Redman & Method Man, Two of Def Jam’s Most Wanted
The Redman and Method Man show was tight, but the Interview...?
Translator’s Note: Written by Akira Obuchi for bmr (Black Music Review) in a February 2001 magazine issue number 270. Originally written in Japanese; translated into English for publication. All rights reserved.
On December 1st, Redman and Method Man performed at the Def Jam Japan launch party, held at Shinjuku’s Liquid Room. They had come to Japan for that single night alone.
The following day, we visited the “bling-bling” suite at a certain top-tier hotel where the two were staying, for our interview. What we found were two guys completely burnt out on press. Redman, paying no attention to the journalists in the room, had his headphones on, listening to an MP3 player and rapping along at full volume (for the record, the lyrics were almost pure wordplay, all rhyme and no meaning, and it was dope). Meth, meanwhile, was quietly absorbed in a handheld computer he’d confiscated from Def Jam president Kevin. Is a business PDA really that entertaining?
Still, we managed to get them talking, so we opened by praising their tight, fantastic set from the night before.
Redman (R): “Last night’s live set? That was a special menu, just for that party. When we tour in the US, it’s way crazier than that.”
Wait, seriously? Even better than last night? Over the past couple of years, large-scale hip-hop tours have been on the rise in the US, and Redman & Method Man have been sharpened by runs like the Hard Knock Life Tour, so their live show has clearly leveled up. But doesn’t all that work ever get to you?
R: “Right now, man, quit complaining and just handle your business when it’s time to handle it.”
Redman really did seem like he’d matured enormously compared to when I’d interviewed him four years earlier. A man in his thirties: when it’s time, you handle it. So, why are you two so close?
Method Man (M): “We’re close because Redman is cool.”
R: “Meth is cool too. It’s like, we’re on the same frequency, you know?”
They really do seem to communicate like actual brothers. Redman is the big brother, and Meth, the younger one, seems to follow Redman’s lead. But you must fight sometimes, right?
M: “Fight? Only bitches fight.”
R: “I fight with my girlfriend all the time, but never with Meth.”
The new albums each of them had scheduled for December release had been pushed back. Redman’s fifth solo album title was apparently set as Where Is Reggie Noble? (note: Reggie Noble is Redman’s real name). What does the title mean?
R: “You know my mascot, right?” (note: the CG-rendered miniature Redman used on the cover) “Where Is Reggie Noble? is his project. I’m not involved.”
Redman said this, and Meth listened, both stone-faced and dead serious. But of course, it was a joke. Devious, the both of them. So what about Meth’s third solo album, Tical 0?
M: “Haven’t started recording yet, so I couldn’t tell you.”
At this point, the two of them are undeniably stars. There must be things that have had to change.
R: “Stars?” (clowning, laughing) “What’s changed is my underwear.”
The whole room cracked up.
M: “Same here.”
R: “Nah, not much has changed. We got here by being ourselves. People mess with us because what we have is real talent, not something manufactured.”
M: “The fact that nobody knows what we’re gonna do next? That’s our appeal.”
R: “We just do us, and the popularity is just what comes back from that.”
But being a star means you have to do interviews like this one.
M: “Iyyo.” (Yes)
R: “Iyyooo.” (laughing) “Well, it’s the price of fame.”
So, has their rapping changed as they’ve built up their careers?
M: “Iyyo. It’s gotten more complex.”
R: “It’s not simple anymore. The rap game has gotten bigger, and there are a lot of good MCs out there. You’ve got to keep sharpening your skills.”
Southern artists are popular right now. Do you ever get inspired by someone like Mystikal?
M: “Mystikal inspiring ME? I’ve been on the scene longer than him. Why would he inspire me? It’s the other way around: he’s inspired by US! ...Hold on, you like Mystikal?”
Yeah, well, sure.
M: “I mean, he’s dope too. But why do we have to be the ones getting inspired?”
R: “You have to get inspired, man.”
R: “The South is the South.”
Redman, the more mature of the two, brushed it off casually, but Meth came at the question with his competitive streak fully exposed. These are MCs who live in the world of battle. There may be love between them and their peers (Mystikal actually has about as much career history as Meth), but don’t lump them together. That was clearly his honest feeling.
Meanwhile, hip-hop’s center of gravity is dominated by artists in their early thirties, and the culture is entering a genuine era of aging, at least compared to before.
M: “What I’m most interested in right now? Family. If my kid said they wanted to be a rapper, I’d allow it.”
R: “They’re getting bigger, and soon enough they start saying stuff like” (imitating his daughter) “’Hey, buy me a car, I need to get around.’”
As a parent, do you teach your kids anything about what kind of MC to be?
M: “I don’t teach them anything. Stand on your own two feet. That’s the lesson.”
R: “I tell them to take care of their family, to have a sense of responsibility. There’s a good role model right here, so just look at your father.”
That’s right: Redman and Meth are MCs, but they’re also fathers. Hip-hop isn’t just music for the young.
Interpreter: Kyoko Maruyama