As Tical Turns 25, Method Man Brings The Pain To A Havoc Beat (Video)

Twenty-five years ago today (November 15, 1994), Method Man gave fans his Tical album. The Def Jam Records album was the first Wu-Tang Clan solo album following Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) almost exactly a year earlier. Meth’s RZA-produced debut would achieve platinum status and earn the Shaolin representative a Grammy for work with Mary J. Blige on “All I Need.” That album would also showcase some talent under Iron Lung’s wing, including singer Blue Raspberry, Carlton Fisk (not to be confused with the baseball great), and Street Life.

A quarter-century later, Meth’ and Street Life are still running together. Early this year, they released “Squad Up.” Notably, the song featured production and a guest verse from Mobb Deep’s Havoc, who has more than 20 years of history working with M-E-T-H-O-D. Now comes the video.

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The video combines the three veteran MCs rapping to the camera at New York City’s Overthrow. Meanwhile, there are shots of a bike squad roaming the Big Apple streets. Like those cycles, Meth’s verse leaves marks on the pavement. “Look, red bones and red bottoms / Like Red Bull, we gone’ give ’em wings, we red dot ’em / Candy rappers, send ’em in, we Red Hot ’em / Head-shot ’em / Go against my grain, get head problems / Big dummy, garbage rappers, we Red Foxx / Shoot an actor in Hi-Def, then Red Box / Tip the scales in my favor, stay in your Top 10 / Life’s like a triple beam, I’m weighing my options / Y’all like, ‘Wild, Meth’, you high, Meth’ / Keep a big poppa’ ’cause I ain’t ready to die yet / I digress / Or I’m just too intense to digest / Stretched in a Pyrex / Compliments to my Chef / Game ain’t been the same since I left / Are they really crooks or just a pain in my neck? / Wu-Tang, ain’t no lames in my set / Fresh pair of Nike Airs, I just do it for my check / I’ll be the first to tell these rappers to get your bars up / Shout to P, you know it’s havoc when we mob up,” he spits. Crisp, clear, and clever, this is one of Method Man’s best verses of 2019.

With his mahogany voice, Street Life follows. Then comes Havoc. The M-O-B-B cofounder closes things out with his signature punchy rasp delivery. He references his Wu-Tang associates in passing with a warning to imitators and funk-fakers. “Black Timbs and black mask / Basula, ni**as know they rap trash / My shooters get all up in dat ass / I maneuver, finish sh*t, no half-ass / Little ni**as, we birthed y’all, for real though / Protect ya neck, you stomped out with steel-toes / My real bro’s, respect the code, it’s real, yo / New ni**as lookin’ like some weirdos.

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Earlier this year, Method Man has appeared on albums by Black Moon, Ghostface Killah, E-40, Blimes, and Bun B & Statik Selektah’s TrillStatik, among others. Havoc appeared on Diamond D’s The Diam Piece 2, among some other ’19 work.

Method Man and Street Life have a collaborative album planned for 2020.

Mobb Deep Discuss 20 Years of The Infamous (AFH TV Video)

A Mobb Deep video interview with Havoc and Prodigy and a Method Man & Redman performance are available at AFH TV. We are currently offering free 7-day trials.

#BonusBeat: Method Man and Street Life showing off some ’94 chemistry on Tical: