Method Man’s meteoric rise in Hip Hop may have began with the Wu Tang Clan, but the raspy-voiced rapper says his solo success is largely due to one song and one R&B singer.
The song, “You’re All I Need/I’ll Be There For You” featuring Mary J. Blige was released exactly twenty years-ago today (April 25) on radio. It was a remix of Method Man’s “All I Need”, which originally appeared on his debut album, Tical. The song samples Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell’s “You’re All I Need To Get By.” RZA crafted the original production, and Puff Daddy helped put together the remix.
Looking back, Meth says Mary’s decision to accompany him on the seminal Hip Hop love song made all the difference.
“I owe Mary my solo career and she can have it,” he told HipHopDX. “I owe her, because that’s what really put me over the top and set me apart from everybody that year when that was out, you know? I think there was a lot of copy cats that came behind that but that solidified my career right there, so hats off to Mary. I love her for that.”
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Meth and Mary were rewarded for their chemistry in ’96, as they went on to win a Grammy Award for “You’re All I Need/I’ll Be There For You” in the Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group category.
Method Man hasn’t won one since, while Mary has won eight more Gramophones.
Still, accolades aside, Method Man believes without the platform Wu Tang helped him establish, he may not have been able to work with Mary.
“Wu Tang, I owe them for the fame off top,” he says. “That’s what got Mary in the door. I owe Wu Tang for even getting Mary in the door. Ain’t no Method Man without Wu Tang I know that for a fact.”
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