Method Man - Tical 2000: Judgement Day (November 10, 1998)

So 1997 happened for the Wu-Tang Clan. Wu-Tang Forever dropped, and it was their biggest album. This feral specimen of virility also thinks that it's their best album to date. You'll probably hear me repeating this in the bathroom, too. I digress.

Naturally the Wu's Abbott, one Bobby Diggs bka RZA has stated by then that, since the famed '5-year plan' ended in success, his dictatorial control over the various Wu generals is effectively done. Now, everyone in the group is free to direct their career moves whichever way they see fit. You can probably guess what happened next: Everyone in the Clan veered off into various directions of the hip hop spectrum fully convinced that they were owed time in the spotlight, and RZA wouldn't lift a finger. So if, say, Cappadonna wanted to treat most of the studio sessions RZA payed for him as sessions of absolute debauchery where he'd be so far gone by the time his sessions are up that the only option left for Papi Wardrobe is to record some utter psychobabble and pass it off as rhymes, RZA would simply stand there and watch it happen. I know that description was too on the nose, but I'm trying to make a point here. In retrospect, mainstream hip hop media considers this period to be the beginning of the Wu's decline from relevancy. And the very first album blamed for such decline on such a large scale was Cliffy Cliff Smif's Tical 2000.

Don't get it twisted, Cliffy bka the mighty Method Man has fully lived up to his status as the face of the Wu, a status he actually didn't want until his brethren forced it upon him. The dude debuted on a straight up classic friggin' album, followed that up with another classic friggin' album and was one of the cameo kings of the mid-90s, appearing on multiple classic collaborations with many an artist of similar stature, most notably with Reggie Noble aka DJ Kut Killa bka the mighty Redman of the Hit Squad  (You read right. I said Hit Squad.) who was a cameo king himself and meshed together with Mef so well that they made it official and formed a duo. Back on Mef for a bit: Despite what he thinks, his form was at its best on Wu-Tang Forever, ripping the shit outta any instrumental that came his way. His sword was so sharpened that everybody, inside the Clan and out, wanted to work with him. And he was equally enthused to collaborate, almost as if he depended on the very nature of collaboration to bring the best outta him.

Which was exactly the beef the media had with this album. They have grown so accustomed to consuming his products within collaborative environments that they subconsciously shut out anything else. Even Tical, if we're being totally honest here, is simply a collaboration album with RZA. And that means that this album represented the very first time where Mef was truly a solo artist. And his thematic choice here might make more sense than you think.

So, if whomever reading this who is, in fact, not a fetus remembers correctly, NY hip hop in the mid-90s had two predominant themes: one was mafioso rap, upheaved by Raekwon's Purple Tape. The other was the obsession with the apocalypse, the genesis of which is unknown to me at the moment. The point is Wu-Affiliates like Sunz Of Man and the Gravediggaz  (like it or not, they're Wu-Affiliates by this point.)  have already dabbled in said theme. And being that Mef is around these guys for most of his early career, it's only natural that he gets a few drops of inspiration from them in this theme. Add that to the fact that he was constantly around dudes like Onyx & Busta Rhymes, whom have both released albums reflecting their own obsession with the end of the world, and this direction was almost a foregone conclusion. Of course, the Def Jam fuckfaces he was signed to may have also had a hand in influencing him but I'll gladly rob them of any credit they deserve. As one might expect, this led to Mef releasing the album's lead single one month before it was released. And back then, he could get away with that shit for the simple fact that word of mouth actually mattered back then. None of this 'social media' bullshit where everyone can overdose on the quick fix and move on to something else. When Method Man promoted something, many were interested.

Now when Mef first came out, he became famous for going out of his way to introduce absolute nobodies on his album. Hell, he almost put on RA The Rugged Man (tka Crustified Dibbs) years before anybody ever heard of him. As a result, Wu stans everywhere have become very familiar with dudes like rappers George Cooney bka Carlton Fisk & Patrick Charles bka Streetlife. Hell, Streetlife became an official Wu General on the strength of that favor. Pity Carlton Fisk was locked up for a long ass time back then, or else I fully believe that he would've taken the exact same route, if not outright replace Streetlife. For I distinctly remember RZA being bigger on Fisk. Lemons of life n'all. It was once again an act of kindness from Mef's part that lead to Streetlife appearing on an exact third of this album's songs. (And they shout Carlton Fisk out here. Mef can be such a sweetheart sometimes. *evil sneer*) This obviously leads to Streetlife and Mef becoming inseparable, a beautiful brotherhood that has lasted to this very day, where you'll probably see Streetlife whenever Red & Mef swing by your town.

Despite what the media was saying about the album, Tical 2000 was a commercial smash, selling one million copies stateside in one month, yet another statement of the Wu brand's strength then. I will admit that for the longest, I fully bought into the backlash and steered clear from this album. Time to see if I regretted my decision or not.

Tical 2000: Judgement Day boy/girl (pick one):

JUDGEMENT DAY (INTRO)

Yeah, so Y2K, end of the world n'shit...

PERFECT WORLD

RZA debuts his first of four productions on this album. His digital beat is paranoid enough to inspire Mef to deliver two verses chock full of grim imagery, as well as continuing down the route of introspection that he began on albums like Liquid Swords. Add that to the fact that his flow hasn't skipped a beat, and this becomes one hell of a reintroduction. The overall combination actually does a phenomenal job setting the album's intended atmosphere up nicely. Salute, Cliffy.

CRADLE ROCK (FEATURING LEFT EYE & BOOSTER)

Some dude called LB Da Life Bringa pulls a Darnell Scott on the unsuspecting public, his lone contribution to music being this banging-ass beat. The instrumental, briefly sampling Bright Tomorrow, sounds epic enough and is an absolute perfect fit after Perfect World. Mef clearly understands that as he barrels through with yet another two verses filled with apocalyptic imagery that riddled the previous song . RIP Left Eye, she & Bring The Pain mainstay Booster played their roles something lovely. Left Eye sounds especially invested on hook duties and, although I'm not the best person to ask about her portfolio, I'm quite certain this is one of her more aggressive outings, which makes me a happy man. 2 outta 2.

DANGEROUS GROUNDS (FEATURING STREETLIFE)

This was the b-side to the lead single, which we’ll discuss later and… Ah yes, Derrick Harris aka Savior of The Pillage bka True Master debuts his first of five productions on the album. Now we know what this guy can do with a dude like Cappadonna, so we'll see what he brings to the table when Mef and fellow album debutant Streetlife are locked, loaded and ready to smack fire out ya bitch ass. He does not disappoint, choosing to bring a vintage Wu-sound composition that sounds like two metal pillars clanging into each other. For their part, Mef chooses to lodge Street's epic verse right between his three epic verses. For his part, Street really came into his own on Wu-Tang Forever and this song continues his form. Mr. Sandman first showed how these two play off each other. Spoiler alert: They do so very well, and this song successfully continues that tradition. This did so well that it was actually released as the 2nd single

SWEET LOVE (SKIT)

In an infuriatingly recurring theme throughout this album, the momentum established by a group of songs is stopped dead in its tracks by a misplaced skit. Cliffy? What the fuck?

SWEET LOVE (FEATURING STREETLIFE & CAPPADONNA)

True Master produces this abortion of a track as well, although it ain't really his fault that it's an abortion. Nope, the ire of the masses should be directed at Cliffy, Paddy & Oh Donna for the most misplaced sex rap since Maria off the Forever double album. I guess it's fitting that Oh Donna would choose this song as the lone track he blesses with his sewage. And believe me, Mef-N-Street sound equally as bad here. If this song was a person I'd rip his spine outta his nostrils.

SHAOLIN WHAT

Yes, I know the tracklist says this is a skit, but it's just so much more. Selwyn Bogard bka Killarmy’s 4th Disciple provides a smacking beat that continues to exhibit his mastery of the art of production. And Mef simply excels when provided such beats, giving a short intro that redirects your focus on the thematic settings and gets the fuck outta the way as the drum break chews its way through your physical. He then unleashes a fiery one-verse wonder chock-full of his trademark punchlines. Hindsight being 20/20, this should've opened the album. Still, this short but oh so sweet track washed the preceding garbage outta my ear. 

TORTURE

Now, I really don't get how anal some of y'all fans get: This was one of the most shit upon tracks on this album, and for the life of me I just don't see it. To prove it, let's break it down: A brooding True Master beat that completely fits the album's overall aesthetic so far? Check. One of Mef's best lyrical displays ever where he further emphasizes on his newfound introspection, while matching said beat's atmosphere skillfully? Check. What more do you fuckfaces want?!

WHERE'S METHOD MAN? (SKIT)

Now this is what I was talking about. While I love Ed Lover, I just hate the fact that this skit has no place whatsoever on this album. Truly a waste of his talents. Sorry, Mef, but it is what it is.

SUSPECT CHIN MUSIC (FEATURING STREETLIFE)

The b-side to the 3rd single, the upcoming Break Ups 2 Makeups. RZA's back behind the boards and somehow Mef has succeeded in bringing out the best of his newly-found digital approach to production, providing Mef-N-Street with one of the few beats lauded by everyone ever since. Our duo successfully utilize it to show off just how well they work together, bouncing off each other effortlessly with enough punchlines and grimy imagery befitting of Tical 2000's concept to wet the most hardcore boom bap fan's appetite for a full collaboration album between these two. I assure you, this combo is up there with the RAGU's and the Red-N-Mef's. This song is that good. Why didn't Streetlife get a solo deal in 1998, again? Especially when he was heavily featured on the b-sides?

RETRO GODFATHER

The final RZA production on the album is a straight up jacking of a Montana loop that serves as an unabashed homage to 70s disco, and the loop actually fits the album given that it's inspired by Close Encounters Of The Third Kind. Anyways, so Mef starts with a Denroy Morgan interpolation as the hook. Cliffy, I don't think anyone's confusing your intention for this to be anything but a 70s tribute, so chill. The rest is two verses of Mef being himself to the fullest and that's perfectly fine with me. He keeps his rhymes in check so that the album's theme isn't disrupted too much. Amazing song, although Suspect Chin Music is my favorite outta the three RZA productions we got.

DOONEY BOY (SKIT)

I actually see how such a personal 10- second recording of Mef's son chatting with his father can follow the previous song, so I don't really gripe that much about this particular skit. Although it remains perfectly skippable.

SPAZZOLA (FEATURING STREETLIFE, MASTA KILLA, INSPECTAH DECK, KILLA SIN & RAEKWON)

The lone Wu-Element besides RZA to hold Wu General status, Inspectah Deck, debuts his first of two beats on the album. And it breaks his hot streak, although I'm not saying it's a bad instrumental. I concede however that it can get a bit grating to some people, on account of Deck looping the most droning Aretha Franklin piano sample. Shame, really, as it's very clear that he and the rest of the Wu lineup featured here intended the song to be, as Masta Killa states, Deadly Melody part 2. Believe me, their BNB rhymes reflect that intention pretty clearly. And yet Deck still finds a way to steal the song with one line: 'Heads are under siege down to the youngest seeds'. Nice! Also, Killa Sin finally catches wreck amidst a slew of Wu Generals, sounding right at home doing so. His similarities with Raekwon are further focused on here with the Chef following him back to back. Other highlights include Mef interpolating Frukwan on the hook. Don't know how this song fits the album's overall picture, though

CHECK WRITER (SKIT)

Now, this is a return to bullshit land, instead of getting on with the album's theme. I didn't need to hear Lyor Cohen's bitchass pathetically pretend to be the mad Def Jam figurehead chastising Mef for the delay. According to these skits, this album should be called Tical 2000: Can't Believe This Shit Dropped Day. Cliffy, what the fuck? Just in case my sentiments are clear enough: It's FUCK Lyor Cohen all day round here!

YOU PLAY TOO MUCH (SKIT)

Now this skit, I can't really blame Mef for. Because I'm old enough to remember how people listened to cassettes back then. They actually appreciated skits that bookend each side. And this skit is done by the skit-master himself, Prince Paul. He actually utilizes Mef and a Chris Rock who was at his peak and wasn't yet too big to appear on hip hop albums. While the skit remains funny, it still doesn't fit the album's theme in any way possible. Therefore, it remains a very skippable skit.

PARTY CRASHER

The final RZA beat on the album, and it's a damn digital snoozefest. I suppose he gave Mef this beat to mirror the hazy sense of stupor that Mef was aiming for in his story, which is admittedly pretty detailed. Shame that RZA's beat didn't really fit the tale, unlike the original beat done for this song by True Master, bless him. The original was a vastly superior type of clunky, one which we could've enjoyed and one that could've fit the album's concept. Alas, those pesky sample issues rear their ugly rear end once again. You can find the original version easily on the web so git.

GRID IRON RAP (FEATURING STREETLIFE)

Remember the Dangerous Grounds song reviewed above? This beat has the exact same attributes, only executed much better this time. True Master surely wasn't half-assing his duties to this album's theme. Mef-N-Street up the ante on what they did on Suspect Chin Music. This time, you can feel the lyrical blows as they bludgeon the beat to death with their punchlines, up until the point where the instrumental actually flatlines after their performance. Streetlife is on a mission to prove he belongs in the Wu's lineup and, with performances like this, you'll be inclined to believe him worthy. Their best track together, bar none.

STEP BY STEP

Remember how I told you Mef hooked up with Red? Turns out he was immediately welcomed into Red's crew at the time, Erick Sermon's Def Squad (literally a Hit Squad offshoot.) That association came with its benefits for sure, one of which was the production services of Erick Sermon, the lone member of EPMD who continued to invest in his production abilities, for better or for worse. Well, mostly better back then, because this shit's funky as all fuck. E-Dub samples Preem's scratching on Gang Starr's classic single Step In The Arena off its eponymous album while providing a bouncy beat for Mef to catch wreck on with his punchline game. Boy/Girl, he delivers. This was awesome.

PLAY IV KEEPS (FEATURING STREETLIFE, INSPECTAH DECK, MOBB DEEP & HELL RAZAH)

From one 90s production giant to another as Mobb Deep repay Mef's cameo on Extortion off their best album Hell On Earth. Mef is so ecstatic he jumps on Havoc's beat first and does his best Mobb Deep impression. Typically, he pulls it off as he's in his comfort zone: collaborating with other artists. And since Hav produced the beat and it's 1998, the Mobb feel right at home and proceed to wreck shop reflecting such. Deck shows up again and he & Streetlife also share Mef's collaborative spirit here, with their rhymes delivering on what's expected from them. Pity both were so short though. The only minor downside is the hook by Sunz Of Man's Hell Razah, which sounds how a carton feels. Overall, three dope tracks in a row so far.

DONALD DRUMPF (SKIT)

I can only wish to know what Cliffy thinks about this decision. And I don't really care if I brought out the ancestral name.

SNUFFED OUT (STREETLIFE)

DJ Mathematics gives you his lone beat on the album, and I can't really decide whether it's a worthy contribution or an effective sleep aid. It's somewhere in between. Maybe it's due to the Chambers Brothers sample being so boring. Anyway, Streetlife is left alone in the booth for the very first time in mainstream recording history. And, like the beat, it's very hard for me to decide whether the one-verse tale of former friends beefing is skilled or a paint-by-numbers clone of D'Evils by Jay-Z. I guess I can only say it somehow fits Tical 2000's aesthetic. Yay?

ELEMENTS (FEATURING STAR & POLITE)

For his second & final production on Tical 2000, Deck gives you a skillful chopping of a Dionne Warwick record. Maybe he did it to spite the anti-rap figure. Anyway, this was the beat you should've used for Spazzola, Jason. It's way too valuable to waste on just one Wu member who isn't you. For Mef is so out of American Cream Team members Polite & Star's league, it's not even funny. And if we're being really whiny here, Jason should've kept this beat, Spazzola's lyrics and hogged them for his own album, but that's a story for another time. I will say, though, that Mef's dedication to the apocalyptic concept is unwavering, and him choosing a beat like this & rhyming the way he did shows that.

KILLIN' FIELDS

Mef turns to True Master for the last time on the album for a one-song Mad Max movie, where Derrick decorates the track with a Bloodstone sample that allows Mef to let his punchlines take center stage. It all works, of course, as Mef yet again proves his doubters wrong and delivers another fantastic solo track. By this point, I have to point out the lack of merit of a vast majority of the criticisms I've come across regarding this album.

BIG DOGS (FEATURING REDMAN)

So, this can really be considered a full Def Squad track, given Mef's newfound status as Red's brother-in-arms. E-Dub's sampling of the Ohio Players unleashes Redman for the first of many times featuring on a Mef album. As one would expect by this point, these two's chemistry is addictively potent, with each one trying to come up with a wittier line than the other. I will say, though, that Mef loses a smidge of points for allowing the Def Squad influence to overcome him, when his own style was perfectly fine, but that's really a minor nitpick. Dope track. Interestingly, this was released as a double b-side, a “Month of the Man special”, to the title track lead single.

BREAK UPS 2 MAKE UPS (FEATURING D'ANGELO)

Trackmasters. We meet again. Seriously, Poke & Tone were everywhere back in the late 90s dishing out mainstream appeal to whomever was looking for it. Combine that with a D'Angelo feature back when the demand for his services was molten lava, and you have the perfect radio pandering play recipe. Did I mention that this song was supposed to be a bid to capitalize on All I Need's monster success? So how did the end product fair, might y'all ask? The song… was actually pretty good. Gasp! But how? Well, Mef decided for once to lean into the sex symbol image he seemingly abhors and fully dedicated himself to writing a track about a cheating ex-lover who feels jealous of Mef’s new relationship. He actually commits, boy/girl, and the results are commendable. I don’t feel any type of way towards D’Angelo’s performance, who apparently can do no wrong in the eyes of the masses. I’ll even say that his inclusion fits the song’s theme perfectly. Interestingly, Quran Goodman bka Q-Ball from Da Youngtsas contributed to the track. I will say that Q can come up with the odd timeless joint, like Bloodshed & War with Mobb Deep. I end this gargantuan paragraph with the one major gripe I have with this song: It doesn’t fit the theme of the album, at all which unfortunately leaves it sticking out like a sore thumb thereby emphasizes the fact that it was a cash grab by the fuckfaces at Def Jam. Le sigh.

MESSAGE FROM PENNY (SKIT)

Another bullshit skit, this time shoving the absolutely irrelevant fact that Cliffy is on speaking terms with Janet Jackson down your helpless throat. GROAN.

JUDGEMENT DAY

The title track and the lead single. 4th Disciple is chosen by Mef to co-produce alongside him, and the result is admittedly one of the weirdest beats I ever heard. Maybe this is why Mef stuck to MCing from that point forward. Mef spits three verses, all of which he already debuted on a certain duet with Scottish band Texas. Alas, their basic nature is somehow a plus for this song. Well, until you arrive at the fact that Mef repeats his first verse for the third. Now, this wasn't something new in hip hop: Among other examples, Large Professor already did this with his solo debut single Mad Scientist. Difference between the two songs is that LP was rhyming his ass off on his first two verses, something I can honestly say that Mef wasn't doing. Very unfortunate, that. Overall this song serves its purpose.

C.E.O.UTRO

Ten seconds of the now-excommunicated Russell Simmons saying absolutely nothing. Vital to your spiritual well-being, this.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Yeah, why do people still bash this album again? Sure the skits are overkill and there's approximately four tracks that drag the intelligence level of the human race down a couple of notches but other than that, a Judgment Day album from fucking Method Man is exactly what you got. He actually committed throughout the majority of the album to said concept, without compromising the Wu sound everyone still expected from him. Every Wu-Element he called in brought something to the table that kept the aesthetic intact, with True Master taking the lion's share once again. All this album needed was a lack of compromise from the labels, and this would be right up there with his debut. Having said this, I was able to come to such an appreciation only because I listened to this on my iPod, where I could delete any unwanted nuisance (Yep! No skits!) from the proceedings to my heart's content. I say that now knowing full well that said luxury was not an option if you owned this on cassette & vinyl. You had to suffer through the despicable orange cheeto in charge's bit along with the rest of the nuisances. And I don't know how many people owned this on CD, neither, because they could skip them shits easy. Maybe that's why so many people hate the shit? Because they can't skip through the skits? I dunno. All things considered, I will still maintain that Tical 2000 is for sure the second-best album in Mef's discography. And when you take into consideration that he and he alone bore its creative weight, you'll be faced with the reality that this is his true solo debut, because RZA wasn't holding his hand every step of the way this time. And as such, this was a smashing success.

WORTH IT? If you can see, read and comprehend the last sentence, then I think you have your answer. If not, surely you must be a Lil Yachty fan.

TRACKS TO TRACK DOWN:

IT'S IN THE GAME (FEATURING RICKY WATTERS)

Another weird combination, courtesy of the NFL Jams album. I already reviewed a track Ghostface Killah did with Andre Rison here in which he debuted his awesome rapport with DJ Mathematics. Now it's Mef's turn with him flaunting his True Master connection well with his trademark grim punchlines. True Master appreciates the look as well because he gives you a beat that's as strong and clanging as anything he's done throughout Tical 2000. I feel an obligation to warn you, though, of the impending doom that is Ricky Watters' verse. Seriously though, his shit is so laughably atrocious you might even catch yourself adlibbing said ordure. And we're done.

For more on Iron Lung, hit this.

Method Man - Tical (November 15, 1994)

Finally, I get to one of the two guys who introduced me to hip hop! (exhausted groan)

You know, for a guy whose popularity was unstoppably skyrocketing at the time of this shit's release, Cliffy Clifford Smith bka Method Man from the Wu-Tang Clan sure hates the spotlight. And he hates that sex symbol status he's been stuck with even more. Whatever makes you sleep at night, Mef.

I've already went to length regarding how Mef introduced me to hip hop in general, through his stellar showing on the Monstars Anthem, a song that I still friggin' love. Him & B-Real stuck with me for the longest time during my days of hip hop aloofness, especially in their roles in the one entertainment medium I truly love more than any other, video games. Various Method Man appearances in particular came my way through his participation in the Def Jam-AKI gems and on radio stations of both GTA: Liberty City Stories for the PSP and True Crime: NYC for the PS2. Had I been more attentive to Protect Ya Neck at the time, I would've began my Wu journey much sooner than I have. But I guess it was meant to be as it happened since I already read a review of their 1998 game, Shaolin Style, that very same year and still didn't connect the dots. A fact that's still funny as shit to me. Anyways, on my various PSP rampages through Liberty City, I've always been drawn to Mef's appearances on the Liberty Jam, the hip hop station,  in which two songs he absolutely smoked were chosen: One was the forever-underrated Do What Ya Feel off of his cohort Reggie Noble bka Redman's classic Muddy Waters.

The other is much more relevant to this post, as it is the album cut of All I Need. This song is one of the select few tracks that effectively cater to hardcore hip hop heads and couples who don't know shit about hip hop simultaneously. This might be the only song your wife might enjoy with you if she's utterly disgusted with this thing you're constantly listening to and reading about online. (And somehow refusing to comment on these posts, even after 10 fucking months!) I'll talk about the song more in the proper review, but for a year and a half these two songs were all I played from Mef's entire discography. That is until YouTube and Wikipedia changed that shit forever. I was taken into the 36 Chambers, following which I properly began my twisted journey into Wu-stannery. So, after regrettably skipping the Gravediggaz classic N****mortis/6 Feet Deep for a short while, I immediately jumped into the next step: Tical.

Before that, let me take you to a time when Robert "RZA" Diggs was still concocting his plot for Wu domination. 1992, specifically. Even though he had every Wu member on board by then, he conceded that he didn't yet have a proper business plan to initiate his takeover. The other members then wisely advised him that not every business move they made needed to be original, just enough. Somehow, this made sense to ol' Rizzy so he made the choice of replicating the business moves of the most influential hip hop group up to that point, EPMD's legendary Hit Squad.

Just to put things in perspective, the Hit Squad had been the first group with all four acts under its banner experiencing both critical and commercial success. Definitely nothing to be scoffed at. EPMD recognized everyone's talents and assigned them the proper position for them. Take the aforementioned Redman for example: EPMD assigned him the position of "punchline guy", even though Das EFX were both equally proficient therein. (You don't listen to Das EFX for the punchlines, though. Right?) To this date, his solo success has eclipsed that of his fellow Squadmates because of that particular decision. Not one to miss details that important, RZA adapted the whole plan hook, line and sinker, and chose Shaquan aka Mef to be his Redman. No, really. That's how fellow DMD member Raekwon explains it on a particularly interesting Combat Jack Show interview. All Bobby needed to add to that melting pot now was the element of concept and the rest would be history, which was what happened sure enough.

So since it's now established that Method Man is the resident punchline expert (even though guys like GZA and especially Inspectah Deck have quite the repertoire of zingers themselves), Bobby needed to surround him with the right beats that fit the aesthetic he wanted Mef to go for. And since witty wordplay and clever use of flow is the most basic form of this shit we love, it was only right for RZA to use beats that were grimier than his last major showing on the boards. I'll leave it to the review to decide if he accomplished that goal. Now from Mef's point of view, it is a very huge plus that the man solely responsible for his group's entire aesthetic was now focusing on making his album sound like that of the chosen torchbearer, a position given to him not just by RZA, but the rest of the Wu members as well. Did this next step in the overall gamble pay off? Well, from a commercial standout, Tical was an undisputed success, selling a million copies in the US alone. But what do bloggers like myself think about this shit twenty two years later?

Mef's debut, people:

TICAL
Leave it to RZA to start off a punchline hip hop album with the opening notes from the classical piece Pictures at an Exhibition. Anyways, a very competent beat dissolves into the distance after a quick display, making room for an equally crafted beat with extra doses of I'ma fuck you up. Mef makes his mission statement very clear: to blow your socks off with his punchlines. And blow my socks off, he did. This album's off to a rocketing start, with this monster of a song segwaying directly into...

BISCUITS
Where RZA steals Mef's thunder big time. The crafting of the instrumental is absolutely genius and the punchlines are beyond inspired, and yet I still have a major problem: I can't hear what the fuck Mef is spitting. Bobby takes full blame for this, as Mef's lyrics are actually really fucking good. Shame, that.

BRING THE PAIN (FEATURING BOOSTER)
The lead single, and a good choice at that. Dear God RZA's digging deep with these samples, looping an unrecognizable Jerry Butler voice bit that lasts less than a second and milking said loop for all its worth. The result is winter sewage levels of grimy boom bap, which is apparently the type of beat the star attraction's most comfortable performing over. And you bet your fucking butthole, he lets you know what time it is. Mef brings it all, baby: Wordplay, punchlines, flow, you name it. Dancehall aficionado Booster quotes some patois from troubled reggae artist Ninjaman after Mef finishes his lines, an act which neither added nor detracted from the overall end product so, yay? This song is a home run, no doubt.

ALL I NEED
May I present to you a main factor in Cliffy Clifford Smith's sex symbol status enduring to this very day, and the very first solo Mef song I've ever heard. Apparently, Mef never wanted this song on any type of album. However during their promotion of their group's classic debut, RZA noticed that Mef was getting a little extra attention from the ladies. Because he had eyes, you see. What he also had was a brain. So, as soon as he caught wind of these lyrics, he aggressively begged Mef to record them on wax. RZA plays the notes from a Marvin Gaye 60s classic and couples them with, once again, some Synthetic Substitution. Upon hearing the result, Mef flies into his dedication to his significant other in a manner he typically reserves for some hardcore shittalking. And therein, my fellow lonely soul, lies the importance of delivery in our chosen genre. Because otherwise, the lyrics to this shit would've completely derailed the track. Instead, we have arguably the greatest love song in hip hop history. Further begging was needed when RZA suggested to Mef that this shit be his third single. And that's how Method Man ended up with a Grammy, folks. Another common mistake is that Sean John Combs, known on this site as the revolting Comby, produced the Mary J. Blige-assisted remix of this song that won the Grammy while in truth: The highly-superior-to-both-cuts Razor Sharp Remix, of RZA's making, is the real culprit. I liked where he hilariously placed some opening notes from a corny Earl Klugh song as a prelude to that particular beat, as if to say: "That's not how we do love songs over here." The shit also featured Blige, of course. Furthermore, the Comby remix wasn't even Comby's own work. It was done by the Trackmasters (According to Trackmaster Poke, anyway), who admittedly did an interesting job, even though they looped the Marvin Gaye trademark sample wholesale (which was per the status quo at Bad Boy HQ). And the vocals for the Trackmasters version were redone by Mef, losing the earnestness of his original performance along the way. A problem the RZA remix never had because he smartly used the original take. I vastly prefer the RZA remix, as you can tell, but the album cut's fine by itself.

WHAT THE BLOOD CLOT
Mef switches up the lyrics this time by mixing a dash of thuggery with his usual dose of punchlines, which works better than you'd think. Apparently, Mef was royally pissed at his fellow Clansmen after an argument on some plane, after which he fired up All In The Mind by Erick Sermon on his Walkman and wrote the bars you hear here dissing the hell outta them! All set to another RZA recipe from the leftest of left fields. I guess I ended up feeling a bit disappointed that this track is merely a one-verse wonder followed by Mef contracting RZA's shoutout virus. Impressed that he snapped out of shoutout zone quicker than his Wu brother, though. I'm also particularly cracked up that RZA still found a way to throw in some shoutouts of his own. Anyways, this song remains infinitely more significant than that new 2 chainz/lil wayne collabo album you're waiting for, which is the least amount of praise I can give it.

METH VS. CHEF (FEATURING RAEKWON)
There's that beat from the intro again! Bobby, what're you doing? Let Mef tear that beat a new digestive system, already! Of course the beat is cut off, never to be heard on this album again, and we get a spacey beat from RZA set to a famous Joe Tex drumline. RZA chooses this moment to include a battle he recorded in the studio between Mef & Chef. (Kudos to that title, seriously.) Rumor has it that this track is why Mef was the one who received his eponymous solo outing on the group's debut, the only one besides GZA's Clan In Da Front, and not the others but I don't believe that for a second. Mef & Rae impressed, but Rae's fuckup slightly detracts from the experience. Still a very good song, though. Side note: Rae. When it comes to punchlines, never fuck with Mef again.

SUB CRAZY
RZA presents his weirdest production up to that point, assisted by a certain Selwyn Bougard bka 4th Disciple. He's really attempting to surprise everyone listening to these records with his choices as much as he possibly can. Most surprising of all, the beat still works! Mef responds by playing his imagery card this time, while still giving you his regular serving of punchlines. He also experiments with wordplay for three bars in the second verse and succeeds ingeniously. I friggin love this song!

RELEASE YO' DELF (FEATURING BLUE RASPBERRY)
The second single. I never cared for Blue Raspberry's interpolation of I Will Survive, especially in the intro to the track. Everything else on here elevates this song to being my absolute favorite Method Man solo performance on this album, bar none. The Herb Alpert trumpet loop with the sped up Make It Funky drum sample, previously used on the Wu's classic 7th Chamber, combine beautifully act as the perfect punching bag to Mef's lyrics, which he gifts to you via his loudest delivery to date. This shit tops his performance on the aforementioned 7th Chamber, trust me. Mef presents the listener with two beautifully venomous verses filled to the brim with everything a Wu stan likes from him. The reasons why I cherish this track are uniquely similar to Bring The Pain's, yet I edge this song out as the superior one because I enjoyed Mef's delivery and RZA's beat here much more than their work on the preceding single, even though Booster's choice for interpolation far exceeds Blue Raspberry's. I am of the opinion that this song as the lead single would've made that much more sense, even though Bring The Pain is perfectly fine. Moving on.

P.L.O. STYLE (FEATURING CARLTON FISK)
The lone remaining co-production on this album, and it's RZA and Mef in a repeat of their efforts on Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing ta Fuck Wit. I've always dug how the slowed Al Green sample (with, again, the Joe Tex drumline) now sounds straight out of a kung fu flick. Mef introduces George Cooney who goes by the rap name of Carlton Fisk from Inspectah Deck's weed carrier group Housegang (Note that they were called that before every rapper in Slaughterhouse began their fucking careers. Shoutout to Slaughterhouse, though) In fans' minds, Fisky here would forever be associated with Mef instead because of his showings on this album. Translation: He sounds fulfillingly good, with his thuggery complimenting Mef's braggadocio. Next up...

I GET MY THANG IN ACTION
RZA brings the listener back to the grimy side of his nature behind the boards, and Mef is all too excited to unload a year's worth of punchlines on the resulting beat, incinerating it to kingdom fucking come. Adding insult to injury, Mef simplifies his flow enough to make his bars catchy as shit. The Bo Diddley drums sampled here really elevate the adrenaline pumping through you during this experience. Tied with the title track as my second-favorite solo track.

MR. SANDMAN (FEATURING RZA, INSPECTAH DECK, STREETLIFE, CARLTON FISK & BLUE RASPBERRY)
A rendition of the Chordettes' famed classic as a hardcore hip hop posse cut? Genius! Why do I keep distinguishing solo tracks from posse cuts, you ask? Because the Wu have forever made me a posse cut fiend, that's why. Thanks to them, I will always favor good posse cuts to good solo joints, no matter how varying the quality of the beat is. Just so happens that the beat for this track here is my absolute favorite on the entire album.  When a sampler alters one second of a Lyn Collins classic interpretation to sound like theme music to a swarm of bees, you know you're dealing with someone gifted. RZA certainly proves he's precisely that, yet he doesn't stop there. He also sets shit off with his verse brimming with imagery that'll leave marks on your psyche for days. That is, until Deck swoops in with a blistering verse that ruins any chance the remaining MCs have in stealing his thunder.  You have to appreciate the frequency in which the Rebel was accomplishing this feat, especially during the 5-year plan. Not to say Mef and the remaining weed carriers don't leave their mark, hell no. Mef reverts to punchline mode, which is always welcome and Carlton Fisk and a debuting Streetlife impress you enough to give a shit about them when they turn up on future Wu albums. Although in Fisk's case, you had to wait a long-ass fucking time. Fisk would get locked up for at least 10 years shortly after dropping a dope-as-shit freestyle which went by the name Common Denominator with two of his co-stars on Mr. Sandman: Streetlife & the Rebel INS, with Mef conducting the shit. Yes, the one where INS drops the deleted verse he adlibbed bits from on 2Pac's Got My Mind Made Up. May I add how fucking awesome Blue Raspberry is here with her creepy falsetto rendition of the Chordettes' household chorus. By far my favorite track on this album. Scratch that, by far my favorite track of Mef's entire solo career. This shit's that friggin' good.

STIMULATION (FEATURING BLUE RASPBERRY)
You absolutely can NOT top the previous track. No matter what you do, the following tracks will come up short, which is why I'm pissed at Bobby for not ending the album with Mr. Sandman. I will admit though, the speeding up of the opening violins of the Sarah Vaughan record throughout is nifty and very nicely done. Mef's lyrics make this song pitch perfect for a live audience, which is why the fact that he never performs this song live in recent years puzzles me to no end. Maybe it's because of Blue Raspberry's smelly-ass performance of Stimulation's horrid hook. How can you top possibly your best career performance immediately with one of your absolute worst?! Shit's not computing, boo. Other than that, I'm perfectly fine with this song.

METHOD MAN (SKUNK MIX)
My opinion of this song has not changed since I reviewed it here. I will say that RZA completely blew the tracklisting of the last two songs. Everything prior was copacetic.

FINAL THOUGHTS
This album's status as the first solo album from the Wu camp was a master move. It accomplished every goal it was intended to make. Allowing Mef's talent to be noticeable by mainstream entertainment in general by selling a shitload of copies? Check. Exposing everyone debuting on this album to a much wider audience? Check. Cementing RZA's growing reputation as a producer? Check. Most impressive of all, these two did it on their own terms. That's right, I said the two of them. For I think it's essential that this album be identified as a collaboration (Y'know, just like the rest of the Wu solos during RZA's five-year-plan.) more than a true solo album, where all final decisions are the artist's to make. I love the fact, though, that this album is a strong candidate for most consistent Wu solo ever. Ingenious, unorthodox production choices came in droves, the punchlines struck the right balance of quantity vs. quality and there was not a single radio-friendly track in sight. Even the "ladies song" had to be remixed while adding Mary J. friggin' Blige to the proceedings for it to win the dreaded Grammy. And it was the grimy-ass RZA remix that did it, not the polished Trackmasters version. Oh. you thought I was gonna credit Comby? Yeah, and I eat raw camel liver for my daily source of protein.

WORTH IT? Go get this shit, and if you see RZA these days: Shove this album in his face, tell him to stop fucking around with Kanye's diva finger-free ass and let him know that this is what we need to hear from him in the present.

TRACKS TO TRACK DOWN:
THE RIDDLER
I'm a Jim Carrey stan, I admit it. There's something about his 93-04 slapstick movie performances, even when stealing the scenes in movies as shitty as Batman Forever, that resonates with me on a corporeal level. Naturally, I never bought the movie's soundtrack because I was too busy reciting his lines from the movie word for word or staring at Nicole Kidman's then-fine ass through my teenage-hormonial-raging-hardon-influenced eyes. As I got into the Wu much later I discovered that the flick's OST contained a theme for Jim Carrey's Riddler by Mef that was not included in the movie, so I had to hear the shit. I was blown away by the beat, in which RZA interpolates the corny '66 Batman cartoon theme into a demented hymn fitting Jim Carrey's performance like a glove. Delighting in the resulting music, Mef immerses himself completely into the mythos portrayed in the movie by filling his first two verses with imagery befitting of the subject then dedicating the final verse to a story depicting him as the Riddler during a crime-filled night in his life. The verse ends with the Batman hot on his heels. I find this shit worthy of my time and definitely of yours.

NO HOOK (SHAQUILLE O'NEAL FEATURING RZA AND METHOD MAN)
Since I'm not likely to review any Shaq album anytime soon, I'll highlight this track of his that he did with Mef and RZA. I may do this with other artists in the future, depending on the significance of the song to the review. In this case, this song was surely recorded during the Tical sessions so it fits the bill. RZA crafts another grimy self-made beat around a famous Labi Siffre drum sample, then starts off the song by spitting a verse that is damn underwhelming. Fortunately though, Shaq and Mef pick up the remains admirably with Mef predictably coming out on top as the best of the three. I really did not expect to write the following words: Shaq lyrically trumped RZA on a track. Still a fine song, though. And we're done.

The Wu saga continues here, and the rest of Mef's solo shit is here.