Music
My Brother's Keeper: Wu Tang Clan's Method Man and Redman
Method Man and Redman— hip-hop’s dynamic duo—share the secrets to a solid working relationship and the powerful ways they love to stay active.
There’s excitement in the air at Red Bull’s Santa Monica studios. No, not because of some crazy caper a stunt team is planning, but because rap icons Method Man and Redman are in the building, shooting an episode of Red Bull Spiral alongside friend and fellow wordsmith Raekwon. Regardless of having been in the game for over three decades, the duo’s dynamic energy—which has been showcased on stage, on record and on screen—is as magnetic now as it was when they first arrived on the scene, causing a few on the show’s production team to get a little starstruck. But for Meth and Red it’s just another day at the office.
The duo first met during rap’s golden era in the early 1990s. Both new to the scene at that point—Meth making a name for himself as part of game-changing rap collective Wu-Tang Clan, and Red introduced to fans via EPMD’s Erick Sermon—they wound up signing solo deals around the same time with legendary hip-hop label Def Jam Recordings. It was there that their friendship began to take shape, collaborating on numerous tracks, including 2Pac’s “Got My Mind Made Up,” LL Cool J’s “4, 3, 2, 1” and their own classic anthem, “How High.”
In 1999, the pair released their first joint album, Blackout!, kicking their bromance into overdrive. The 19-track project—which features the hits “Da Rockwilder” and “Y.O.U.”—not only solidified their megastar status but showcased a unique synergy, unlocking a collaborative superpower rarely seen in hip-hop. From their incredible chemistry on wax to their awe-inspiring unison on stage, Meth and Red never miss a beat when they’re together. Some say it’s telekinesis; others say it’s a ton of practice. Whatever it is, it’s worked very well for the duo, who, 30 years after first crossing paths, are still the best of friends.
“We knew we had something special,” Redman (real name Reggie Noble) says, reflecting on the potential he and Method Man had early on. “We had our own separate careers, which were blossoming, and then we came together and made something special.” The type of special he’s talking about is rare, especially in music. Longevity is hard enough to achieve as a solo artist, let alone in a group, where there are more ideas, more requests and more egos to navigate. So how is it that Method Man and Redman have managed to maintain their relationship after all these years?
“We’re not money driven, we’re not egotistically driven, we’re not really culturally driven. I try to stay away from a lot of cultural ignorance,” explains Red. “And when I say cultural ignorance, I mean the things that do break people and groups up—like envy, greed, jealousy.” He adds that they “don’t ever point the finger” at each other. If they ever need to resolve a dispute, they just get on the phone and talk it out.
Method Man and Redman have been performing together for over 25 years.
© Koury Angelo
Discussing their best traits, Method Man (real name Clifford Smith Jr.) points to his partner’s zodiac sign. “Doc is a true Aries, period!” he says, passionately raising the volume of his voice. “I think his best quality is how meticulous he is about his art form. He’s a creative’s creative.” Whereas Redman, who also goes by the nickname Funk Doctor Spock, focuses on a variety of Meth’s qualities: “Besides him being a great dad, a good family man, a good friend and little brother to me, he’s great at motivating people. He takes his star-ism, if you will, very serious ... another thing I like about him is he’s a straight shooter. If he doesn’t like something, he just says it.”
As formidable as the two rappers are together, they’re just as successful—if not more so—individually. Method Man first burst onto the scene as one of the standout performers on Wu-Tang Clan’s debut LP, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). Stealing the show on a number of tracks from the classic album—first and foremost the eponymous “Method Man”— his hardcore bars, witty punchlines, trademark gruff delivery and raspy vocal tone catapulted him to superstardom.
The New York rapper’s debut LP, Tical, arrived in 1994, winning him a Grammy for the album’s iconic R&B collaboration with Mary J. Blige, “I’ll Be There for You/You’re All I Need to Get By.” This in turn opened up a plethora of opportunities and allowed him to flourish in a variety of other pursuits, including a successful acting career. But in recent years, the 53-year-old has turned his focus to fitness, specifically weight training, which has amplified the sex- symbol status he’s modestly worn for the last three decades. But this focus was more about self-care than a vanity project.
“It started out as just a coping mechanism for insomnia, but then it turned into so much more,” Meth explains. “It’s crazy when you get in tune with your body, and you know what it can do and how much you can get out of it. You start pushing limits that you never thought you could meet before, and then when you meet those, you start to create new limits.”
“We knew we had something special, and we came together and made something special,” Red says.
Meth, who has his own sportswear brand, Tical Athletics, shares his workout videos online to not only track his progress but inspire others to get in the gym. “For anyone wanting to get into fitness, do it,” he says, before preempting one of the common excuses he hears from those who don’t work out. “There’s 24 hours in a day. You’ll take an hour out to watch your favorite program on TV. Why not take an hour out and do something for yourself?”
Not just a fitness buff, Method Man spent a lot of time as a kid playing lacrosse, which proved to be cathartic for the Wu- Tang rhymer. “Because of the environment I grew up in as a child, I didn’t exude a lot of control. I wasn’t in control of what I wore, I wasn’t in control of what I ate, I wasn’t even in control of where I slept, really,” he says. “But being on that field, whether it was lacrosse or football, I knew I could control that. That’s where I found my peace, because that was nobody else’s but mine. And no one else can control what happens on that field.”
This love for the game led to Meth using his star status to help the PLL (Premier Lacrosse League) promote the sport— through merch drops, sportswear collabs and an original new track titled “Boom,” as well as gear donations to 10 different lacrosse nonprofits. “When they presented [the opportunity] to me, I jumped at the chance to be a part of it, and especially for some of the ideas they had, as far as putting sticks in the hands of urban youth, because that’s how it was presented to me,” he recalls. “We were in some of the toughest neighborhoods in Long Island, but we had sports, and just the sports alone kept me out of trouble that day or whatever period that I was playing. And not only that, it taught me camaraderie, it taught me sacrifice for others, it taught me how to be a great teammate.”
Redman also goes by the nickname Funk Doctor Spock.
© Koury Angelo
On Redman: “Another thing I like about him: he’s a straight shooter."
© Koury Angele
Redman’s favorite extracurricular activity, however, is more extreme in nature. A keen skydiver, the New Jersey rapper, known for his animated rap style and comedic lyrical content, was first introduced to the high-flying pursuit as part of a photo shoot for hip-hop magazine XXL back in 1997. Coming on the heels of his acclaimed third album, Muddy Waters, and right before the release of his most successful album to date, 1998’s platinum-selling Doc’s da Name 2000, Red trekked up to Jersey’s Skydive the Ranch and jumped out of a plane for the first time.
“I did the four-hour course that day. I jumped tandem with me on somebody’s back, and then they were on my back, and then I jumped by myself that same day, which was unheard of,” the 54-year-old says. However, it almost ended in disaster when only half of his parachute opened. “I caught my first malfunction on my first solo jump. If I hadn’t paid attention to the course, it probably would have ended very differently for me.”
Despite this near-tragic first jump—which would scare most people away—skydiving became an important part of the Def Squad rapper’s life, helping him through a tough divorce and offering an escape as he fought depression. “It’s definitely like therapy [for me],” Redman admits. “There’s no judgment in skydiving, because once you’re ready to jump out the plane, it doesn’t matter if you’re rich, poor, Black, white, green, alien. It’s about the knowledge and the fate of you landing. So the convo is different. How you greet people is different. With skydivers, there’s no dress code; it’s just strictly good conversation and no judgment, and that’s what I love about it.”
He’s also made some good friends along the way, including Red Bull Air Force skydiver Jeff “Jeffro” Provenzano. “If you don’t know who Jeff Provenzano is, do your research,” he says of his daredevil friend. “He’s like one of the Jordans of skydiving. I actually did my first jump when he was on his 97th jump. I remember he asked me to sign his book, which tracks all your skydives.”
While Redman is known more for his music—in fact, even non-rap fans will probably recognize him from his guest appearance on Christina Aguilera’s global hit “Dirrty”—he’s appeared a few times on the big screen, including alongside Method Man in the pair’s stoner cult classic How High. But it’s his partner in rhyme who has really leaned into acting, so much so that he’s now one of the most recognizable film and TV stars to emerge from hip-hop—although, he didn’t take it very seriously when he first started exploring the craft.
Raekwon, Redman and Method Man in the studio for Red Bull Spiral.
© Koury Angelo
“We were just doing it to have fun. There was never any inclination to go further with acting. My manager can attest to that, because I dragged my ass for a lot of years,” recalls Method Man, who today has over 100 acting credits to his name. “Acting has given me a great second act. I prefer it more than making music. There are so many different nuances, and the aesthetics of it are so vast that you will never get bored. I am pleased to be sitting here able to call myself an actor, and other actors agree.”
Meth has gained some notoriety in recent years for his turn as Davis MacLean in 50 Cent’s popular Starz series, Power Book II: Ghost, a role he says “challenged” him. But given the rapper’s acting résumé, which includes movies like Belly, Trainwreck, Garden State and Keanu, and the TV shows Godfather of Harlem, The Wire and Marvel’s Luke Cage, it seems he was equipped to take on the challenge all along.
As far as partnerships go, Method Man and Redman are the gold standard. A talented pair of comic misfits with a genuine love for one another, they support each other’s solo ventures and always make magic when it’s time to join forces—even if they can’t seem to get on the same page about doing a third joint LP.
“I want to do a Blackout! 3, maybe like 12 songs,” Red says with an air of optimism, before Meth laughs it off. “We are not even focused on no Blackouts! or any of that shit right now. Brother, we are focused on this TV and movie stuff and producing as well. We’ve got to get these stories out there.” Whether the pair release another album together or not, their legacy is built to last.
