Name: Clifford Smith
DOB: 1 April 1971; Staten Island, New York, USA.
Aliases: Iron Lung, Ticallion Stallion, Johnny Blaze

Meth rose to acclaim as one of the leading members of Staten Island's hip-hop collective, Wu-Tang Clan. Adopting the Method Man moniker, his unique, smoky, bassy-heavy vocals were a prominent feature of 1993's landmark debut Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). His own Tical set, released the following year, was the first in a glut of Wu-Tang Clan solo product. Produced by associate RZA, the album's drug-infused atmosphere was perfectly complemented by Method Man's laid-back delivery. The album debuted at US number 4 in December, while the single "Bring The Pain" broke into the national Top 50 the same month. The following year Method Man was involved in two highly successful collaborations. His Grammy-winning duet with Mary J. Blige on "I'll Be There For You"/"You're All I Need To Get By" was a US number 3 hit in June, and was followed by the "How High' single with Redman, which reached number 13 in September. Following further work with the Wu-Tang Clan, and a screen appearance in Hype Williams" Belly, Method Man released his sophomore effort, Tical 2000: Judgement Day. The highly inventive pro duction work provided a perfect backdrop for Method Man's fluid delivery, hitting a peak on the millennium inspired title track. Odd cameos from Donald Trump and Janet Jackson featured alongside the usual Wu-Tang guest slots. Debuting at US number 2 in December, Tical 2000: Judgement Day was kept off the top of the charts by the new Garth Brooks album. The rapper then joined forces with Redman to record the following year's Blackout!

The varied spectrum of rap music personalities includes few true superstars- individuals whose credentials encompass the grittiest street reverence as well as the jiggiest pop-life glamour. A charter member of hip hop’s most celebrated and influential modern group, The Wu-Tang Clan, and an award-winning solo artist and budding cinematic thespian, the gravelly-voiced rhyme-ologist known as Method Man is a genuine rap icon whose career trajectory is, remarkably enough, still climbing. With the release of his highly anticipated second album for Def Jam Records, Tical 2000: Judgement Day, the dynamism of Meth’s music reached yet another plateau.

Rapid ascension is something Method Man has known since the outset of his career. From the moment he was introduced to national rap audiences in 1993 on the Wu-Tang solo spotlight single, “M.E.T.H.O.D. Man,” the Stapleton Projects, Staten Island native has commanded instant attention through his lyrical wit and effortless vocal cadence. “One who possesses different methods and techniques to his style,” is the popular definition assigned to his moniker. And it wasn’t long after assisting the Wu’s classic madden voyage, Enter The Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers, to the land of platinum-plaques that Meth would display the full extent to which his name reflected his talents.

In the Beginning...

Signing with Def Jam in 1993, Method Man would release his solo debut, Tical, the following year. A ground breaking synthesis of the electric and eclectic sides to the self-proclaimed “Ticallian Stallion,” the album spawned such hits as the ominous and propulsive “Bring The Pain,” the anthemic, Rocky-esque “Release Yo Delf” and the platinum-selling, Grammy Award-winning smash “You’re All I Need,” featuring Mary J. Blige and remixed by Bad Boy Entertainment impresario Sean “Puffy” Combs. Subsequent dynamic appearances on the Notorious B.I.G.’s “The What,” Method’s duet with Redman, “How High,” Foxy Brown’s “Ill NaNa” and the further audio exploits of his Wu brethren only confirmed what Tical’s million-units sold had already indicated: Meth had fast become on of the single most significant voices in hip hop. But, as Mr. Meth is quick to point out, under no circumstances has such recognition from fans and the music industry establishment ever swayed his original commitment his own raw and uncut style of music. “Somebody did an article on me recently and they had me saying that I messed up for gettin’ a Grammy,” Meth recalls with frustration. “I didn’t say that, he misquoted me. I said that the Grammy voters are the ones who messed up. What they did by giving me the award was show people that we can say what we wanna say and still get a Grammy- without compromising anything, without having to make a song for the radio. My song was not made for the radio and there wasn’t no watered down lyrics in that song. It was just one man talking to his woman. No holds barred.”

Round 2

While hip hop history has proven that many artists lose their street edge and hunger by their second efforts, Meth proves the antithesis of such complacency, stacking his sequel’s deck with some of the rawest and most exciting music of his career. Highlighted by jagged guitars and a vocal assist from Wu compatriot Street Life, “Dangerous Grounds” announces Meth’s grassroots steez as he rhymes, “Everybody can’t afford ice in the struggle/ Tryin’ to eat right, another day another hustle.” Over an eerie, Middle Eastern-style Tru Master track, “Torture” explicitly addresses the trend-happy rhyme biters who’ve greedily ravaged Meth’s witty unpredictable slang over the past few years: “Who got John Blaze ****?/ Suckin’ my **** to get famous/ So I switched Blaze to Dangerous.” “Basically everybody’s screamin’ this John Blaze-shit since I’ve been gone and I’m real pissed off about it,” an agitated Meth (a/k/a Tical, a/k/a Hot Nikkels, a/k/a Johnny Dangerous) explains of the liberties other have taken with his comic book-inspired Johnny Blaze persona. “For one, I started it and mad niggas is using it and they ain’t payin’ homage. And nobody woulda even thought of the shit if I hadn’t said it first. With a re-invention of an age old nursery rhyme and a stirring cameo from TLC’s Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, “Cradle Rock’s” chorus sends another direct message to such fake emcees/”Rock a bye baby from the rooftop/ When the guns blow, your cradle get rocked/ When the earth quake and the sky start to fall/ Down will come emcees, fake shit and all.”

Artist to Actor

After displaying his magnetic visual presence in a slew of his own videos- and unforgettable guest roles in Redman’s Blues Brothers-inspired “Whateva Man” and Eryka Badu’s heartstring-tugging love triangle “Next Lifetime”- the next logical step was translating Meth’s charisma to the big screen. While his first cinematic appearance- with the Wu on tour- came in the Russell Simmons rap documentary The Show, Meth made his first theatrical forays with charged performances in The Great White Hype and Copland. This winter, he further enhances his acting resume with an unforgettable part opposite labelmate DMX in acclaimed video director Hype Williams’ feature film debut, Belly. “I’m definitely trying to be serious about acting and bring something to the roles I play, not the roles bringing the same old thing to me,” he explains. “Right now, they’re giving me roles that they know I can play- stereotypical gangster shit. Don’t get me wrong, I will play it. But I try to do it where I can bring something new to it.”

In His Own words..

“I am a charismatic brother,” he admits of his affinity for performing. “I got a flair that a lot of people don’t have. You’re either born with it or you just don’t get it at all. And I feel like I was born with it so I use it to the best of my advantage. I’ve always been outspoken- a bigmouth. Not exactly the center of attention, but enough to hold it down. So I feel like there ain’t shit that I can’t do. Plus, I love it when somebody tests my intelligence. I feel like a daredevil.” Wu-Tang flagship member, solo-ist, actor and hip hop daredevil, Method Man’s superhero identity might be realer than you think. But just when you thought Meth was larger than life, a open display of humility surfaces.

“It’s like the Beverly Hillbillies,” he compares with a sneaky sense of humor. “They blew up but are still real. Same with me. I’m way more intelligent than I was four or five years ago but I know where my roots is at. I know where my style came from and why people accepted it. And like a starving artist would, I know I always gotta come with the best.” He has. Look up in the sky, it’s a bird, it’s a plane. Nah, it’s Methical and ain’t a damn thing changed.