparent precursor to his career in hip hop, he was introduced both to playing drums and to poetry by his father. Fans of Method Man often refer to him by the shorthand nickname "Meth"; the man himself has self-applied a variety of nicknames, the most common being variations of "Johnny Blaze."
Not only was Meth interested in music, he was also fascinated by comic books and particularly Ghost Rider, a fascination which manifested itself years later in several of his many rap aliases.
His pre-hip hop life was mostly split between drug dealing and low-paid jobs (including a stint working at the Statue Of Liberty, along with future Wu-Tang colleague U-God). He has often spoken out against the ways of his past and regrets having gotten involved in the world of dealing drugs.
After becoming well known on the streets for his rhyming abilities, he joined with eight friends to form the Wu-Tang Clan in the early 1990s.
[edit] Music Career
[edit] Tical/36 Chambers
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 the only members (along side the GZA) to get a solo song on the group's debut album Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers and he was 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 chose to sign with legendary rap label Def Jam). Method Man's solo debut, Tical (1994, 1994 in music) was critically acclaimed and extremely popular, entering the American charts at #4 and eventually selling in excess of one million copies. He soon collaborated with Mary J. Blige and Redman for a series of hit singles, one of which (the Blige duet "I'll Be There For You/You're All I Need") won a Grammy. He also appears on 2Pac´s album All Eyez On Me, on the song `I Got My Mind Made Up` together with Redman.
[edit] Tical 2000/Wu Tang Forever
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 chart-topping phenomenon made CNN for the massive sales the group achieved without the mainstream or pop sound and appeal.
His second solo album was Tical 2000: Judgement Day (1998, 1998 in music), which was heavily influenced by the apocalypse theories surrounding the forthcoming end of the millennium, and which featured myriad guest appearances, from his fellow Clansmen to Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, D'Angelo, Chris Rock, Mobb Deep, Redman, and brief cameos from Russell Simmons, Janet Jackson, and even Donald Trump. The album sold even better than his first, though reviews were mixed and its long runtime and abundance of intermittent comedy skits were widely criticized.
[edit] Blackout!
Method Man was part of the hugely successful Hard Knock Life Tour with Jay-Z, Redman, 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 of the two MCs. The album reached platinum status quickly, feuled by the hit party singles Da Rockwilder, Tear It Off and Y.O.U.
The duo would go on to star in movies and TV shows, and become product spokespersons.
[edit] Tical 0/The W/Iron Flag
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 effect of The W. The efforts scooped up a couple more platinum plaques for the Wu Tang empire.
In 2004, Meth released his third solo album Tical 0: The Prequel, fueled by the hit single "What's Happenin" with Busta Rhymes, but was poorly received both by critics and fans. Despite this the album sold reasonably well. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA relatively quickly, but would not see the platinum success of his previous solo releases. There was trouble even before the album's release when Method apparently complained to the press about excessive interference from Def Jam over the album's beats (Meth supposedly desired more input from Wu-Tang leader RZA). On its release, many fans and critics were taken aback by its strong "mainstream" or "commercial" sound, highlighted by the guest appearances of pop-rap stars Missy Elliot, P. Diddy and Ludacris.
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 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 now."[1]
[edit] 4:21/8 Diagrams
Method Man's fourth album, entitled 4:21: The Day After was released in August 2006 With guest appearances from the likes of Ginuwine, Ol' Dirty Bastard, RZA, Redman,Fat Joe, Megan Rochell, Raekwon, Lauryn Hill, and much more, with a star lineup of producers, Havoc, Erick Sermon, Scott Storch, Allah Mathematics, Mr. Porter, and RZA. This time around, a more focused Method Man went back to his hip-hop roots and both hip hop fans fans and the media took notice. 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 has been touring strongly throughout the country to promote the album, and has appeared onstage with fellow Wu-Tang member Inspectah Deck, as well as New York up and comers Saigon, and Gat Murdah. Meth contributed various reasons for the problems between him and his label, Def Jam. While he does take some of the blame himself, he puts most of it on personal agendas in the Def Jam offices.
In early 2007 Method Man confirmed that he has been in the studio with Rza working on the Clan's upcoming Summer 2007 release, 8 Diagrams
[edit] Beef
[edit] Wu Tang Management
In 2003, Meth first made it known that he is displeased with the practices of Oli "Power" Grant and Mitchell "Divine" Diggs, the underbosses of the Wu Tang empire who handle the business side of things. [2] "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."[3] Divine is multiplatinum record producer Rza's brother who along with Oli "Power" Grant took over the business end of Wu Tang around 1997.
Aside from the financial issues, Method Man was also 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."[4]
[edit] Wendy Williams
In 2006 Method Man had a highly personal and highly publicized conflict with New York radio host Wendy Williams. Williams talked about Method Man's wife having cancer on air, which was something he had wanted to keep private and even her own family members had not yet known about. He said that people who lived next door to him didn't even know, but Williams dug it up made it public over the radio.YouTube clip: "Method Man Dissin the $hit Out of Wendy Williams"
Dipping even lower, Williams reported rumors that Meth had even been having an affair with his wife's doctor. "She said me and [the doctor] was f**king. What kind of s**t is that, man? You don't do that to nobody." Method Man first heard of this when he while recording some tracks in Los Angeles, "I was ready. I was so mad, I was crying right there and I'm like I'm gonna kill some f**king body but my [Wu Tang] friends kept me in L.A."[5]
[edit] Acting career
In the late 90s-early 2000s, Method Man forged a successful career in acting. Following small parts in films such as 1997's Cop Land, his first prominent role came in 1998 with the film Belly along with fellow rappers Nas and DMX. He has since added many credits to his name, including regular roles on HBO's Oz and BET's The Wire, appearances on CSI and The Twilight Zone, roles in the films Garden State, One Eight Seven, and many others, with starring roles in the feature films How High and Soul Plane.
He also co-starred with Redman in his own Fox sitcom called Method & Red in late 2004, however after only a short time on the air the show was put on hiatus and never returned. Method Man later complained in the press about Fox's influence on the show's style, claiming that "there's been too much compromise on our side and not enough on their side" and bemoaning the network's decision to add a laugh track. Before the show even aired for the first time, he was telling fans not to bother watching it.
He had a guest appearance in the music video for the 2003 "If I Ain't Got You" by Alicia Keys, where he played the role of her boyfriend. Beanie Sigel also called upon Meth's acting skills for his 2005 video Feel It In The Air where Method Man played an undercover cop leading an operation against Sigel.
Meth has fallen back from pursuing more acting roles after the situation with his sitcom on Fox left a bad taste in his mouth[6], and now mostly just acts if the project is being handled by a friend of his, as was the case with CSI and The Wire.
Method Man has been featured in the Wu-Tang: Shaolin Style, Def Jam Vendetta, Def Jam: Fight for NY and Def Jam: Icon video games. Method Man is a big fan of video games himself and has publicly stated that he loves playing SOCOM online with other PS2 users, and is even part of a clan. He has a fellow SOCOM player featured on his album Street Life on track 5. Method Man is also an avid user of XBox Live
[edit] Trivia
- Meth's wedding was the most expensive thing he ever paid for.
- His rhymes rarely reference his drug dealings, a part of his past he is not proud of.
- Kills time playing online multiplayer PS2 and XBox 360 video games.
- He has over 15,000 comic books in a warehouse, all bagged individually.
- Hasn't talked to his father since 1994.
- He admits that Goldfish make him uneasy. "I can’t even have a goldfish, because I’ll be high, trying to eat a bowl of cereal, and look at it and be like, “Why the eyes gotta be on both sides of the head? Why those scales be movin’?” Freak me the fuck out!"[7]
- He has two sisters, Terri and Missy, as well as two children - a son (b. 1997) and a daughter (b. 1998).
- Is listed at 6'3
[edit] Aliases
- Johnny Blaze (from the comic Ghost Rider)
- Meth
- Tical
- Mef
- The Iron Lung
- Notorious M.E.T.H.
- Mr. Meth
- Mr. Mef
- Hot Nikkels
- Hot Nixon
- Hot Nix
- The Super Sperm
- Big John Stud
- MZA ("The Mizza")
- The Ghost Rider (from the comic Ghost Rider)
- The Method Mizza
- Shakwon (5% Nation "righteous name")
- The Panty Raider
- Methtical
- Metaphysical Man
- Ticallion Stallion
- Jonny D
- John McLane
- John-John Blazini
- Johnny Dangerous
- Johnny Trechorous
- Joe Quarry (in the "Gravel Pit" music video)
- Long John Silver
- Johnny Storm (from the comic book group Fantastic Four)
- John Doe
- The Shaolin Assassin
- Pepe la Pue
- The Blunted One
- Blaziblaza
- John Blaze-Zeeny
- The M-E-T-H-O-D Man
- John J Phenomenom
- The Heatmeister
- Methodome
- Methodonna (from the song "Maaad Crew" off of Blackout!)
- Johnny Unitas (from the song "Hellz Wind Staff" off Wu-Tang Forever/Named after Hall of Fame QB)
- Johnny Donnie Brasko
- M-e-t-h-o-d Guerilla (from the song "Iron God Chamber" From Masta Killa's , Made In Brooklyn)
- Crystal Meth
- Methodmon (episode #248 of Pokemon)
[edit] Samples
- Download sample of "Sub Crazy" from Tical
[edit] Discography
For Full Discography see Method Man Discography.
[edit] Albums
| Album cover | Album information |
|---|---|
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Tical November 15, 1994 Platinum US: 4 Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums: 1 |
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Tical 2000: Judgement Day November 17, 1998 Platinum US: 2 Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums: 1 |
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Blackout! Method Man with Redman September 28, 1999 Platinum US: 3 Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums: 1 |
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Tical 0: The Prequel May 18, 2004 Gold US: 6 Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums: 4 |
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4:21...The Day After August 29, 2006 Gold US: 8 Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums: 4 |
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Live To Die Summer, 2007 N/A US: N/A Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums: 4 |
[edit] Awards
| Year | Award | Status | Category | For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Grammy | WON with Mary J. Blige | Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group | "I'll be There For You/You're all I Need" |
| 1998 | Grammy | Nominated with Wu-Tang Clan | Best Rap Album | Wu-Tang Forever |
[edit] Music Videos
For all music videos see Method Man videography
[edit] Filmography
| Cover/Poster | Information |
|---|---|
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Belly
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How High
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My Baby's Daddy
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Garden State
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Soul Plane
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Venom
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| Method Man |
|---|
| Albums |
| Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (with Wu-Tang Clan) |Tical |Wu-Tang Forever (with Wu-Tang Clan) | Tical 2000: Judgement Day | Blackout! |The W (with Wu-Tang Clan)|Iron Flag (with Wu-Tang Clan)| Tical 0: The Prequel | 4:21...The Day After |
| Singles |
| Bring Da Pain | The Riddler | You're All I Need to Get By | Release Yo Delf | Judgement Day | How High (with Redman) | Break Ups To Make Ups | Tear It Off (with Redman) | Y.O.U. (with Redman) | Da Rockwilder (with Redman) | Part II (with Redman) | What's Happening (with Busta Rhymes) | The Show | Say |
| Other Songs |
| Love @ 1st Sight (by Mary J. Blige) | N 2 Gether Now (by Limp Bizkit) |
| Groups |
| Wu-Tang Clan | Method Man & Redman |
| Movies & Television |
| How High | Method & Red | Soul Plane | How High 2 |
| Other Pages |
| Discography | Filmography | Videography |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Method Man official site
- Method Man at the Internet Movie Database
- Wu-Tang Clan official site
- Method Man Interview: The Art Of War
- Dear Superstar: Method Man
- Method Man at WuTang-bg.Info
- Method Man speaks to SOHH
- Another Method Man interview
Categories: Filmographies | 1971 births | African American musicians | American rappers | Def Jam Recordings artists | Grammy Award winners | Living people | People from Staten Island | People from New York City | Rappers known by pseudonyms | Staten Island rappers | Rhythmic contemporary musicians | Five Percenters | Wu-Tang Clan
