Method Man

Method Man is among the most popular hip hop artists of my blog.

As the stats for my blog post about his 1994 debut album climb in leaps and bounds, I went to Twitter stating that my blog is officially his home.

Prior to Method Man’s show at Club Soda, I last caught Tical when he & Redman tore up Metropolis.

I was in New York when Method Man, Curren$y and Big Krit were at Club Soda in October 2011.

I arrived at Club Soda to see the venue packed with people waiting for Method Man to take the stage.

His DJ displacing the one that was onstage as I arrived was a sign that the show would soon be on. 

Method Man stormed onstage to Release Yo Delf, a personal favorite of mine that took many listens to become one. The crowd was as energetic and enthusiastic to have Method Man on stage as he was to be there. He stated numerous times during the show that he enjoys Montreal and I was made a believer that night.

He stated how great it was for him to have such a heartfelt reception from a crowd after 20 years in the music industry. In 1992, my New York cousin introduced me to a white covered 12” single from a group of MCs unknown to me advising me to keep my neck warm with no mention of scarves. The flip side was a track called Method Man. When you consider that 2023 was indeed the 30th anniversary of the Wu-Tang Clan classic release, you are made to understand Method Man is legendary.

Hands of the audience were in the air so much that they provided an obvious and expected springboard for Method Man as he repeatedly jumped into the crowd by the end of the performance. 

With a catalog full of albums, guest appearances, remixes and releases meeting relentless energy on stage, one is in for a great show. Method Man more than delivered the goods at Club Soda. Of the most prolific things he told the audience was that Redman and Busta Rhymes are among those he would himself pay to see. Not so ironically, he is on the shortlist of MCs I would see perform live at any opportunity I can and one any self-respecting hip hop fan should as well.

Method Man - Tical (1994)

Method Man is one of my favourite MCs of all time and has been on my mind. 

I managed to score his 4:21... The Day After CD at one of my favourite music stores. This made my Method Man discography complete.

There is no surprise why he made so many guest appearances on tracks over the past decade or so. He brings so much flavour, flow and style to a track that you’d be doing the track a disservice by not featuring him. There are a handful of MCs that symbolize New York and he is one of them. That is probably why I am such a fan. If I were to rhyme, I would want to be like Method Man.



I’ve written about how I get when it comes to vinyl in past posts. With as many records and CDs as I have, I choose whether I need to bring another piece of wax home. My weekly radio show was my main outlet for spinning vinyl unless/until I get gigs like Under Pressure to use them so I can’t go buckwild on bringing home records. Let’s now connect that towards Method Man’s debut.

A few years ago, I held the double-vinyl reissue of Tical in my hands. I didn’t know it was reissued. I remember the first pressing was a single vinyl and as I’ve come to learn, issues of sound quality can surface. 

The nostalgia of the album dropping in conjunction with Redman’s Dare Iz a Darkside came to mind as I looked at the cover. I particularly remembered how slamming the first side was with Biscuits, Tical and Meth vs. Chef among the track listing.

The urge to bring home the Bring the Pain album was strong but my better judgement prevailed. The $20+ price tag probably didn’t help the matter either. With the limited number of songs I could play on the show each week, why would I shell out for vinyl I already have on CD? I decided I didn’t need it because I’ve already had the CD in my collection for years.  I even had a cassette copy of  his debut album. I wasn’t that much of a Method Man fan to have left the reissue behind!



As I wrote this, I realize I’ve never seen or held Tical on vinyl since 1994. I don’t know what set it off but Method Man’s been on my mind. I started to have slight regrets about not getting the Tical vinyl reissue. As I think about it now, my cueing up a sweet Method Man track like Release Yo Delf or Mr. Sandman on the turntables during my radio show was not likely to happen unless I come across the vinyl again.

I don’t beat myself up too much over the decision. It’s not like I never heard or owned Tical and let it slide back on the shelf. It was my lesson to learn but I believe the underlying message is that Tical is worth another listen and potentially worth springing for the vinyl, if I get another chance.

In the meantime, I’ll be trying to add more Method Man to DJ setlists to come.



Method Man performed at Montreal's Club Soda in early January 2013.  I did a small tribute to him on the first episode of my former radio show for that year.

Method Man and company, Wu-Tang Clan, performed at Montreal's Olympia on November 29, 2013.

Please make yourself familiar with the link below for more.

http://suitedelight.podomatic.com

Below are some podcasts to bring you up to speed.  Click here to download.

The Suite Delight - 2013-12-17 (2) by Dj Solespin on Mixcloud

The Suite Delight - 2013-12-10 (2) by Dj Solespin on Mixcloud

The Suite Delight - 2013 CKUT Funding Drive Podcast by Dj Solespin on Mixcloud

The Suite Delight - 2013-05-28 by Dj Solespin on Mixcloud

Method Man & Redman – Blackout! (1999)

When was the last time you heard Blackout!?


Am I the only one that thinks that album gets better with each listen?


I hadn’t heard Blackout in a few years and reached for it.

1995 was a magical year for hip hop as most can agree. Proof of that came in the form of the dynamic duo’s How High. When I saw the pair together, I agreed with the pairing. If the single was hot, then it stood to reason an album of theirs would be hotter. It would take another five years for my theory to be proven right.

Presumably, both MCs were busy with their solo and respective Wu-Tang Clan/Def Squad projects leading up to the Blackout! date.

There is easily no weak beat on the album meaning the producers must have known what they were working on and brought their A-game.  The choice of guest appearances is also faultless with the exception of one. In retrospect, it would have been nice for Young Zee to have spit a verse on Blackout! instead of Ja Rule but I was not consulted or contacted for my opinion when the album was in planning.

Epic hip hop albums like both Brand Nubian and Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth debut releases, Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx and Blackout! have many common traits.  They are classic and timeless.  As great as Blackout! is, it misses a smidgeon of an element for it to be considered timeless but is unquestionably a strong album graced by the charisma and talent of the two titans.

In the early 2000s, I was very picky about hip hop.  Regardless of my rigid rules on hip hop, Blackout! did not slip passed by me. I did not over-saturate myself with it at the time.  I had a feeling it was like a fine wine that I would want to try to savor later. 

I was too occupied to have fully listened and studied Blackout! 2. The beauty of the sequel is that it allows us to revisit the brothers from other mothers. One verse from Method Man or Redman is a blessing. I’m not sure when but a visit here in the future might reveal how I feel about the sequel.

Please make yourself familiar with the link below for more.

http://suitedelight.podomatic.com

Below is the 2013 CKUT Funding Drive podcast to bring you up to speed.  

Click here to download.

Playlist:

1. Salt-N-Pepa – Get Up Everybody
2. DJ Kayslay – Untouchables feat. Prodigy & Raekwon
3. D-Shade - The World We're In 2(Simahlak Mix) feat. Buckshot And Blurum 13
4. Kanye West - Classic (DJ Premier Remix)featuring Nas, KRS-One and Rakim
5. EPMD – The Big Payback
6. Diamond & The Psychotic Neurotics - A Day In The Life featuring Sadat X & Lord Jamar
7. Masta Ace and Edo G - Good Music featuring Posdnuos & Light
8. The Beatnuts – Se A Cabo (Remix) featuring Method Man
9. Shad + Skratch Bastid – Homie featuring Cadence Weapon

Def Jam Recordings Tribute

The first hip hop album I ever bought on my first solo trip to downtown Montreal was a Def Jam release. For them to be among my Twitter followers today is an honor I would never have dreamed.

While trying to prepare the playlist for the podcast below, I browsed online looking for some form of inspiration to hit me.

I stumbled across word of Def Jam Recordings label celebrating 30 years.  I naturally grabbed an hour's worth of Def Jam classics and presented some of them on my radio show.

Thank you and congratulations to Def Jam for defining hip hop music and culture for over 30 years.

Thank you for checking out Def Jam Recordings Tribute.

Visit the Mixcloud page to listen to them and more.

The Suite Delight - Def Jam Recordings Tribute by Dj Solespin on Mixcloud

The Suite Delight - 2014-10-21 Playlist:

1. Ghostface Killah - Daytona 500 featuring  Raekwon & Cappadonna
2. Nice & Smooth - The Sky's The Limit
3. Davy DMX - One For The Treble
4. EPMD - Give The People (Erick & Parrish Remix)
5. Slick Rick - It's A Boy (Remix)
6. Nikki D - Hang On Kid
7. Nas - Memory Lane 
8. Public Enemy - Can't Truss It
9. Jay-Z - Sunshine featuring Babyface & Foxy Brown 
10. Redman ‎– It's Like That (My Big Brother) featuring K-Solo
11. LL Cool J ‎– To Da Break Of Dawn
12. 3rd Bass - Product Of The Environment (Project Remix)
13. Method Man - The Riddler