Method Man – 4:21″¦The Day After
Def Jam (release date: 8/29/2006)
Hip Hop
We’re entering some entirely new territory within the rap industry. Artists who spoke with the vibrancy and vitriol that represented the last Black renaissance of the early ’90s are still in the game. However, their original audience has grown up, while the current rap demographic would rather drown themselves deep in the dirty south quicksand sound.
Lost in all the righteous indignation over New York’s perceived loss of heat within hip hop is the fact that the same rappers who were on top of the world in 1994 are now in their mid-30s”¦ still capable of lyrical credibility, but the time to establish themselves as something they’re not has long since passed.
Take Method Man, for instance. My position on him hasn’t changed much during his nearly-15-year commercial existence. In a nutshell”¦ if you want a hot guest spot, Meth is the truth. However, if you want a hot album”¦ you need to look elsewhere.
Ah, don’t look at me like that. 1994’s Tical was rushed and uneven, yet still went platinum. ’98s Judgment Day was more about skits and guests, than any musical evolution from Meth. And, finally, the less said about the long-delayed, should’ve-never-seen-the-light-of-day Prequel album, the better.
So, Clifford Smith is back for round four on his latest effort, 4:21″¦The Day After.
Meth jumps right on his critics during the intro asking why they (we?) say he’s washed up when he’s “the dirtiest thing in sight”. Fair enough”¦ and credit where it’s due, the Scott Storch assist on “Is It Me” lays down the perfect piano-based production that work in perfect contrast to Meth’s sandpaper-voiced assault.
“Problem” is even stronger, with Meth upping the lyrical ante and by the time the next track, “Somebody Done F’d Up” finishes, the hope that this just might be the definitive Method Man LP are (comedic pause) high.
But, then, after a while, the album starts meandering down several unoriginal roads. C’mon, Meth”¦what the hell are you doing with Ginuwine on a corny-ass cut like “Let’s Ride”? And, why do you think repeating the same formula with Megan Rochell on “4 Ever” is worth anyone’s time?
“Got to Have It” is all about the extravagance and excess that are hip hop CD staples these days, while “Say” is backed by a strong guitar foundation and Lauryn Hill sample, the cut comes off as a bitter tantrum.
Still, there’s actually more good here than not.
The guest spots are solid up and down, with the standouts like Styles P and Fat Joe (hey, I’m shocked, too) on “Ya’Meen”, Inspectah Deck on “Everything” and, of course, Redman (“Walk On”). The production from Erick Sermon and the RZA, among others, is some of the best to ever appear on a Meth solo joint, too.
It all adds up to an effort that can almost be deemed “underrated” (at least based on the album’s sales to date). If you’re one of the many who’s written off Method Man for good, give this one a spin. He might not be “back”, but he’s better than he’s been over an entire album in a long time.
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