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After years in the making, Method Man has revealed his upcoming Meth Lab 3: The Rehab release date as May 6. In a press statement, the Wu-Tang Clan MC detailed, “This installation of The Meth Lab is shaping up to be a good one. We’ve had a lot of setbacks with this album, one being a pandemic and a lockdown. Amongst all the delays my team stayed solid and the album developed into a respectful body of work.” Following a series launched in 2015 and reprised in 2018, Meth’ hits the 2020s with an exciting third chapter. Having already unveiled a collabo with Philadelphia, Pennsylvania’s RJ Payne (“Butterfly Effect”), Iron Lung steps forth with his most trusted microphone partner, Redman, along with Hip-Hop legend KRS-One, and fellow Staten Islander JoJo Pellegrino. “Live From The Methlab” may be the most high-profile song released in a trilogy.

Method Man Has Not Cursed On A Verse In 5+ Years. Here’s Why (Audio)

The song’s chorus (courtesy of JoJo Pellegrino) draws inspiration from Boogie Down Productions-era KRS-One and Public Enemy in its beat and hook. Meth wastes no time kicking off the hardcore bars: “Look, pay me the homage these rappers couldn’t afford / I’ll never make a promise your mama couldn’t abort.” Seconds later, he adds, “Ya don’t get it, don’t see I’m getting the drop / Now anybody getting it, go from get it to got / I get it started, you never get it to stop / Like them inside jokes, he can even get it or not.” During an independent season of his career, Method Man exercises the same craftsmanship that he did as a flagship act at Def Jam Records.

That statement is also true of Redman. Batting second, he begins, “I was home and my phone ring, they said Method Man need a verse / For my G’s, I put Dapper Dan on a shirt / Fiends be fighting like hockey fans on a first P/ erico flow, Saran Wrap for the works / Check credential, pen game Ginsu / My girl name Nine Nina, she on her menstrual.” After shouting out Kris in his verse, Reggie Noble also pays homage in his writing: “I was a product of my environment, not a product of putout / Built stacks for my retirement / I talk dirty like the South—where my mother from / I ain’t number three or number two, ni**a, I’m number one.” Red’ honors a blasting bar from Da Blastmasta in 1997’s “Step Into A World.”

KRS-One Raps Over A Trap Beat & It’s Krazy

The Teacha gets gangsta in his closeout verse. “We the ones in the Meth Lab, a sellout gonna do what / Machete over their whole crew head, that’s a crew cut / You never heard how we used to suit up, bring the brute out / And how these rappers you thought was dope, they got chewed up / Who’s up to get bruised up, you gonna choose what / You can see what’s going on man, you fake you f*cked / Gun under the sellout’s chin, his man threw up / ‘Cause when the gat went bang, the traitor’s head flew up / I be saying straight to their face, to traitor, you suck / Corporate pimps are selling you and your man like two sl*ts / In L.A. they say KRS-One, you nuts.” Kris flexes some compound rhymes alongside top-tier peers. While Red’ guested on ’97’s I Got Next, Meth’ and KRS worked together on “Bulworth (They Talk About It While We Live It)” from the movie of the same name.

This year, KRS-One released his 24th solo album  I M A M C R U 1 2. JoJo’s Hitman For Hire V2 released last year, featuring Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Conway The Machine, and others. Redman is said to be preparing his long-awaited Muddy Waters Too.

Method Man & Redman Join Gang Starr For A Remix That Stands Up For Real Hip-Hop

On the AFH playlist, listeners can also hear other Redman & Method Man collaborations, Meth’s recent link with RJ Payne, as well as a highlight from KRS-One’s latest LP.

#BonusBeat: An in-depth AFH interview with Method Man, where he discusses the first Meth Lab: