Method Man is the pseudonym of an American rap artist, songwriter, and actor. This name is known to connoisseurs of hip-hop around the world.
The singer became famous as a solo artist and as a member of the cult group Wu-Tang Clan. Today, many consider it one of the most significant bands of all time.
Method Man is the recipient of the Grammy Award for Best Duet Song (track I'll Be There for You / You're All I Need to Get By) with Mary J. Blige, as well as a number of other prestigious awards.
Childhood of Clifford Smith and the beginning of a musical career
The real name of the musician is Clifford Smith. Born March 2, 1971 in Hampstead. When he was still very young, his parents divorced. As a result, the place of residence had to change. The future rapper moved to the city of Staten Island. Here he began to earn his living through various jobs. Most of them were low paid.
As a result, Clifford began to sell drugs. Today he admits that he does not like to remember this time and did it out of desperation. In parallel with such “part-time jobs”, Smith was interested in music and dreamed of doing it professionally.
Method Man: band member
The Wu-Tang Clan was formed in 1992. The team consisted of 10 people, each of which stood out in some way from the other participants. However, Method Man soon began to take a special place in it.
The band's first release was Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). The album was a great start for the band. It received positive reviews from critics and listeners. The Wu-Tang Clan team began to "rattle" on the streets.
An interesting fact is that RZA (one of the founders of the group), who was also its unspoken leader, managed to achieve very soft terms of the contract with the releasing label.
According to them, each member of the group had the right to freely record songs at any studio, including for other projects (solo albums, participation in other groups, duets, etc.).
It was thanks to this that Method was able to release their first solo album, Tical, already in 1994. The album was recorded and released on Def Jam (one of the most famous hip-hop labels in the world).
Method Man solo audition
Wu-Tang's first album was popular. However, Smith's solo came out even more in demand at that time.
The album debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 chart. It peaked at number 4 on that chart in terms of sales and was certified platinum with 1 million copies sold.
Since that moment, Method Man has become the most important star of the team. By the way, long before that, he had a solo song in the group's debut album. The team had 10 active MCs and it was not easy to divide the time between them on the album.
Almost all of the Wu-Tang Clan was produced by RZA. It was he who produced Smith's first album. For this reason, the album turned out to be in the spirit of the clan - with a heavy and dense street sound.
After the release of his solo album, Method became a real star. This was also supported by the entire composition of the clan - almost every member had a debut album.
All of them were popular and in demand among their listeners. This supported the popularity of the group and each of its members as a whole.
The success of the Method Man and collaboration with the stars
Clifford began to collaborate with the stars of that time. He received a Grammy Award for a joint track with Mary J. Blige, released songs with musicians such as Redman, Tupac, etc.
With the latter, Method featured on one of the most famous rap albums of all time, All Eyes On Me. This also added to the popularity of the performer.
In the summer of 1997, the second team album Wu-Tang Clan Wu-Tang Forever was released. The album was an incredible success. It has sold 8 million copies. He was heard all over the world. The album made each member of the group truly famous. Such a push also contributed to Smith's career.
In 1999 (two years after the release of the legendary team album) Method teamed up with Redman. They created a duet and released the album Black Out!.
The album was certified platinum within a few months of its release. Tracks from the album were at the top of the major US charts. Despite their success, the duo reunited for a release 10 years later and returned with the sequel Black Out 2!.
Smith has seven solo albums, as many releases with the Wu-Tang Clan. And also there are dozens of tracks recorded and released solo or with other famous musicians.
The buzz around the Wu-Tang Clan and its members has waned a bit in 20 years. However, the group still remains well known, from time to time delighting fans with new tracks.
Method Man continues to engage in solo work, releasing new tracks and video clips. The last solo release was released in 2018.
Method Man: details of his personal life
The personal life of the American rap artist is not as rich as his work. For some time he was in a relationship with Precious Williams, and then Karrin Steffans.
For a long time he could not find a life partner, so he entertained himself with short intrigues. Everything changed at the beginning of the XNUMXs. His heart was stolen by Tamika Smith.
Almost immediately after they met, the couple got engaged and played a magnificent wedding. Like the rapper, Tamika is a creative person. Smith tries his hand as an actress. The married couple is raising three children.
In 2006, there were headlines in the press that Tamika Smith had been diagnosed with breast cancer. The family has not commented on the rumors. They stuck together and tried to help each other during this difficult time.
Only after a long treatment, the family revealed a terrible secret - the woman is really struggling with oncology, but is on the way to recovery. Tamika managed to draw out a “lucky ticket” - she overcame cancer, so today she feels great.
Method Man: Today
The rapper records tracks and starred in films. In 2019, he appeared in the film Shaft. That same year, he visited the Late Show studio with Stephen Colbert. The rapper said that during the time he devoted to music, he was rather fed up with concerts. According to the singer, he takes a short time out.
2022 was marked by the release of a full-length LP. The record was called Meth Lab Season 3: The Rehab. The album is filled with guest verses. Wu-Tang Clan legend collaborated with young artists. Despite the fact that the collection has absorbed a decent amount of nonames, the tracks still sound very worthy.
