Note: During our various upgrades over the years certain interviews have been "misplaced." We are now adding them back to our archives. This interview was first published in 2006.
Method Man has been one of the most influential artists in hip-hop history, both as a part of the Wu Tang clan and as a solo artist with his classic debut album, Tical.
Beginning work on his third solo album, Method Man speaks about his career and future. One of hip-hop’s greatest, Method Man opens up to StreetHop.com.
You’re going down to Australia in September right? Looking forward to it?
Yeah man me and the Doc, me and Redman. I heard they’re not too predigest out there, so Im looking forward to no being treated like a black nigger, all the damn time. It’s like people over seas man, you have no idea, like France and Germany and shit like that, you be ready to beat the shit out them people man. And it ain’t even the kids it’s the older people man, I don’t know what the fuck their perception is of black people and shit but they got it fucked up yo.
Did some shit recently happen?
I was over seas recently and shit, and they always put me like in the fucked upest room. You know I pay for suites and shit for myself, but when they see us come in they wanna give us the little room or the room in the corner, then they always run that “well we have no other rooms available shit” on you, you know what I mean? But I don’t even wanna talk about that shit.
That’s messed up man. Ok, why the tour in Australia now? You working on a new album?
Yeah Im working on a new album and shit. But it aint really a tour though, its more or less, well we aint never been to Australia so lets go do the damn thing. Plus I heard that people been trying to get me out there for awhile.
Is the album going to coincide with that? Is it coming out around then?
No, I’m still working on that album man. Its like, shit, its going slow but its going, at least I’m working, I’m blessed.
Have you thought of any concepts or do you have any producers or guest appearances lined up?
No I don’t really fuck with guest appearances yo, plus you know, people when they think you finished they count you out too fast and you see the ugly side of a lot of artists, you know. And I’ve been pretty much counted out by a lot of artists man. I had to really beg Missy Elliot to do that hook for me, then my label had to beg her to make it a single and she still wouldn’t. You know, all I needed was a hook, and she act like I wanted to put her in the video and shit. But I don’t know, who knows, I still like Missy though, she still cool with me.
Why do you think people are counting you out?
I have no idea brother. Even the critics you know, even people that do the magazines and things like that, they talk real slimy about me you know, real slimy. They just like to hear themselves talk and shit, but I’ve had people say in interviews that my rhymes done got rusty and all kinds of shit, but then in the same breath they’ll say something like, I don’t wanna name any artists in particular I’ll just use an example, lets say Lil’ Flip. They’ll say he’s dope, Method Man fell off. I don’t get it.
Do you think that’s a reflection of where Hip-Hop is going nowadays?
I think it’s a reflection of people that didn’t wanna see you do it in the first place. I been doing this for ten years brother, so its like some of the people that were interns and shit then, that never believed in Wu Tang in the first place, now they’re magazine editors and record label execs and shit you know. But they don’t know nothing, we taught them.
Can we expect another Wu Tang album?
RZA wants to start one but I’m not trying to do another Wu album until I do my album man, for real. You know I been patient all this time even when I won my Grammy I waited 4 years to do my next album, that’s ludicrous right there.
How do you feel about the reception that Tical 0 got? Were you happy with the sales and the finished product?
I was happy with the finished product at first, but when my label didn’t push it I was kind of disappointed. It was like they counted me out too, I had people at my label that didn’t wanna support me. But, I laughed at the end of the day because it still went gold without any promo, no promo whatsoever.
Are you changing up the label situation now or sticking with Def Jam?
I love Def Jam man, its just some of the people there, you know? I love the fact that I’m part of history, its just some of the people that are there don’t have the artists best interest at heart all the time. They act like fans, they shouldn’t even be working there if that’s the case. That’s how I feel about it, you can not work for a label and be a fan at the same time, or you can, but you have to work everybody’s shit the same you would you favorite artist man. Because it’s a job, at the end of the day it’s a job man. Don’t do half of the work on this guy because you don’t think he’s a good artist and shit like that, or you just don’t like his music. At the end of the day you have to do your job. Its like if cops said “fuck it, I don’t like Brooklyn, so I’m not gonna patrol Brooklyn the same way I would the Hamptons,” and they do, cops act that way.
Can we expect another Red and Meth album?
Oh for sure, I damn near guarantee it!
Are you working on anything else like movies?
Me and Redman got some movies, I got some episodes of CSI I’m doing, also The Wire. I’m trying to develop some shows too. Nothing like that Method and Red shit, something different, like a whole new type of element.
I gotta ask man, are you guys working on a How High sequel?
Yeah, we’re working on How High part 2 right now. The same guy that plugged me into those CSI episodes, Dustin, he’s writing the second How High, he wrote the first one.
How much creative input do you have on these projects?
We give our little ideas and they try to bring it to life. They try to at least see our vision as much as possible and shit. Like Universal, such a good relationship with those dudes man, I love Universal man.
So they pretty much give creative control?
Yeah man, they was so open minded about the project. The knew we was two stoners, they knew that you know, these two guys have their audience so we’re just gonna cater to that audience. Its not like we’re going to try to broaden them and open them up to a whole different audience and shit like that, because eventually that whole new audience is going to come over our side any God damn way.
And that’s real talk, because if you look at the Hip-Hop music man, honestly dog, we never made that music for the suburbs and shit like that yo. It was always like we made it for our people, the people of the ghetto and shit you know, everybody else just happened to pick up on it after awhile, we didn’t compromise it so this person would like it or that person would like it. Its like it is what it is and shit so why should I have to do that when I do my movies? Try to broaden my horizons like they like to call it, broaden the horizons and hit a whole different audience. Shit its gonna hit a whole different audience anyway, that whole different audience is filled with squares anyway and they follow what the cool people think any fucking way.
Do you feel that Hip-Hop is doing that in general now? Like how do you feel about Hip-Hop man?
Man you gotta respect it and shit. Because this music, regardless of what people say and try to count us out is still here. And its done went though so many changes, and its come full circle, and went back into changes, and come full circle, and went back into changes, if that doesn’t sound like some music that’s here to stay I don’t know what is. Right now, people’s biggest problem is down south hip-hop. And I mean yo, its like if you don’t like it there’s so many different things you can listen to without having to listen to that. I like it all dog, I feel like shit, it’s about time because it used to be east coast and west coast and now its east, west, Midwest, down south, everybody getting their pitch and niggaz got jobs, which is definitely good. If it wasn’t for us a lot of mutha fuckas wouldn’t have jobs, us hip-hop niggas, because a lot of niggas is straight up repeat felons, don’t nobody wanna hire them you know what I’m saying? Shit we give them hope. That’s real.
That aspect of it has broadened beyond the music, like when you get shows such as, like even Xzibit’s Pimp My Ride, those mechanics working on those cars wouldn’t be there if it wasn’t for hip-hop.
Word! You’re right about that shit! Even the jewelry fucking people, the people that own those jewelry stores owe us a hell of a lot! A hell of a lot! Because those rich white folks do not buy jewelry dog! For real, think about it, they do not buy crazy jewelry like we do every fucking two months and shit, think about it. They owe us big time man, a lot of people do man, we keep a lot of businesses open man.
Do you think the industry is shady now?
Just the rap artists, a lot of time man we get robbed and shit because niggas think we don’t know what the fuck time it is, but that’s just our humble nature and shit, plus there’s some money you just don’t know you supposed to get. Unless you smart about it and shit. And those people need to burn in fucking hell. People that ever took something that didn’t belong to them, or you know, played on someone’s intelligence, worst kind of people right there, pigs.
Method Man has been one of the most influential artists in hip-hop history, both as a part of the Wu Tang clan and as a solo artist with his classic debut album, Tical.
Beginning work on his third solo album, Method Man speaks about his career and future. One of hip-hop’s greatest, Method Man opens up to StreetHop.com.
You’re going down to Australia in September right? Looking forward to it?
Yeah man me and the Doc, me and Redman. I heard they’re not too predigest out there, so Im looking forward to no being treated like a black nigger, all the damn time. It’s like people over seas man, you have no idea, like France and Germany and shit like that, you be ready to beat the shit out them people man. And it ain’t even the kids it’s the older people man, I don’t know what the fuck their perception is of black people and shit but they got it fucked up yo.
Did some shit recently happen?
I was over seas recently and shit, and they always put me like in the fucked upest room. You know I pay for suites and shit for myself, but when they see us come in they wanna give us the little room or the room in the corner, then they always run that “well we have no other rooms available shit” on you, you know what I mean? But I don’t even wanna talk about that shit.
That’s messed up man. Ok, why the tour in Australia now? You working on a new album?
Yeah Im working on a new album and shit. But it aint really a tour though, its more or less, well we aint never been to Australia so lets go do the damn thing. Plus I heard that people been trying to get me out there for awhile.
Is the album going to coincide with that? Is it coming out around then?
No, I’m still working on that album man. Its like, shit, its going slow but its going, at least I’m working, I’m blessed.
Have you thought of any concepts or do you have any producers or guest appearances lined up?
No I don’t really fuck with guest appearances yo, plus you know, people when they think you finished they count you out too fast and you see the ugly side of a lot of artists, you know. And I’ve been pretty much counted out by a lot of artists man. I had to really beg Missy Elliot to do that hook for me, then my label had to beg her to make it a single and she still wouldn’t. You know, all I needed was a hook, and she act like I wanted to put her in the video and shit. But I don’t know, who knows, I still like Missy though, she still cool with me.
Why do you think people are counting you out?
I have no idea brother. Even the critics you know, even people that do the magazines and things like that, they talk real slimy about me you know, real slimy. They just like to hear themselves talk and shit, but I’ve had people say in interviews that my rhymes done got rusty and all kinds of shit, but then in the same breath they’ll say something like, I don’t wanna name any artists in particular I’ll just use an example, lets say Lil’ Flip. They’ll say he’s dope, Method Man fell off. I don’t get it.
Do you think that’s a reflection of where Hip-Hop is going nowadays?
I think it’s a reflection of people that didn’t wanna see you do it in the first place. I been doing this for ten years brother, so its like some of the people that were interns and shit then, that never believed in Wu Tang in the first place, now they’re magazine editors and record label execs and shit you know. But they don’t know nothing, we taught them.
Can we expect another Wu Tang album?
RZA wants to start one but I’m not trying to do another Wu album until I do my album man, for real. You know I been patient all this time even when I won my Grammy I waited 4 years to do my next album, that’s ludicrous right there.
How do you feel about the reception that Tical 0 got? Were you happy with the sales and the finished product?
I was happy with the finished product at first, but when my label didn’t push it I was kind of disappointed. It was like they counted me out too, I had people at my label that didn’t wanna support me. But, I laughed at the end of the day because it still went gold without any promo, no promo whatsoever.
Are you changing up the label situation now or sticking with Def Jam?
I love Def Jam man, its just some of the people there, you know? I love the fact that I’m part of history, its just some of the people that are there don’t have the artists best interest at heart all the time. They act like fans, they shouldn’t even be working there if that’s the case. That’s how I feel about it, you can not work for a label and be a fan at the same time, or you can, but you have to work everybody’s shit the same you would you favorite artist man. Because it’s a job, at the end of the day it’s a job man. Don’t do half of the work on this guy because you don’t think he’s a good artist and shit like that, or you just don’t like his music. At the end of the day you have to do your job. Its like if cops said “fuck it, I don’t like Brooklyn, so I’m not gonna patrol Brooklyn the same way I would the Hamptons,” and they do, cops act that way.
Can we expect another Red and Meth album?
Oh for sure, I damn near guarantee it!
Are you working on anything else like movies?
Me and Redman got some movies, I got some episodes of CSI I’m doing, also The Wire. I’m trying to develop some shows too. Nothing like that Method and Red shit, something different, like a whole new type of element.
I gotta ask man, are you guys working on a How High sequel?
Yeah, we’re working on How High part 2 right now. The same guy that plugged me into those CSI episodes, Dustin, he’s writing the second How High, he wrote the first one.
How much creative input do you have on these projects?
We give our little ideas and they try to bring it to life. They try to at least see our vision as much as possible and shit. Like Universal, such a good relationship with those dudes man, I love Universal man.
So they pretty much give creative control?
Yeah man, they was so open minded about the project. The knew we was two stoners, they knew that you know, these two guys have their audience so we’re just gonna cater to that audience. Its not like we’re going to try to broaden them and open them up to a whole different audience and shit like that, because eventually that whole new audience is going to come over our side any God damn way.
And that’s real talk, because if you look at the Hip-Hop music man, honestly dog, we never made that music for the suburbs and shit like that yo. It was always like we made it for our people, the people of the ghetto and shit you know, everybody else just happened to pick up on it after awhile, we didn’t compromise it so this person would like it or that person would like it. Its like it is what it is and shit so why should I have to do that when I do my movies? Try to broaden my horizons like they like to call it, broaden the horizons and hit a whole different audience. Shit its gonna hit a whole different audience anyway, that whole different audience is filled with squares anyway and they follow what the cool people think any fucking way.
Do you feel that Hip-Hop is doing that in general now? Like how do you feel about Hip-Hop man?
Man you gotta respect it and shit. Because this music, regardless of what people say and try to count us out is still here. And its done went though so many changes, and its come full circle, and went back into changes, and come full circle, and went back into changes, if that doesn’t sound like some music that’s here to stay I don’t know what is. Right now, people’s biggest problem is down south hip-hop. And I mean yo, its like if you don’t like it there’s so many different things you can listen to without having to listen to that. I like it all dog, I feel like shit, it’s about time because it used to be east coast and west coast and now its east, west, Midwest, down south, everybody getting their pitch and niggaz got jobs, which is definitely good. If it wasn’t for us a lot of mutha fuckas wouldn’t have jobs, us hip-hop niggas, because a lot of niggas is straight up repeat felons, don’t nobody wanna hire them you know what I’m saying? Shit we give them hope. That’s real.
That aspect of it has broadened beyond the music, like when you get shows such as, like even Xzibit’s Pimp My Ride, those mechanics working on those cars wouldn’t be there if it wasn’t for hip-hop.
Word! You’re right about that shit! Even the jewelry fucking people, the people that own those jewelry stores owe us a hell of a lot! A hell of a lot! Because those rich white folks do not buy jewelry dog! For real, think about it, they do not buy crazy jewelry like we do every fucking two months and shit, think about it. They owe us big time man, a lot of people do man, we keep a lot of businesses open man.
Do you think the industry is shady now?
Just the rap artists, a lot of time man we get robbed and shit because niggas think we don’t know what the fuck time it is, but that’s just our humble nature and shit, plus there’s some money you just don’t know you supposed to get. Unless you smart about it and shit. And those people need to burn in fucking hell. People that ever took something that didn’t belong to them, or you know, played on someone’s intelligence, worst kind of people right there, pigs.
