Album Review: Method Man And Redman- Blackout! 2

When dealing with collaborations, they have a tendency to go one of two ways: Either really well, or so bad that the artists involved wish that they could get it annulled (hence The Firm fiasco).

But when they’re good, there’s no denying it, which brings us to musical odyssey of Method Man and Redman [Click for Redman video interview].

Back in 1999, the two MC’s who pledge their allegiance to anything marijuana-related released their debut collaboration album, Blackout! to platinum success, and ten years later they return with the long overdue sequel in Blackout! 2. [Click to download Lights Out Mixtape]

Enlisting the help from familiar faces like Erick Sermon [Click for EPMD video interview], Keith Murray, Raekown [Click to read Raekwon interview], Ghostface Killah, Bink!, DJ Scratch, Rockwilder, Havoc [Click for Hidden Files review], Pete Rock, Bun B, and Buckwild, the two seasoned MC’s do flawless job at adding onto their legacy.

Starting with ‘I’m Dope N*gga’ (produced by Havoc), Red and Meth both trade lines on just how dope they really are:

Redman: “I make my commission off weed and shows/ b*tches wanna spread rumors like Club Nouveau/Redman and Method Man stay in the lab/America meet the new Tango & Cash.”

Method Man: “I got that small change n*gga/quarters, nickels, and dimes/I might cop a little, shine/favorite pistol a 9/I can’t deal with fickle minds, cause I’m too official with mine/put ya nose in my notebook, and ‘gon sniff you a line.”

Erick Sermon takes over the boards on ‘Dangerous MC’s,’ where the two lyricists keep the momentum going as if it were 1999 all over again. Fellow Def Squad member Keith Murray joins the smoke fest on ‘Errbody Scream.’

Rockwilder once again makes his presence known on Blackout! by producing ‘Hey Zulu,’ which can be considered as their entrance track to the club.

Red and Meth try something new this time around by making a song dedicated to the opposite sex in ‘Mrs. International.’ Over the smooth jazzy track produced by Buckwild that also features a harmonizing Erick Sermon, they both compliment women to the fullest without any derogatory comments involved.

The smokers anthem comes in one the DJ Scratch-produced ‘Dis Iz 4 All My Smokers,’ and by the title alone, it should be self-explanatory, as they both profess their love for weed over the violin-driven track.

Redman and Method continue to blackout on true Hip-Hop morsels like ‘Neva Heard Dis B4’ (prod. by Erick Sermon), the Bink!-produced ‘4 Minutes To Lock Down’ featuring Raekwon [Click to read Raekwon interview] and Ghostface Killah, ‘I Know Sumptn’ (feat. Poo Bear), and the Rockwilder-produced ‘A Lil’ Bit’ (feat. Melanie Rutherford).

Once again Red and Meth have figured out the equation to making good Hip-Hop music by loading up the Blackout! 2 with material that will make listeners rewind instead of skip ahead.

Obviously a ten-year separation didn’t affect them in the slightest, because their cohesiveness and conceptual flows are still better than many of those half their age that are currently in the game now.

Usually trying to recapture past greatness can leave the image of an artist tarnished, but in the case of Redman and Method Man, it’s done nothing but put the Hip-Hop world back on notice that this tandem is still a force to be reckoned with…

Rating: 4.0