Method Man - Tical 2000: Judgment Day

Arizona Daily Wildcat

Tical 2000: Judgment Day

(Def Jam Recordings)

Oh, how things change. 1993: Wu Tang and Meth were on top of the hip-hop world belting out a fair amount of groundbreaking rhymes and beats. 1999: Wu Tang Clan, including Method Man (their flag bearer) sound like the stalest fish in the barrel. It is truly a shame when somewhat lyrically retarded rappers such as DMX and Jermaine Dupri sound like they have the edge.

Tical 2000 loses itself in useless cameos (Left-Eye, Chris Rock and Streetlife) and mountains of tired rap skits. One example of such class is "You Play Too Much," a track featuring Chris Rock in which he names all of Method Man's alter egos and then gets shot. Ha ha ha ha ha ha.

"Judgment Day," the title track of the album and the first single to be released, is terrific. Terrific, that is if you "raise the roof" and like wearing FuBu gear. I wonder if Method Man likes to wear FuBu? Judging from his album cover he likes to wear Medieval battle armor. If I was rich I would also wear battle armor and have harems of "thug girls" (see Master P, Da Last Don) to tend to my every wish in my mock 13th Century fortified castle. Let me hear you say "Ugggghhhh." Let us see acts such as the Wu, Master P and all the rest live out their childhood fantasies of becoming Mafia agents, players and knights of the round table. Let the era of "Glam Rap" begin.

- james casey