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One of the most unique voices to ever grace hip hop, Method Man’s Tical always remained the most underrated of the Wu Tang solo albums. It may have the massive “All I Need,” but it doesn’t have a strong collection of tracks like those. While some like Ghostface has a giant collection of singles on Ironman, as does Ol’ Dirty Bastard on Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version, Method Man’s album aims for a more subdued & visceral experience.
Tracks on the other Wu solos pop out at you. Ghost for example has tracks like “Daytona 500” & “All That I Got Is You,” tracks that are sonically different but are immediately ear-grabbing in their different production choices. Method on the other hand, goes for something more consistent. It feels like a true successor to the original 36 Chambers, something consistently murky & dark sounding. Other Wu debuts feel like they reach for that single, but here it feels like the opposite.
Method Man – What The Blood Cot
This makes the album feel like a true album, rather than a collection of singles. From the moment you press play, you are thrown into Meth’s world. Not only is the album filled with some of the smokiest beats you’ll ever hear, its unique brand of NY lyricism mixed with Jamaican slang coming from the smooth voice of Method Man combine to make a sound more unique than any other Wu release. Let alone the rest of hip hop.
Its more subdued sound make it come across as one of the weaker Wu debuts, stacking up against Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… is a hard feat, but its not to be underrated. Throughout the album, Meth’s lyricism is on point as the best songs from the 36 Chambers. Tracks like “Meth vs. Chef” & “What the Blood Cot” are lyrical onslaughts, rarely focusing on the hooks & letting the verses do all the work.
Throughout the album, Method Man captures being a lyricist in its rawest form. He rarely cares for the hooks, the production makes it clear the focus wasn’t on the pop hit, but his ability to cut through all the BS & deliver just raps is incredible. Rarely you get an album so focused on the raps, and with its short run time, it helps up the replayability of the album. While it may not reach the heights of its contemporaries, it makes for a listen unlike any other.