Album Review | Method Man & Redman – Blackout! (2024)

This album was released on September 28th in the year of our lord 1999. Method Man & Redman are widely considered to be one of the best duos in Hip Hop, so I’m expecting this to be a great album. When this was released, Redman was already coming off a string of great albums, my favorite of which is Dare Iz a Darkside. I think Muddy Waters is generally considered his magnum opus though. You really can’t go wrong with any of the albums he dropped in the 90s. Method Man’s solo albums weren’t as good, but he’s obviously a super talented MC, and he made music for the same crowd in my opinion. Both of them make fun Boom Bap records, so this collab is somewhat of a no brainer. I probably won’t think it’s amazing or anything, but I’ll be shocked if I don’t like it.

There aren’t any tracks that I don’t like from this album, so I’ll write about the full thing in the proper order of the track listing. I really love the tribal sounding production on A Special Joint. It makes me feel like I’m in a rainforest. It had me really excited to listen to the rest of the album. I think it’s a dope intro. The production on the title track from Erick Sermon is fire. The opening verse from Redman is great, but I actually liked the second one from Method Man even more. Meth’s flow here was really awesome.

If you smell what Tical cookin'Ain't tryna see central bookin', so tell your goon stop lookin'Know what you did last summer, so I started hookin'You past shooken off an open can of ass-whoopin'Ain't no tomorrows in the Method's little shop of horrorsGo ask your father who the father from the hill to harborYou know the saga, marijuana blunts and GoldschlagerWith deadly medley, y'all ain't ready for Shakwon and Reggie

The final verse from both of them was great too; I think Redman had the better performance in that section of the song.

I scored 1.1 on my SAT
And still push a whip with a right and left AC
Gorilla, Big Dog, if my name get called
I'm behind the brick wall with arsenic jaws
Spit poison, got a gun permit draw
Gun down at sundown, you keep score
This training course and y'all ain't fit
On my crew tombstone put, “we all ain't shit”

They’re actually like neck & neck on this song. The chemistry is off the charts here. They killed this shit. The hook isn’t amazing or anything, but I think it’s pretty solid. The song is dope as hell. Track 3 is called Mi Casa. Once again, Erick Sermon’s production here is really nice. The first verse from Redman here is dope too.

What, you crazy? Since a buck tooth baby
Doc is like straight "fuck you, pay me" like Jay-Z
Lazy niggas complain
Doc load up the cartridge and start kicking game like Acclaim

I really think Method Man killed this shit though. He honestly impressed me more. Almost the entire verse had an “ih-ih” rhyme scheme at the end of each bar, and it’s fire.

Welcome to the game of death, polly wanna biscuit?
First prize a one way ticket to my shit list
And I spread it like a rumor or a sickness
Stand-by let a chicken head lay a chicklet
Can I slap a fat ass with the quickness?
Stupid ass niggas goin' raw get the syphilis
Coming through son I'mma fuck you and your district
Misrepresenting, misinterpreting, they misfit

The song feels a little short, but the rapping here is too good for me to even care about the brevity. I like this track even more than the preceding one. I think it’s dope as hell. It’s followed by a song called Y.O.U. This one has a pretty nice instrumental. I don’t really care for the sexual content of the first verse, but at no point does it get too vulgar. Meth’s flow on the first verse is fire.

Girl it would be my honor, make you my baby mamaHolla, she hella properFuck with it dumbin’ cousin, sucker for lovin’ buggin’Shuckin’ and duckin’, buckin, suckin’ and finger fuckin’

As much as I loved Meth’s flow, Redman’s performance resonated with me more just because the content was 100% less sexual and more violent.

Yo, I get it on poppin, Doc, unlockin your doorsGlock in my drawers sock in your mouth with a torn stockinWrapped around a noggin, I creep in while you park itShoot out the lights, darken the area, then hop inPick up my bigga nigga who helped me figure the plottinDroppin' the top, splittin' the dough, shoppin' in rotten

I love the last two verses as well. Their flows and rhymes are on point here. The hook is nothing special to me, but it serves its purpose well enough. I’m not as crazy about this track as I am about most of the others, but it’s still really dope to me. I fuck with it. The next track is called 4 Seasons. This one has another really nice beat from Erick Sermon. I love the way this song is structured too. The first verse from Redman is great, and I love the way LL Cool J comes in right behind him. He killed this shit.

I'm the sultan of the ghetto
The homicidal aficionado
I empty niggas out like Cristal bottles
When I battle, I'm breaking Bentleys down to gravel
I got the heat right here, we ain't got to travel
I'm bigger than producers, I figured out you losers
I know my longevity confuse you
Big paper game, come on, run into these flames
Recognize the power of the royal King James

I could’ve done without his use of the sinophobic slur, but it doesn’t bother me as much as it may offend someone of Chinese descent. It’s still not a great look, but I can look past it personally. The third verse from Meth is fire too. Ja Rule easily had my least favorite verse, but it wasn’t bad. He was fine. LL probably had my favorite verse. Once again, Meth & Redman were neck and neck here. The song is dope as hell. It’s followed by a major highlight entitled Cereal Killer. As much as I loved the beats from Erick Sermon, it was nice to finally hear a RZA beat. This beat is fire too. It’s not really as dark and dirty as what I typically expect from RZA, but it’s still fire. Method Man slaughtered the first verse. I love the concept of this track. I guess this song would qualify as Horrorcore. They’re basically rapping from the perspective of murderers, and it’s fucking awesome.

Slowly I turn, step by step, through the back window I crept
Silent as a mouse on the set while everybody in the house slept
I disconnect the phones and the rest
Find a butcher knife, cut the power lines to the lights
Now a nigga wild for the night
I come like the livin dead, straight from the dirt
Back to avenge his own death on this Earth
Ever hear of Jason? Then you know my work

The background vocals from Blue Raspberry are nice. Both of Redman’s verses are nice; I liked that line about taking nuts and screws out of ferris wheels. That was nice. Once again, I was actually more impressed by Method Man’s performance on this song. I just feel like his flow and writing were more on point.

Spontaneous combust' when I smoke a bag of dust
Ahhh what a rush, cigar be the Dutch
Method Man and Redman, Starsky and Hutch

This is easily one of the best songs on the album to me; I think it’s dope af. The following track is entitled Da Rockwilder. It has one of my favorite beats on the album. As you may have guessed from the title, it’s produced by Rockwilder. This instrumental sounds a lot more modern than most of the others in my opinion. It’s boiling hot fiya. The first verse from Meth is really great; his flow is smooth as hell.

Put your lights out
Get the shit to crackin' got you fiending with your pipes out
Time for some action
Surfin' the avenue, mad at you, where I used to battle crews
Back when Antoinette had that attitude
Cover me I'm going in, walls closing in
Got us bustin' off these pistols, my niggas got issues
Again, same song armed with the mega bomb
Blow you out the frame and then I'm gone

I actually preferred Redman’s verse on this one personally. Apparently the reason the song is so much shorter than a lot of the others is because Redman didn’t like this beat, which is interesting. It’s funny because he had my favorite verse on this song, and it’s one of my favorite beats on the project.

When I grab the broom
Moon-walk platoon hawk my goons bark
Leave you in a blue lagoon lost
Three nines in the glove
With Masu, D-Don and The Gov'
Right behind on a bus
Haters don't touch, weigh us both up
Now my neighbor doped up
Got the cable hooked up

The relatively short length makes this track feel more like an interlude than a full song, but I don’t really mind at all. I still think the song’s dope as hell. The next track is entitled Tear It Off. The production from Erick Sermon on this one is pretty good, although it doesn’t necessarily stand out from the rest of the batch. The opening verse from Redman is great. He ends each line with an “ih-oh” rhyme scheme, which is really nice.

Yo, flipmodes, toilet bowls explode
When Doc come drop a shitload
Grip fours, mushrooms—did those
D pistol-whip hoes, a bitch owes
Money, bro I stick a zip code
Tiptoed, before Doc hit skid row
Thirsty? Sniffing out a pig nose
My Benz built with wings and 6-0s

I think this track has one of the better hooks on the album. Meth killed the second verse.

Punks don't get turned, they get done, and get sun
Come get some, the last victim, lie in a ditch
Now who wanna fuck with Hot Nikk'
Niggas chew gum with they ass and pop shit
Me and Funk Doc get, toxic
A bowl of rice and some chopsticks
Don’t make you Wu, just imposters

Redman’s second verse on this track was nice, but Meth came through on that final verse and really killed it. I love the closing quatrain of his verse.

Master you bastards with hazardous tactics
Semi-automatic full rap metal jacket
Blasted in plastic your brain on the mattress
All you kids is ass-backwards and vice-a versa

They killed this track. I think it’s dope as hell overall. Where We At is the intro to side 2 of the album. I think the skit from that white guy named Mark is pretty funny, and I actually really like the beat too. This isn’t really a full song, but it’s still pretty entertaining to me. I think it’s dope. The next one is called 1, 2, 1, 2. The beat from DJ Scratch here is pretty nice. I wouldn’t say it really stands out much from the other beats, but I still like it. The first verse from Meth is fire.

Better have your 8 essential vitamins and minerals
When Wu is coming through, you know the outcome, critical
Conditionin' your physical for injurin'
The officer and gentleman who stack private Benjamin

I love the way Redman comes in right behind him too. The simplistic hook is nothing special, but it serves its purpose well enough I suppose. All of the verses on this song are just as good as one would expect. Overall, the song doesn’t really stand out much from the others; nothing about it is particularly unique. Even though it’s not a highlight for me, I don’t have any actual gripes with it. I think it’s a dope track. Track 11 is called Maaad Crew. I think this track has one of Erick Sermon’s best beats on the album. I love the way Meth & Redman were trading bars on this one too. I was hoping they’d do that at some point on the album, so I’m glad it happened here. Redman really spazzed out on his second verse here though.

Yo dog it's my fault, Doc shock with volts
Until deaf mutes can talk, crippled kids can walk
My style will show guns what it is to spark
It'll clear the park twenty miles apart
Doc is like bad weather reports by Al Rourke
If you're not from the Tri-Boro, story settled
I pack gaudy metal for those who act fool
Big fish in the water and we hard to harpoon

He definitely had my favorite performance on the song, but Meth did his thing too. The hook is fine. I found it kinda strange how Meth bragged about having yellow teeth in his verse, but it’s not really an issue for me. I think the song is dope as hell overall. It’s followed by a major highlight entitled Run 4 Cover. This was one of the most exciting songs in the track listing just due to the features. RZA provided one of the best instrumentals on the album here too. I think the beat is fucking awesome. Streetlife murdered the first verse as well.

It's the cynical lyrical rap individual
On my death bed I spit sick flows that's critical
I'm not a fan of this, I'm a mic-vandalist
Thug therapist, my clan's too original
My slang bang to wax, words that's visual
Too digital for y'all common street criminals
Who wanna come test? Lick the sweat from my genitals
We can get off the mic and get a little physical

Redman killed the second verse too.

When it comes to the darts, I throw em
Flamethrower, blow your section 8 home to your payphone up
Grass smoker, in the cut for the lawnmower
On water, I ride the whale that ate Jonah
Over, your faced wit the black cape over
You woke up four gorillas wit a makeover
Packin a punch, asthma pump takeover
My crew boards, and the whole plane lays over

I even like the hook on this track. Method Man of course killed the third verse.

Here's a chin check that cash and splash niggas in half
Smash rappers like hash, smoke em down to ashes
At last it's the crew that party crashes the masses
Madness wildin out like special ed classes

It was nice to finally hear from Ghostface Killah again since he hadn’t been on the preceding couple of Wu-Tang records. He honestly had my least favorite verse on the song, but it was still really dope. This is one of my favorite songs on the album overall. I think it’s dope af. It’s followed by yet another major highlight called The ?. I think the production from Redman on this one is pretty cool, and he murdered the opening verse.

Y'all amateurs act like hoes offendin' us
We're special ed-ers, doin' tours on banana bus
D.O., same M.O., drive through Bricks
Chicken shotty, the ass make me lie to my bitch
Word to god, Doc throw more lines than fishing rods
No stars, we're supergods non-recoupable
Buttons is pressed to remove the press
Pressin' bullshit, my index press a full clip

I think this track has one of his best performances on the whole album.

Dial 9-1-1, runnin' gun in the street dungeon
Earth, moons and stars checkin' out what the son done
Suspects change clothes
Before I leave the heat, I put two in rain grove for my Range Rove’
Hot to death, cops is vexed
I push a buck 60 if they try to block the Lex

Meth killed the second verse too though. That Jabberjaw double entendre was fire.

Half-baked metaphor that taste even better raw
Hardcore holy war hits from the reservoir
Southpaw saboteur
Land sharks get they chin checked when I jab a jaw
Time to walk my Labrador
Livin' out my dreams, at the same time shatter yours

Redman’s second verse was crazy. I don’t know what got into him on this track, but he was spazzing the fuck out.

Hasta mañana, y'all crash likeDiana;cock block into gramma
Got cock in Atlanta rockin' P.P.P. bandanas while we fuck 'em on camera

The hook is pretty nice too. This is definitely a major highlight for me. I think it has some of the best rapping on the project, which is saying a lot. This shit is dope af. It’s followed by Dat’s Dat Shit. The production from Mathematics on this track is pretty nice, and Jamal killed the first verse.

My recitals is worth ten titles
I should’ve wrote Bibles, if you don't like me I don't like you
I’m liable to load the rifle, hit the roof and snipe you
The shit I spit damaging your vitals
Nobody ride through like my squad do
Got all y'all players suicidal

The hook with Young Zee is pretty solid, and Redman murdered the second verse.

I told cops, roll blocks, no props
Fo' pops, Hennessy back and we both shot
That's how we go out, are you the thug type
To ride down like Hopper from a Bug Life?
Watch the movie, haters tried to eye screw D
Your beef in small claims court, Judge Judy
When you and I meet up, the fight heat up
Bloody up your wife beater then light weed up

Meth killed his verse too.

Constant motivation, the god fiend bury kingsProper education, Allah sees everythingHow High, just another form of elevationThat's why I choose to build from the basementTwelve-thirty-one-ninety-nine, times are wastin’More these Hot Dog MC's next to NathanAllah Math,break the phonograph in halfPromoters on some bullshit, short with Johnny cash

I don’t really have any gripes with this track; I think they all killed it. This shit is dope as hell. The penultimate track is called Cheka. I really love Redman & Gov Mattic’s production on this one. It makes me feel like I’m at a pool party in the middle of Summer. I personally wouldn’t be caught dead at a pool party because I hate pools and I hate parties, but it’s still a fun atmosphere for a song. The opening verse from Redman is dope.

Sticking you, ripping your for all your funds
I wet you like a 141 water guns
Cock D like Rocky,got you scared to death
So hold on you bitches'cause here comeRed-Meth

I really like the simplistic hook on this track too. The way they’re flowing on this track definitely felt like an homage to Das EFX, so that was cool. The second verse from Meth was cool, even though he recycled the aforementioned Jabberjaw entendre. It kinda gave me flashbacks to the Method Man song from 36 Chambers, so that was cool. I think it’s a really fun song; it’s dope as hell to me. The album ends with one last major highlight entitled Fire ina Hole. I absolutely adore the production from Mathematics on this track. It’s another one of my favorite beats on the album. It sounds like some classic Wu shit that could’ve bene on Wu-Tang Forever. The first verse from Meth was great, and I think this track has one of the best hooks on the album. Every verse on this track is great. I think it’s dope af.

^{This album is honestly amazing to me. Damn near every track is awesome. There’s not a single song here that I don’t like. Even the skits were entertaining to me. I really don’t have any consistent gripes with it. I of course really like Redman and Method Man as rappers, but I honestly wasn’t expecting to enjoy the album this much. I thought there’d at least be one song that I didn’t care for. I kinda wish there were a few more beats from RZA just because he provided some of my favorite instrumentals on the album, but that’s really the only thing I can say I wish was different. This album is dope af. I’m glad I finally got around to it because I had no idea what I was missing. I think it’s one of the best albums of its year. This shit is fire.}

Favorite Song: Run 4 cover
Least Favorite Song: 1, 2, 1, 2