Tical by Method Man (1994)
However, a large part of that success has been the appeal of not only the collective, but also the individual members themselves. The real joy of listening to the Wu has always been waiting for your favourite character to appear and rip a verse. Back in 1993, when their debut album dropped ('Enter The Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers'), it seemed the masses were most excited for the appearances of one Clifford Smith - aka Method Man. On a personal level I still get excited when he comes swinging into the '4th Chamber' with his "I be that insane n***a from the psycho ward. I'm on the TRIGGAH, plus I've got the Wu-Tang sword". Pure fire and it would appear that many shared my enthusiasm, hence why the almightiest, coolest, hip hop label of them all - Def Jam - signed him up and went about releasing his solo album as soon as humanly possible. The result was 'Tical', which is a twisted ride into the dark side and about as anti-commercial an effort as you could ask for.
It opens with the titular track and it is an immediate indication of where things are going. This is not music to get jiggy with. This is dark, smoke-filled, underground hip hop. From a production standpoint, RZA takes the dusty, rugged, style of the Wu Tang's first effort and multiplies it ten-fold. From the plaintive wail of some sort of siren, and some vaguely tribal drums, there is a deep, somewhat futurisic baseline on which Method Man effortlessly weaves his flow into. This is the sort of music you would imagine loops around a psychopath's head and sounds sort of like you've landed in some dystopian space station, populated solely by society's dregs. It shouldn't work, but it does.
Next is 'Biscuits' which would be a great song if mixed a little better. Granted, you are not listening to music made by this outfit from this time expecting to hear a well-polished production. But, in this instance, we are talking about Method Man when he was arguably the best rapper in the game, so the fact that we can barely hear him serves no real benefit to anyone.
No such problems on the next track and all time hip hop classic, 'Bring The Pain'. This was the first single from the album and one of RZA's greatest ever beats. Method Man, as you'd by now expect, raps flawlessly and the song is a banger. Albeit a weird one and still really quite underground and dark, but compared to the two tracks before it, feels like a Quincy Jones number. The second single is the next track 'You're All I Need' and was something of a major success for the time. However, the version that become a success - a cover of Marvin Gaye, featuring Mary J. Blige and produced by Puff Daddy - is not the version we have here, which makes sense because that version would feel out of place in this collection of songs. Thus this version is, like the rest of the album, dark, moody and hardcore. It's still technically a cover of the same song, but almost unrecognisable in this form.
The rest of the album continues down this dark path and it's hard to imagine anything other than sitting in a smoke-filled windowless basement and zoning out for most of it, which isn't anything other than a positive. Although there aren't nearly as many Wu-Tang cameos as became staple in other efforts, there are a few standouts. Like a memorable appearance from Raekwon in 'Meth vs. Chef'. This quick song reignites what so many people loved about the spirit of Wu Tang in the first place. It is a straight up battle, where you can tell that the two men are hell bent on bettering each other. This, coincidentally, was how RZA came up with such magic on the first album - by literally making them all compete for spots on songs, and it's refreshing to see it laid so bare on this track. A highlight, for certain. Also, the RZA and Inspectah Deck pop up on 'Mr. Sandman' which is absolutely insane. God knows what RZA is yelling about on the first verse, but he is soon replaced by the Inspectah, who comes in with a show-stopping verse over what sounds like Aled Jones yodeling "Mr. Sandmannnn bring us a dream" in the background. It is bananas but the way Deck goes at it shows why the hip hop world holds him in such high esteem:
"My hazardous thoughts to cut the mic's life support short
Brains get stained like tablecloths when I let off
Powerful poetry pushed past the point of no return
Leavin' mics with third degree burns"
Despite this brilliance, you can't help but feel the abscence of the rest of the crew. Instead we're treated to Carlton Fisk (?) for a couple of highly unmemorable cameos. Still, despite the non-appearances of many beloved members of the Wu, the real star is still the Meth himself. On songs like "I Get My Thang In Action" and "Stimulation", he reminds everyone why he was so popular at the time. It was the high-watermark in his career when the lyrics matched the flow and everything he put out was almost untouchable. Combining that with some of the least accessible, spaced out, and downright weirdest music RZA ever produced makes for an album that takes a bit of getting used to but if you allow yourself to let the music carry you, it is an album that gets stronger with every listen. This was further evidenced by the fact that it got a somewhat lukewarm reception from fans and critics alike upon it's release - even the RZA said he thought he'd rushed it - however, now it is considered something of a classic. Method Man never made anything anywhere near as interesting since and, if you pay attention past all the grime and oddness, you are really hearing one of the most beloved rappers of his generation in their prime for an entire 13 tracks. That in itself is worth the effort, but don't expect any sort of easy listening. It is music to really ingest, among any intoxicant you may choose for accompaniment, and lose yourself in. Even though later solo efforts from other members of the group were far superior, this one still has plenty to say for itself. As Mr. Method says himself, roll that sh*t, light that sh*t, smoke it.
★★★★☆
JB.
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