On the season finale of “Drink Champs,” N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN were joined by rapper-actor extraordinaire Method Man for a live iteration of the show.
Meth is a man who at this point, truly needs no introduction. But a quick review of the New Yorker’s resume signifies him as a limb and leader of the Wu-Tang Clan. Known for his unparalleled lyrical ability and voice, he thrived throughout the unit’s legendary run and was later able to soar as a platinum-selling, Grammy Award-winning solo artist who has collaborated with acts like Redman, The Notorious B.I.G., DMX and plenty more.
As his rap career started to take off simultaneously with his acting career in the 1990s, Meth equipped himself with the tools to later make more of a splash on the big screen. These days, fans see him bring characters to life in shows like “Power Book II: Ghost” and movies like On The Come Up, two modern-day examples that precede his applauded appearances in efforts like “The Wire” and How High.
It’s hard to encompass such a successful career that has not only earned him the reception of being fierce on the mic, but has also established him as a pop culture icon. But Meth was able to touch on some highlights during this live discussion in Atlanta as well as some other newsworthy headlines. Nine takeaways from the conversation can be found below and the full episode can be watched here.
1. On Summer Jam
After performing at Hot 97’s Summer Jam in early June, Method Man vowed to never perform at the festival again due to what he deemed as too big of a “generation gap.” When provided with an opportunity to expound on his decision, he said, “Well it was obvious first and foremost that we've aged out of that Summer Jam crowd. They were particularly there to see one person. I think it was Sexyy Red that night.” He continued, “What got misconstrued was, they thought I was mad at the crowd. I wasn't mad at all. I'd be a fool to be mad at somebody liking what they like. The thing that pissed me off was, it's New York. So even if you don't like the music, you know who the f I am. Period.”
2. On performing as an elder statesmen
Meth has been performing and making music for decades now. When he looked back at how it feels to keep the ball rolling, he voiced, “You're performing on stage as a 50-plus year old, and people are saying the words that you wrote as a 17-year-old. That right there resonates more than anything as far as creating and performing.” With the Wu-Tang Clan in mind, he added, “To see yourself as a child again but from a man's standpoint, that out-of-body experience and seeing the people that you grew up with prosper the same way you did, man, you wish you could bring everybody with you.”
3. On Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre
As he went back in his arsenal of memories, Method Man recalled the first time he was in the studio with Dr. Dre. “Every time I work with Dre I feel like I need a do-over,” he began. “The first time I was in the studio with him physically there, that chronic [was] different. I spit a verse but it wasn't up to par for me... I was smoking that s**t and was caught in the moment. But Dre was gracious enough to not put it out.” Nonetheless, he’s since had the chance to redeem himself and revealed an upcoming feature in the process. “The second shot I got is for the Dre and Snoop joint coming up, in case y'all ain't know,” he teased before co-signing the quality of the upcoming collaboration.
4. On why people gravitated towards Wu-Tang
Wu-Tang’s authenticity was the driving force to securing an audience, according to Method Man. “We're lucky enough to come up in an era where it was about lyrics and s**t,” he started. On the era of Hip Hop that preceded them, he said, “It was dancing, R&B records with Hip Hop lyrics.” Furthermore, he declared, “Wu-Tang, we were what people identified with everyday in the streets. We weren't the people that were on MTV, the ‘Yo! MTV Raps’ crowd, things like that. And to see someone up there that looked like you, dressed like you, didn't have money and was struggling and all they talked about was the struggle, people loved that s**t. They always root for the underdog.”
5. On the ‘90s
Many people would argue that the 1990s was a golden age of music. However, Method Man addressed the other side of the coin. “A lot of people talk about the '90s and they say it's revered. Yes, a lot of great music came out the '90s. But do not put the '90s on a pedestal 'cause a lot of trash came out in the same f**king era… A lot of people were copycatting. I remember when Das EFX first came out. You'd be surprised, hundreds of n**gas were *mimicks them.* So you can't blame Hip Hop for following a wave and trying to run with it. You just have to be able to differentiate who the copycats are and who the originators are and that's where s**t gets lost in the shuffle.”
6. On what he would change in life
When posed with the introspective question of what he might change in life if he had the opportunity to go back, Meth said, “I would change the living standards that we lived in as children, for my mom and s**t. She had it rough. And as far as career, I would've took it way more seriously in the beginning because when you're at a level where you can't smell your own bulls**t, you tend to get comfortable and unfocused, and I had a lot of years of that. It's great to have this second act now where I can show people that I can contribute more than just a couple of bars and s**t like that. It's great to wake up every morning and genuinely feel happy and just live life because that's what it's really about. We only get one of these.”
7. On why he takes his acting career so seriously
N.O.R.E. brought up the rumor that Method Man was super serious on the set of filming his first movie Soul Plane. The rapper-actor explained why and spoke to the logic that he adopts when given the opportunity to appear on the big screen. “When you're coming into a different realm or a different craft, there are people that have been doing this s**t for years and haven't got the opportunity that you're maybe getting at this moment. So, you wanna be able to say that this wasn't a fluke first and foremost and I'm willing to do the work. So, it doesn't feel like entitlement or anything,” he said.
8. On “Power”
On that note, Meth, who plays Davis MacLean, was able to briefly touch on his involvement in 50 Cent’s hit show “Power” by showing love to his co-host and reflecting on the program’s run. “Shoutout to Michael Rainey Jr. Because a lot of y'all, and y'all gotta keep it a buck, after Omari [Hardwick] was killed, y'all did not want to see Tariq have his own show. A lot of people was s**tting on this young man. Well, not even s**tting on him, on the character, and I believe he did a great job. He carried that show. And we're on our last season now and we're blessed to even have four seasons so thank you guys. Y'all played a major part in that.”
9. On Wu-Tang thriving as a unit
Yes, Method Man is one of the most popular members of the famed rap group. But he let it be known that they were always stronger as a unit. “I haven't made a record by myself that was even close to the hit that ‘C.R.E.A.M.’ was, so I'll leave it right there. And that was a group effort,” he said. Elsewhere, he co-signed what he believed was the G.O.A.T. performance in the collective’s catalog. “And as far as the best verse ever to come out of that camp, that goes to Inspectah Deck on ‘Triumph.’"