Method Man Readies Prequel

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He's a movie star (How High), a Right Guard pitchman and a famed member of the Wu-Tang Clan. But all Method Man really wants to do is finish his long-delayed third solo album, which is currently "seventy percent done." The tentatively-titled "Tical 0: The Prequel" is currently slated for a March release.

Meth's much-anticipated "prequel" to 1998's Tical 2000: Judgement Day includes guest shots from Ludacris, Redman, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon and RZA, who also produces a few tracks. The rapper hasn't been completely idle since his last Tical release: In 1999 he issued Blackout! a collaboration with Redman, and the Wu-Tang Clan have released a pair of albums (2000's The W and 2001's Iron Flag) in that span.

Forget the dark themes of Meth's last record -- "Tical" is all about fun. "The majority of our audience can't afford Versace and all the name brands and these big expensive cars," he says. "A lot of them just like to party, that's the common denominator among every class. We all just like to party so that's what the album is based on."

Watch for that party vibe on one particular track, which sounds like this year's first big hip-hop singalong. "There's one joint everyone wants to call 'Uh-huh,'" he says. "But damn, there's more words than just 'uh-huh.'"

Also on the docket for Method Man is a part in an upcoming episode of The Twilight Zone and he's signed on to star in The Other Side of Simple, a feature film to begin shooting later this year.

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Song Stories

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Culture Club | 1983

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