Method Man

Method Man was one of just two Wu-Tang Clan members with a solo song on its Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) debut in 1993. “Method Man” showed off the Staten Island native’s charismatic, elastic flow that still dazzles decades later. He finds new pockets of the beat every four bars, somehow cramming references to Fat Albert and Sam-I-Am into a song about smoking weed with a woman he’s about to “stick.” The buzz around the track spurred a Def Jam deal, which led to Grammy wins, peer respect for having one of rap’s best flows, and the distinction of being the only artist to collaborate with both Tupac (“Got My Mind Made Up”) and The Notorious B.I.G. (“The What”). In 1999, he dropped Blackout! with his partner-in-rhyme, Redman, bouncing off each other with animated lyrics over uptempo beats. Method Man has primarily been focused on acting in recent years, but he’s still an active artist, working with Wu members and indie rappers alike.