Is Method Man's career a disappointment or underrated?

NormanConnors

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Because Method Man was never that good. He lived off of personality/ aura and flow. Lyrically, he really does not stand out like others in the Wu.
Meth destroyed Duck Season and Shadow Boxing (GZA was a bit better lyrically, but Meth killed it with the total package: flow, mic presence, lyrics and etc), He stood out on every WU album he was featured on. He was a beast on Tical 2000 also :yeshrug:


Meth's hook game on WU Wear :wow:
 

NormanConnors

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Ironman classic status is debatable. It got really great reviews when it dropped but Clientele is Ghost's most famous album. Both are way better than Tical
Ironman has Daytona 500 though :banderas: and All That I Got Is You :mjcry:. Ghost has two classics imo. Plus with the Ironman movie more folks got put on to ghost and his album.
 

TheDarceKnight

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Both.

I'm not just saying that to be different. But his solo career is both disappointing and also underrated at the same time.

Here's why it's been a letdown.

He's a great emcee. He's great enough to the point where he should have had a classic album. if not classic, definitely something more classic than Tical. I think we can all agree that Tical is his best album, right? Out of that first run of Wu solos that RZA produced from '94-'96, you can make a strong argument that Tical isn't even in the top 3. OB4CL, LS, and Ironman are all better IMO, and most people agree.

There was a thread the other day on how Tical 2000 was underrated. True. It's just bogged down with too many skits and a few too many songs. But you can't re-edit the album without adding an asterix beside it. It was what it was. Blackout was a great album, but also not a classic album.

From there, unless you're a die hard Meth fan, I hate to say it, but that's pretty much where it ends. Tical 0 was okay I guess. Same with 4:21. Blackout 2 was a good album, but a lot of it was nostalgia for me at least.

His ear for beats is also kinda suspect.

Here's where he's underrated.


He's a fantastic live performer. He can steal the show on any song he's on. Shadowboxing by GZA IS Method Man's song. That's how much he crushes guest spots. He has one of the best voices in hip-hop history. He helped put Wu on the map by being the first legit star of the group, and he still is. He crossed over into movies. He was the only feature on Biggie's debut. His stuff with Redman almost pioneered an entire sub-genre.

His best songs are timeless. I could probably listen to Bring The Pain every day and not get tired of it.

So yeah. I wish he'd done more. I think he could have. But that said, I wouldn't argue against anyone putting them right at the top of any list.
 

TheDarceKnight

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tical is a classic. i don't care what anyone says these days but this shyt is for them rza beats alone. not that meth won't bringin' it but he only got better lyrically with time.

Tical is in no way a classic album. MAYBE the Tical that got flooded in RZA's basement was, but we never heard that one.

It's a good album. It's a solid 4 mics, maybe higher. It's not a classic. If it were my favorite album ever I would still say objectively that it ain't a classic album. It has classic songs on it.

Thing with Meth is he has a sick voice/flow and has rhymes for days but he never had the knack for crafting complete songs and albums the way Ghost, Rae and GZA do. I always like Meth a lot better on Wu albums and guest spots than I did as a solo artist. Same goes for Deck.

Yes. People say Deck's album would've been 5 mics if RZA had produced it and the basement didn't flood, etc. I still don't think so. Deck is definitely best at coming in and smashing a guest verse, or stealing the show, or having the 1st verse on a song that sets it off. Does Deck have any solo songs that are timeless or classic? I'd say The City on Wu-Tang Forever is Deck's best song.

That's NO hate whatsoever, because for more than a couple of years, Deck was actually my favorite in the Wu.
 
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Tical is in no way a classic album. MAYBE the Tical that got flooded in RZA's basement was, but we never heard that one.

It's a good album. It's a solid 4 mics, maybe higher. It's not a classic. If it were my favorite album ever I would still say objectively that it ain't a classic album. It has classic songs on it.

all i gotta say is rza could do no wrong with his production from 93' to 97'. every song he produced durin' those years was a classic.
end of story :snooze:
 

TheDarceKnight

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all i gotta say is rza could do no wrong with his production from 93' to 97'. every song he produced durin' those years was a classic.
end of story :snooze:

I don't disagree with that. Dapped. RZA IMO has the best RUN of classic albums ever in terms of production. Nobody else produced that many classic albums entirely back to back.

But that's my point. That's even more reason to compare Tical to the other Wu solos from 94-96 (Return to 36, Liquid Swords, Linx, Ironman).

RZA produced all of those, and beat for beat, would you take Tical over Linx, Ironman, or Liquid Swords? I wouldn't. Ironman and Linz were on some more soulful shyt, and Tical was on some more dirty basement lo-fi shyt, but Liquid Swords is the GOAT RZA album when it comes to that style.

Yeah man you get no argument from me on RZA '93-'97. Untouchable. Bulletproof.
 
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I don't disagree with that. Dapped. RZA IMO has the best RUN of classic albums ever in terms of production. Nobody else produced that many classic albums entirely back to back.

But that's my point. That's even more reason to compare Tical to the other Wu solos from 94-96 (Return to 36, Liquid Swords, Linx, Ironman).

RZA produced all of those, and beat for beat, would you take Tical over Linx, Ironman, or Liquid Swords? I wouldn't. Ironman and Linz were on some more soulful shyt, and Tical was on some more dirty basement lo-fi shyt, but Liquid Swords is the GOAT RZA album when it comes to that style.

Yeah man you get no argument from me on RZA '93-'97. Untouchable. Bulletproof.

rza's run is very impressive in terms of those albums comin' out as closely as they did. however, dr. dre has him beat overall

1. straight outta compton, 2, eazy duz it, 3. no one can do it better, michell'e (ain't hip hop but it counts too), 4. 100 miles and runnin', 5. nikkaz4life, 6. the chronic, 7.doggystyle then chronic 2001 along with em's slim shady lp, marshall mathers lp. dr. dre is the goat hip hop producer. the quincy jones of hip hop

no, i wouldn't take tical over linx, ironman or liquid swords. enter the 36 will always be the goat rza production album to me but as far as wu solos i roll with liquid swords. but as for method's tical album do i consider it to be a liquid or linx classic? no but a classic nevertheless
 
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TheDarceKnight

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rza's run is very impressive in terms of those albums comin' out as closely as they did. however, dr. dre has him beat overall

1. straight outta compton, 2, eazy duz it, 3. no one can do it better, michell'e (ain't hip hop but it counts too), 4. 100 miles and runnin', 5. nikkaz4life, 6. the chronic, 7.doggystyle then chronic 2001 along with in' em's slim shady lp, marshall mathers lp. dr. dre is the goat hip hop producer. the quincy jones of hip hop

no, i wouldn't take tical over linx, ironman or liquid swords. enter the 36 will always be the goat rza production album to me but as far as wu solos i roll with liquid swords. but as for method's tical album do i consider it to be a liquid or linx classic? no but a classic nevertheless

Dapped for logic and good reasoning.

Only reason I put RZA's run over Dre's run is because I just prefer RZA's beats/style more. I love Dre's style too, but it's just a personal taste thing.

Good post.
 
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Dapped for logic and good reasoning.

Only reason I put RZA's run over Dre's run is because I just prefer RZA's beats/style more. I love Dre's style too, but it's just a personal taste thing.

Good post.

thanks, right back at cha :myman:

i understand on the personal taste thing. it's all a matter of opinion anyway :yeshrug:
 

criminology

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His flow in the 90s was just :banderas:. No one's flow ever sounded more effortless, before or since. Even on RTD he just made it seem like keeping up with Biggie was nothing. People also forget how huge he was from 93-98. And his voice was in like every goddamned jungle track ever made. Back then, even with Tical being uneven, you could say he was a top mc of all time. In that sense he is underrated today.

But his albums were hard pills to swallow. Tical had some classic tracks and it was a landmark album in a lot of way. But that wait for Tical 2000 was long as hell, the world moved on and the album just didn't live up to what everyone thought his potential was. Blackout redeemed him a little bit but from 99 on it was just the Wu Tang curse of pretty crappy albums after 2000, except ghost. If you were alive back then, his solo career has always been a disappointment.

But just that shyt with asap recently, he proved he is one of the best mcs of all time, even though his discography is for the most part is :shaq2:
 
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I agree...he doesn't have a classic like Liquid Swords, OB4CL, or Iron Man...but he is the most successful and visible out of the group...for all the right and wrong reasons.
 
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