Method Man

A sandpaper-voiced, elastic rhymer whom both the ladies and thugs could love, Method Man was the first breakout star from the nine-man Wu-Tang Clan. Produced entirely by the RZA, Meth's debut, Tical, is equal parts blunt smoke, darkness, and sex appeal. It's packed with masterful moments: the dub-influenced "Bring the Pain," the jubilant horns of "Release Yo' Delf," the nursery-rhyme-inspired "Mr. Sandman." On "Meth vs. Chef," our star battles fellow Wu member Raekwon for the rights to RZA's slow-burning groove. Method rides RZA's music with singsong raps, spit-filled slang, and lots of references to tical, his branded term for marijuana.

Tical 2000: Judgement Day is the hip-hop equivalent of The Road Warrior: a millennium-weary venture that opens with the end of the world. It's every bit as menacing as its predecessor but channeled through a postapocalyptic view with stripped-down futuris-tic beats. Even though RZA is on hand for only a handful of tracks, Judgement Day is full of power-ful musical non sequiturs, like the deep moaning "Sweet Love" and the paranoid, effects-laden title cut. Musically, Judgement Day doesn't extend many frontiers -- there's an obligatory R&B moment in the D'Angelo-assisted "Break Ups 2 Make Ups," and "Retro Godfather" is all about blaxploitation funk. Skits -- like Ed Lover's "Where's Method Man?"; "Donald Trump," featuring the real-estate magnate himself; and Def Jam head Lyor Cohen's "Check Writer" -- poke fun at Meth's notoriously slow recording process, adding an air of humor to this otherwise pretty bleak record.

Things lightened up quick when Meth teamed with labelmate and fellow pothead Redman. The hedonistic Blackout! finds the self-described Blunt Brothers getting high and bouncing off the walls. As the duo runs through party-rocking grooves like the pneumatic, kinetic "Da Rockwilder," the sparsely soulistic "Cereal Killer," and the raucous "Fire Ina Hole," Redman's unhinged playfulness makes Blackout! as fun as Meth's first two records were spooky.

For the serviceable soundtrack to their Hollywood vehicle, How High, Meth and Red combine new numbers and old classics. The gem here is RZA's remix of Meth's "All I Need," featuring Mary J. Blige. Method Man completed his journey into mainstream pop culture with the very average "N2Gether Now," a collaboration with Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst. Perhaps inspired by his part-time acting career, Meth titled his next solo album Tical 0: The Prequel. But there was no going back to his heyday on this effort, despite a bumping duet with Missy Elliott("Say What"). (KRIS EX)

From 2004's The New Rolling Stone Album Guide