Happy 20th Anniversary to Tical, Method Mans debut LP, originally released November 15, 1994.
One year after the Wu-Tang Clan unleashed their now-legendary debut album Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), Method Man served up the first in the proliferation of solo Wu-Tang member albums that would follow in the years to come. Liberated from the crowded shadow of his multi-dimensionally talented Wu-Tang brethren, Tical solidified Meths polished rhyme skills and unique vocal cadence as dominant forces in their own right.
Boasting a noticeably darker and grimier RZA-orchestrated soundscape than Enter the Wu-Tang, Tical functioned as an intriguing, underground-inspired counterweight to the more broadly accessible, airplay-chasing hip-hop being produced around the same time by the likes of the Bad Boy and Death Row camps. In an ironic twist of fate, however, it was the Puff Daddy commissioned, Grammy Award-winning remix of album track All I Need featuring Mary J. Blige that catapulted Method Man closer to household name recognition.
Admittedly for me, it required a few rounds of listening to Tical from beginning to end for its nuanced, somewhat deranged brilliance to emerge. Good things come to those who wait, as they say. And while Tical just barely misses commanding the top of my personal all-time favorite Wu-Tang solo LPs (Ill write about my #1 choice in a future post), it still stands as one of the most definitive, integral and exciting offerings within both the prolific Wu-Tang canon and hip-hop’s recorded history.
My Favorite Song: Bring the Pain
Bonus Videos:
“Release Yo’ Delf” (1995)
“All I Need” (Original) (1994)
BUY Method Man – Tical