Throughout the last 23 years, Method Man and Havoc have rich built a collaborative chemistry. Mr. Mef’ was a guest on Mobb Deep’s Hell On Earth in 1996, courtesy of “Extortion.” Two years after that, Hav’ produced “Play IV Keeps” from Method’s chart-topping sophomore solo LP. Since then, the Staten Island, New York legend called upon Mobb Deep’s producer for his third and most recent solo set, as well as his latest album with Redman. Iron Lung also returned the favor in recent years, on Hav’s The Silent Partner release with Alchemist. Following late 2018’s Meth Lab Season 2: The Lithium, Method Man is working with 25-year-plus-year-affiliate Street Life. The MC heard on Tical is teaming with his friend and mentor for a 2019 collaborative project. Notably, he also penned the hook to Meth’s Grammy Award-winning “I’ll Be There For You/You’re All I Need To Get By.”Havoc & Method Man Spray Lyrical Bullets Over A Cold Alchemist Beat (Audio) With the collabo’ LP on the horizon, Meth’ and Street Life drop “Squad Up,” a song that is produced by and features Havoc. H-A-V uses martial arts film footage before bringing in his trademark pounding percussion. Right away, Mr. Mef’ fires up the track. “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 in the last year. Street Life spits next with a style that mirrors Meth’s. He favors slick wordplay and pop culture associations. Havoc Releases 2 Mobb Deep Freestyles To Celebrate Prodigy 1 Year After His Passing (Audio)Havoc 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,” spits the Queens, New York double-threat. Less than two months ago, Havoc was the lone guest on Cormega’s Mega EP. Method Man & Street Life’s upcoming album title and release date is to be announced later.
Last Friday (December 14), Method Man released his Meth Lab Season 2: The Lithium. The Wu-Tang ClanMC’s latest catalog addition involves Raekwon, Snoop Dogg, N.O.R.E., and Cappadonna among a cast of hungry up-and-coming MCs from Staten Island, New York. That ensemble includes Mr. Meth’s longtime protege Streetlife, as well as Meth Lab series executive producer Hanz On.
For many fans, the standout track on the independent LP is “Episode 5: Wild Cats” with partner-in-rhyme Redman. The song, released six weeks ahead of December 14, now comes to video. In the visual, Meth’, Red, Streetlife, and Hanz On take their verses and charisma to a grimy warehouse club for a concert. Two of the best live performers in Rap history do what they do best. Funk Doc dons a mask for much of the video, with M-E-T-H-O-D keeping his hoodie up and cap low. Despite platinum albums, hit singles, and a legacy that’s in the top 1% of current MCs, these lyricists keep it gully, low-profile, and act as if they’re nondescript rhymers wrecking the set. They want props for their art, not their cemented celebrity.
“Key to my city, my G is tricky, my tree is sticky / Stairway is pissy, the crown they give me don’t even fit me / King me, it’s risky, if jiggy, get me, I plead the fiffy / They’ll never snitch me, judge’ll convict me, so just acquit me / The fuzz against me, I’m butter-slippery, they think I’m shifty / Zero to sixty, it’s just a quickie, you blink, you miss me,” spits Meth’ to open the song, announcing his place as Rap royalty. He closes his verse with as much gumption as he starts. “I’m pushin’ 50 / Can’t find your woman? She pushin’ wit’ me / Was pushin’ lifty, the family business was pushin’ piffy / That pusher in me, I did it gritty, no pretty in me / I’m pretty trendy, I had to spend me a pretty penny / One outta many, last to fend me, too many envy / Don’t gimmie-gimmie I do it Dirty, no shimmy-shimmy.” In a world of peddling dope rhyme, Method Man is Walter White pushing that lyrical blue crystal.
After a verse from Hanz, Reggie matches Meth’s energy. “Yo, when I ain’t sober, I’m bi-polar, invite me over / Doc be dumpin’ his ashes in your baby stroller / When I was young, I ate paint, lead, with quarter waters / Now Red’ red linin’ the Range Rover motor / I smoke west of the border, your bud outta order / I go ape-sh*t, I’m a Caesar with a little Koba / Tell your boss I’m the opposite of a Trump voter / Yo dude, this wild cat not from Villanova / I’m in the cut, like a buck fifty, I Tony Toca / Your side piece, I’ma poke her and then I adios her / My hood house on the block, we real estate brokers / We make it sound like Fourth of July in October / The Bricks, Tommy Motolla, yeah, I’m a high-roller / I write the crack that’ll bring back Lamar Odom / That girl got good brains, I know she got diplomas She f*ckin’ with a goodfella, Ray Liotta.” With his wordplay, the Def SquadMC/producer splashes in some politics, bragging, and some nice references to sports and pop culture. Streetlife, who made his debut on Ticalnearly 25 years ago (see: “Mr. Sandman”), closes out the collabo’.
Redman was steadfast in supporting Wu-Tang Clan’s The Saga Continues last fall. This year, he’s still with his right-hand man rollin’ up the three and lighting up any MCs that wish to step up. The video keeps that motif going, showing that two household-name rappers still fancy themselves grimy party-rockers with a crowd always eager to watch them work.
Last Friday (December 14), Method Man released his Meth Lab Season 2: The Lithium. The Wu-Tang ClanMC’s latest catalog addition involves Raekwon, Snoop Dogg, N.O.R.E., and Cappadonna among a cast of hungry up-and-coming MCs from Staten Island, New York. That ensemble includes Mr. Meth’s longtime protege Streetlife, as well as Meth Lab series executive producer Hanz On.
For many fans, the standout track on the independent LP is “Episode 5: Wild Cats” with partner-in-rhyme Redman. The song, released six weeks ahead of December 14, now comes to video. In the visual, Meth’, Red, Streetlife, and Hanz On take their verses and charisma to a grimy warehouse club for a concert. Two of the best live performers in Rap history do what they do best. Funk Doc dons a mask for much of the video, with M-E-T-H-O-D keeping his hoodie up and cap low. Despite platinum albums, hit singles, and a legacy that’s in the top 1% of current MCs, these lyricists keep it gully, low-profile, and act as if they’re nondescript rhymers wrecking the set. They want props for their art, not their cemented celebrity.
“Key to my city, my G is tricky, my tree is sticky / Stairway is pissy, the crown they give me don’t even fit me / King me, it’s risky, if jiggy, get me, I plead the fiffy / They’ll never snitch me, judge’ll convict me, so just acquit me / The fuzz against me, I’m butter-slippery, they think I’m shifty / Zero to sixty, it’s just a quickie, you blink, you miss me,” spits Meth’ to open the song, announcing his place as Rap royalty. He closes his verse with as much gumption as he starts. “I’m pushin’ 50 / Can’t find your woman? She pushin’ wit’ me / Was pushin’ lifty, the family business was pushin’ piffy / That pusher in me, I did it gritty, no pretty in me / I’m pretty trendy, I had to spend me a pretty penny / One outta many, last to fend me, too many envy / Don’t gimmie-gimmie I do it Dirty, no shimmy-shimmy.” In a world of peddling dope rhyme, Method Man is Walter White pushing that lyrical blue crystal.
After a verse from Hanz, Reggie matches Meth’s energy. “Yo, when I ain’t sober, I’m bi-polar, invite me over / Doc be dumpin’ his ashes in your baby stroller / When I was young, I ate paint, lead, with quarter waters / Now Red’ red linin’ the Range Rover motor / I smoke west of the border, your bud outta order / I go ape-sh*t, I’m a Caesar with a little Koba / Tell your boss I’m the opposite of a Trump voter / Yo dude, this wild cat not from Villanova / I’m in the cut, like a buck fifty, I Tony Toca / Your side piece, I’ma poke her and then I adios her / My hood house on the block, we real estate brokers / We make it sound like Fourth of July in October / The Bricks, Tommy Motolla, yeah, I’m a high-roller / I write the crack that’ll bring back Lamar Odom / That girl got good brains, I know she got diplomas She f*ckin’ with a goodfella, Ray Liotta.” With his wordplay, the Def SquadMC/producer splashes in some politics, bragging, and some nice references to sports and pop culture. Streetlife, who made his debut on Ticalnearly 25 years ago (see: “Mr. Sandman”), closes out the collabo’.
Redman was steadfast in supporting Wu-Tang Clan’s The Saga Continues last fall. This year, he’s still with his right-hand man rollin’ up the three and lighting up any MCs that wish to step up. The video keeps that motif going, showing that two household-name rappers still fancy themselves grimy party-rockers with a crowd always eager to watch them work.
