Wu-Tang Clan member Method Man, one of the few artists to collaborate with both Tupac and The Notorious B.I.G., has been noted for his delivery ever since 1993’s Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). His distinctive lyrical style led to the creation of songs such as “Method Man,” in which he showcases a melodic form of rapping.
Method Man spoke about his rap style recently, differentiating himself from other rappers.
“I don’t rap, though,” Method Man said during an interview with XXL. “I’m serious. I don’t. I don’t rap. I flow. I’m a flow-er. You’ve got rappers. You got MCs, and then you got flow-ers. I’m a flow-er. How can I describe it? Busta [Rhymes], he’s a flow-er. He’s wrapped up in his cadence, you know what I mean? Yeah, I fall into that category, I don’t rap, G. I’m an MC and I’m a flow-er.”
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Specifically, Method Man cited “How High” as an example of his flow-er style.
“How else would you start a song about marijuana?” he asked. “Jimi Hendrix, ‘Purple Haze’ [sings] ‘Excuse me as I kiss the sky…’ [Laughs] Come on, this shit is plain shit, you know. I pride myself on certain things, and people especially, when people try to take certain things away from me and say sideways shit like, ‘All he does is flow, or he rhymes but it don’t make any sense…’ There’s a lot of nuance and shit right there.”
Method Man Doesn’t Want His Albums Reviewed
Method Man also discussed critics and people who review his albums.
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“And that’s why it gets me so fuckin’ mad when someone can just criticize an album of mine when I’m not actually there to convey where my thoughts were at the moment,” he said. “If you don’t know what kind of lifestyle I’m leading at that point in time, if you’re right there–like what’s this guy’s name, Cameron Crowe, they did the Almost Famous movie about him. Remember, when he wrote about artists, he went on tour with the band. He really got a feel for who they were and where their mind was at so when he listened to the album, he had a perfect understanding of what’s going on. We take that shit for granted.”
Method Man spoke about the importance of listening to an album without any previous notions of the artist, using Kendrick Lamar as an example.
“I’m not saying that the people who review these albums or even write the articles aren’t fans, but they gotta learn to put preconceived notions aside and just come with an empty slate and actually just come into that person’s world,” Method Man says. “Sometimes it’s beautiful when you don’t have to invite them and they come in. Kendrick, that first album, I knew nothing about that kid, but after the first album, I feel like I know him now. But sometimes, especially a sophomore project, or your third and fourth album, sometimes it has to be explained, because some people have a preconceived notion from your first album. And this is the main reason I don’t want to be up for reviews, or anything, because I’m never gonna be happy about it. I don’t care if it’s four star. I don’t care if it’s the best fuckin’ review ever, because I’m still gonna find something wrong with it.”
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Method Man and the rest of the Wu-Tang members have spent this year celebrating the twentieth anniversary of Enter The Wu Tang (36 Chambers). Method Man called the milestone “bittersweet.”
Method Man’s upcoming project, The Crystal Meth, does not have a release date.
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