Method Man - Tical 2000: Judgement Day

After the release of Wu-Tang Clan's second group effort Wu-Tang Forever, it was assumed that the remaining album-less members would continue to get their solo projects out before those that already had a solo album (so Method Man, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Raekwon, GZA and Ghostface Killah) got to release sophomore efforts. That would make sense, right? Wrong. Since Method Man was signed to a major label already (Def Jam), and since he was still the most popular member of the Clan (despite his debut album being inferior to most of the other albums already released), a sophomore effort was commissioned for late 1998, before we had even seen debuts from Inspectah Deck, The RZA (who would admittedly get his album out the week after the subject of today's post), Masta Killa or U-God. The album still had a lot of hype around it, mind you, so therefore when the tracklist was revealed, people were shocked to say the least. 

28 tracks, 11 of which were skits.

It seems, then, that Method Man had been having a short read through Redman's book of ideas while he was waiting for Reggie to finish cooking the Shepard's Pie, and when he stumbled into the page that read "make sure to include plenty of aggravating skits to make the music sound even better", he quietly tore the page out, and made his excuses to leave Reggie's apartment, only to head straight to the studio to commission his idea to The RZA, who shot him a funny look, before realising he was serious, and abandoning the project to go and make his own, very weird album. After RZA hastily left, muttering obscenities under his breath, Meth was left looking at a chap he had never seen before, who was smiling with uncontrolled glee, under the knowledge that he now had the chance to be the main man behind the new Method Man album. That man was True Master, the producer who ended up doing a large proportion of this project (RZA only handled three beats, far less than what he had provided on the previous Wu solo albums). And so Meth begun work on his second album, which ended up being released in late 1998, widely to the displeasure of Wu fans, most of whom were still waiting for that fabled Deck album that was lost in RZA's basement flood, and not a Method Man album that was jammed full of annoying-ass skits.

As well as RZA, True Master and also 4th Disciple, Meth also secured beats from upcoming Wu producer Mathematics, as well as Erick Sermon (of EPMD), Havoc (of Mobb Deep) and surprisingly Inspectah Deck, despite a lot of Wu fans hating the shit out of his production work on the Wu track "Visionz". Features, predictably, mainly consisted of Wu members and affiliates, but there were also more well-known guests that appeared on here, such as Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, Mobb Deep, D'Angelo and Donald Trump (?), all of whom were probably a help in contributing to this album's success - it charted at no. 2 on the Billboard 200, and ended up selling well over one million copies, something that seems like a fever dream nowadays. It also seemed that Meth was having a chat with Busta Rhymes around the time he started recording, as the concept of this album is entirely themed around the impending doom (or "judgement day") that was to occur when the clock struck midnight on January 1st 2000. A pretty intriguing concept, but still, Wu-Tang fans were not impressed, and this album was seen as what would be the start of one of the biggest and saddest downfalls in hip-hop history. Pretty bad, then. But is this album itself (rather than the fall off it started) really that terrible? Let's have a see.

1. Judgement Day (Intro) (prod. Method Man)

For your information, the first 14 tracks are labelled as being in "1999", and the remainder of the songs are labelled as "2000". An interesting concept, considering this came out in 1998 (grrr). This intro is pretty creepy, though, and doesn't go on forever like Busta Rhymes' apocalyptic intro tracks, so that's good.

2. Perfect World (prod. RZA)

Beginning things with one of the few RZA productions would seem to be a good idea, but this track sounds nothing like anything The RZA had done before - this would be an early showcase of the "digital orchestra" sound that he would adopt for the next few years. No matter - this track is awesome, with the beat drop at the beginning sounding incredibly creepy, and the overall sound of this track perfectly portraying the depressing scenes that Meth wants to paint in your minds. The verses are very stellar as well. This is a great way to begin the album.

3. Cradle Rock (feat. Left Eye) (prod. LB Da Life Bringa)

Even though Method Man manages to continue to the generally creepy sound that he introduced on "Perfect World" with his verses here, the pulsating beat from someone no-one has ever heard of, teamed with Left Eye's (RIP) gratingly shouted vocals and the completely out-of-place Booster (remember that weird sung interlude on "Bring The Pain"? Yeah, that guy) bridge means this song sounds more of a mess than Ol' Dirty Bastard's brain was at the time. Still, the uneasiness of the track is enough to make me enjoy it somewhat, and the line "million dollar broke niggas still fucked up in the game" is very nice. The song overall is weird, though.

4. Dangerous Grounds (feat. Streetlife) (prod. True Master)

While Streetlife made a sparse appearance on Meth's debut, as well as one on Wu-Tang Forever, it's safe to say that his first real showcasing was Tical 2000: Judgement Day, on which he appears on a total of seven tracks, which seems a hell of a lot, but is actually only a quarter of the album. Jesus, this thing is long. But this track does nothing but make you want to continue, as the rapping and production (the first of many from True Master) both team together to make a massive banger, with some incredible Meth verses, as well as a very solid appearance from Streetlife. "Calmly expose the 9!"

5. Sweet Love (Skit)

Why exactly this six second film excerpt gets its own track is anyone's guess. Still, at least I don't have to hear about Chicken Heads on this album (see my Redman reviews).

6. Sweet Love (feat. Cappadonna & Streetlife) (prod. True Master)

While Streetlife's verse about partaking in sexual intercourse whilst driving a car (!) was uncomfortable to listen to at best, his performance sounded like heaven for the ears compared with Cappadonna's dreadful appearance (I'll admit I haven't heard his solo stuff yet, but from what I have listened to, it seems that Cappa fell off horrendously shortly after Ironman was released). "Love is love, love, love is love, love" is one of the most annoying phrases I have heard spit on a rap song, ever. Meth's callback to Raekwon's classic "Ice Cream" at the end of his verse just reminds us that there are much better rap songs about sex that we could be listening to. Still, at least the beat's good.

7. Shaolin What (Skit) (prod. 4th Disciple)

Now, this track may appear to be a skit, what with it being labelled as such, but don't fret - this is actually just a brilliant verse spit over a really chilled out and trippy instrumental from 4th Disciple that might honestly be the best one yet on the whole album. I also appreciated the quick reference to the incredible title track from Meth's debut album - just a reminder to listen to that track again. And, once you've done that, have a look at this one - it's very good.

8. Torture (prod. True Master)

Since Method Man's own song on Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) begun with Meth and Raekwon describing various ways in which they will torture you, it's only fitting that Meth makes a song all about said torture. Sadly, this song doesn't really mention actual methods of torture at all, instead talking about the torture that he is frequently provided with by his inner demons and the "Grim Reaper". Still, this song might be my favourite on the album - the production is haunting, and Meth is the perfect rapper for this instrumental. Great stuff.

9. Where's Method Man? (Skit) (feat. Ed Lover)

While I appreciated the shout-out to Redman, this skit was really unnecessary overall.

10. Suspect Chin Music (feat. Streetlife) (prod. RZA)

Over one of the weirdest (but also one of the dopest, at least from '98 onwards) RZA beats I have ever heard, Meth and Street spit some fairly generic lyrics about "suspect chin niggas", whatever the fuck that is supposed to mean. I really, really like the production, and there are some nice bars in here, but this generic-ass lyrical content sounds rather uninspired if you ask me.

11. Retro Godfather (prod. RZA)

It seems The RZA has come a long way down from the wonderful days of 36 Chambers - this beat sounds more like it came from Now That's What I Call Music! 36 (which actually came out the year before this album). Meth appears to mock the R&B rappers and fake thugs that were popular in and around 1998, and it sounds pretty good, but it really didn't need to last this long, now, did it? I will admit that the "there's not a problem that I can't fix" outro, which interpolates a classic old rap song, is fun.

12. Dooney Boy (Skit)

Even though the "(Skit)" labelling is present inside the booklet, on the actual back cover it isn't. That's annoying, but not quite as infuriating as the skit itself.

13. Spazzola (feat. Streetlife, Raekwon, Masta Killa, Killer Sin & Inspectah Deck) (prod. Inspectah Deck)

The obligatory Wu posse cut, and while Meth's previous attempt at one of these (that would be "Mr. Sandman") was better, this is still good. The beat, provided by Inspectah Deck, is banging and slightly unsettling - in other words keeping with this album's general sound - and all the MCs deliver some fine verses, with INS actually providing the best over his own production work. Whether or not they knew that "spazzola" is an Italian word for "brush" is still in question.

14. Check Writer (Skit)

Nothing to see here...

15. You Play Too Much (Skit) (Chris Rock & Method Man) (prod. Prince Paul)

Once again, the "(Skit)" labelling is only in the booklet, not the back cover. Despite the fact that the legendary Prince Paul produced this one, I still didn't find a laugh during this long-ass skit. Chris Rock is truly infuriating here, too.

16. Party Crasher (prod. True Master)

Zzzz... Oh wait - there's a song? I thought this album had just given up on those entirely. It's a good thing it didn't, though, as this track is dope. The production is smooth and yet slightly aggressive at the same time, and Meth's storytelling is wonderful on here. The violent scene described by Meth reminds me of something I heard while listening to Mr. Nightmare one time, which I also think is pretty interesting. This is definitely one of my favourites on the album.

17. Grid Iron Rap (feat. Streetlife) (prod. True Master)

There are a lot of songs on here, but even so, I've probably listened to this thing about 50 times the way through, and still I can never remember for the life of me what this song sounds like. That may be to do with it being the third Meth and Street duo track on the album, and so I just get it blended up, but still - that's a worrying thing. Having reminded myself of the song, I realise why I forgot it - it's not very good.

18. Step By Step (prod. Erick Sermon)

The first of two E-Double beats to appear on here, and it's pretty damned good, even if it sounds entirely out of place on this otherwise dark and gritty LP. Meth sounds slightly deranged on here as well, in a "I'm pretending to be calm but I'll snap any moment" kind of way, which fits fairly well with the beat. That "Step In the Arena" sample was pretty nice as well. 

19. Play IV Keeps (feat. Inspectah Deck, Streetlife & Mobb Deep) (prod. Havoc)

The second and final posse cut of the evening, and it's not really as good as the first if we're being honest with ourselves. Yes, the rapping is impressive, but sadly the beat is very underwhelming, feeling like nothing more than a pulse so the MCs don't go out of time with each other. Also, this album is beginning to really get rather tiresome at this point.

20. Donald Trump (Skit)

Haha! Donald Trump on a rap album! That aged well! Sigh...

21. Snuffed Out (Skit) (feat. Streetlife) (prod. Mathematics)

Although labelled as a skit, this track, like "Shaolin What" from earlier, is just a one verse wonder over a nice instrumental, only this time the "verse" is from Streetlife, who makes himself out as a fairly admirable rapper on here. Good stuff.

22. Elements (feat. Star & Polite) (prod. Inspectah Deck)

I very much doubt anyone knew who "Star" and "Polite" were at the time, so allow me to explain for you. Polite was a member of Raekwon's crew American Cream Team, and although he did not feature on Rae's sophomore effort Immobilarity, he did make some appearances on The Lex Diamond Story. He also did the hook on Wu-Tang Clan's group single "Uzi (Pinky Ring)", so that's interesting. As for Star, I have no idea - he has never featured on anything since, ever. Perhaps he was just a friend of Polite's from the street who was allowed onto the track. The song? Well, the beat is shit, and that's about all I got.

23. Killin' Fields (prod. True Master)

Meth flips some of his lines from Wu-Tang Clan's "The Projects" for the hook of this decidedly creepy and also decidedly very good song. Cho-Flo pops up during the intro and outro for some fun interludes, and the production from True Master is great. Meth also delivers some very technically impressive verses here, and the song title is just dope too. This is definitely one of my favourites on the album.

24. Big Dogs (feat. Redman) (prod. Erick Sermon, co-prod. Redman)

Meth brings in frequent collaborator Redman for the collaboration track that everyone probably saw coming on this LP (and not just because it was the B-Side to the lead single), and boy oh boy is it good. The production, provided by Erick Sermon and Redman, is brilliant, and the back and forth between Red and Meth on here is just perfection - it's no wonder they went on to record a whole album of collaborations the following year. One thing: why is it that Red's producer does the beat on Red's album for the Method Man collaboration track, but also does the beat for Meth's track with Red? Shouldn't The RZA or True Master have done this one? That's quite annoying to me, but whatever. This is still brilliant. "Niggas, dyin' from paper cuts, bleedin' to death!"

25. Break Ups 2 Make Ups (feat. D'Angelo) (prod. Poke, Tone & Quran Goodman, add-prod. Koran)

This would be the clear radio-friendly track of the day, and yet it's still very nice. The production, with the acoustic guitars and stuff, is smooth, and is actually perfect for Meth - imagine someone like Busta Rhymes trying to go over that beat. It just wouldn't work. D'Angelo also provides a rather catchy hook for the track, something he certainly never managed to do on his multiple collaborations with Common. Meth is definitely one of the best at making love songs out of the Clan, and probably the only one that can do it consistently without it sounding forced (with the exception of "Camay" of course), and this track is another one to prove that point. R. Kelly & Jay-Z later released a song with pretty much the same title on one of their dreadful collaboration albums, and that was fucking horrible. Just thought I'd mention that.

26. Message From Penny (Skit)

Apparently Janet Jackson was too busy singing about wet dreams with Busta Rhymes to actually provide any proper vocals here - this is just a phone call, and an obnoxious one at that.

27. Judgement Day (prod. Method Man, co-prod. 4th Disciple)

The lead single, and easily one of the weirdest to ever come from the Wu-Tang universe. After a long introduction that is similar to the introduction of "Perfect World", only longer, the self-produced beat comes in, and it's weirdly ominous, with a drum-n-bass feel to it that we had definitely never heard coming from the Wu-Tang before. Meth was apparently a little inspired by Ol' Dirty Bastard here, as he repeats the first verse during the third verse - you may recall Ol' Dirty repeating his verse on "Shimmy Shimmy Ya". Said verse is very good and actually catchy, even if the "hmm, now what's this? Smells like fish" line is rather vulgar. Overall, though, this is a big banger, and certainly an apocalyptic way to end things off. Nice track.

28. C.E.O.Utro

While I appreciate the clever title, this is still a skit, and I've had quite enough of those for one day, thanks very much.

While Tical 2000: Judgement Day is an incredibly bloated affair with way too many skits for its own good, I still find the project to be a very enjoyable experience with lots of excellent late '90s Wu tracks, as well as one of the best Method Man & Redman tracks in existence. One of the best things about this album to me is the production, which has this incredibly haunting and ominous vibe, and fits the emotions conveyed by the album art to a tee. True Master certainly proved himself to be a worthy successor to The RZA on this album if you ask me. There are a couple of sub-par beats on here (such as the dismal "Elements"), but for the most part the production work is very stellar. Method Man proves himself once again as a brilliant rapper on here, delivering some very impressive verses that flow well and sound excellent. The only major issue that this album has is the skits, and also the fact that it is slightly too long, and some of the songs in the second half could have definitely done with the cut. It's not a perfect album, and it isn't nearly a classic album either, but overall this project is just straight up fun for the most part, with the majority of these tracks being bangers, and a couple of them standing out as some of the best material Meth ever recorded. I would recommend a listen, but unless you're a completist like me, delete all of the skits except the Intro, "Shaolin What" and "Snuffed Out", as none of them need to be heard. Get rid of those, and you're left with a very underrated and surprisingly good sophomore album.

Best Tracks: Perfect World, Dangerous Grounds, Shaolin What (Skit), Torture, Party Crasher, Big Dogs, Judgement Day

Worst Tracks: Sweet Love, Elements, the majority of the skits

For other Wu-Tang reviews, click here, and for my review of Method Man's debut, click here

All images taken from Discogs