Method Man

As a kid, Smith was exposed to music through his father who taught him how to play drums and write poetry. His favorite super hero was Ghost Rider. Smith got off to a rough start and was involved with drug dealing to get by. His only saving grace was his ability to rap and rhyme and eventually he and 8 other friends came together to form the Wu-Tang Clan. They released their first album “Enter the Wu-Tang Clan: 36 Chambers” in 1992.

Smith became famous as Method Man with his first independent album “Tical” released in 1994 by record company Def Jam. The album charted at #4 in the U.S. and eventually sold upward of one million copies. The single “All I Need” was remixed with a Mary J. Blige song to create “I’ll Be There for You/You’re All I Need” which earned them a Grammy.

The sequel Wu-Tang album “Wu-Tang Forever” was released in June 1997 followed by Method Man’s second album “Tical 2000: Judgment Day” in 1998. Both albums did extremely well with his solo album becoming certified double platinum. "Judgement Day" lyrics theorized about the end of the millennium and featured guest appearances by Chris Rock, Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, Janet Jackson, and even Donald Trump.

In 1999 Method Man toured with Jay-Z on the Hard Knock Life tour and simultaneously recorded the album “Blackout!” with partner Redman. The two subsequently tried their hand at acting for films like “How High” and had a brief stint on FOX on their own sitcom “Method & Red.”

The single “What’s Happenin’” with Busta Rhymes came out on Method Man’s “Tical 0: The Prequel.” The album featured more mainstream artists like Missy Elliott and P. Diddy and was criticized as sounding too commercial. Method Man listened to his public’s feedback and released “4:21: The Day After” in 2006, which had more input from the Wu-Tang Clan, especially leader RZA and stayed true to his hip hop roots.