The first time Method Man and Redman rolled down the windows of the weed-mobile with "How High" it became clear that there were ill, street-corner kinetics between the two rappers.
Three solo albums and countless guest appearances later, they've reunited to release "Blackout," their first full-length tandem effort. Of late it seems Meth's style has become more comical, more tangible and less Shaolin soldier. Whether or not this puts the Ticalian Stallion's "realness" in question or not is of no consequence since this shift toward the laid-back certainly is more conducive to a collaboration with Redman, the king of hip-hop humor.
"Blackout," unfortunately, does little beat-wise to support Red and Meth's barrage of lyrical cleverness, making for a somewhat anemic finished product.
The title track contains one of the disc's most desirable melodies, a repeated four-bar sequence that bobs while Redman spits some of his strongest rhymes: "I scored 1.1 on my SAT/And still push a whip with a right and left A/C."
"Mi Casa" draws its hook from a line off of Method's first solo joint, fusing it with a catchy, stop-and-go bass line and a verse each for the boys of blaze. "Y.O.U." has Red and Meth both abandoning their smooth, natural-sounding flow for a choppy track that beeps and blips like a Busta Rhymes song and would have been better off reaching "Extinction Level."
The first guest appearances on "Blackout" come courtesy of L.L. Cool J and Ja Rule on "4 Seasons." The funky bass line is classic. Erick Sermon's production and LL's verse actually create a pleasant combination of lyrics and melody. His performance has been sub-par since the Old School rapper got his diploma and his decline was emphasized by the drubbing he received from Canibus on "4, 3, 2, 1" in late 1997.
"Cereal Killer" is backed by what may be the RZA's worst beat of all time, and "Tear it Off," the album's first single and video, co-starring Austin Powers 2 actor Vern Troyer, simply isn't the same without Mini-Me's booty shake.
"Where we at," a selection from Redman's bag of race-related interludes, begins with the funniest moment of "Blackout": "Hi, my name is Mark," a stereotypically white voice says, "and I'm white. I live in a predominantly white neighborhood, I went to a predominantly white college, and I have predominantly all white friends. But at night, while all my white friends are asleep I bump THIS!"
It is not until "Maaad Crew," - complete with a sleek, Dave Matthews bass sample from "Sandworms" to keep Charlottesville's Red and Meth fans happy - that "Blackout" recaptures the melodic satisfaction of its earliest tracks. This is coupled with Funk Doctor's craftiest line of the album ("I'm like open wounds, pour the iodine in/messing with us is like saving Private Ryan") to create the most fully- realized song of the album.
Coming a close second is "Run 4 Cover," a RZA-produced jam laden with the frightful, killer-bee sound that is now the trademark of Staten Island. Adding to the pleasure is the appearance of original Wu-Tang Clan member Ghostface Killah, out of jail and ripping the mic once again. Ghost's edgy, high-pitched flows - loaded with wide-ranging references to Ollie North and Jack Nicklaus - counter the smoothed-out rhythm of Meth and Red, and revive the anticipation of his upcoming release.
Aside from the long-awaited release of the radio version of "How High," the album comes to an uneventful close, keeping his earlier efforts "Dare iz a Dark Side" and "Tical" on heavy rotation forever.
Grade: B+
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