Method Man - The Meth Lab

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This came out August 21, but I had been seeing it advertised since around June. After reading up on it more, this was supposed to be a mixtape to come before his eventual 'Crystal Mef' album, but he decided to make this one an album as well. This is compilation style, but Method Man is pretty much on every track. If you buy the digital version, it comes with the instrumental version.

View media item 1693113
1. Intro
2. The Meth Lab (feat. Hanz On, Streetlife)
3. Straight Gutta (feat. Redman, Hanz On, Streetlife)
4. Bang Zoom (feat. Hanz On, Streetlife, Eazy Get Rite)
5. 50 Shots (feat. Mack Wilds, Streetlife, Cory Gunz)
6. The Pledge (Hanz On, Streetlife)
7. 2 Minutes of Your Time
8. Worldwide (feat. Hanz On, Uncle Murda, Chedda Bang)
9. Soundcheck (feat. Hanz On, Carlton Fisk)
10. Water (feat. Chedda Bang)
11. Lifestyles (Cardi, Eazy Get Rite, Freaky Marciano)
12. The Purple Tape (feat. Raekwon, Inspectah Deck)
13. Intelligent Meth (feat. Masta Killa, Streetlife, iNTeLL)
14. Symphony (feat. Hanz On, Streetlife, Kash Verrazano, Carlton Fisk, Killa Sin)
15. What You Getting Into (feat. Streetlife, Donny Cacsh)
16. Another Winter (feat. Hanz On, Streetlife, Carlton Fisk)
17. Rain All Day (feat. Hanz On, Dro Pesci)
18. So Staten (feat. Hanz On, Hue Hef)
19. Outro












https://youtu.be/J3yqI304KyA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMfPOp8i2BY
 
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I downloaded it a few days ago. Would have kept it if there weren't so many features. Some nice production but I can't listen to all these randoms on here.



It sold like 5,500 first week
 
There are def some really nice beats on here. Feel you on the features though, mostly the ones I've never heard of (Hanz On, Hue Hef, iNTeLL, and some others). Liked hearing Killa Sin since i haven't heard him in years, and I'm used to hearing Streetlife. Looking forward to the official album though
 
I was waiting on this but thats a long album with a lot of features from people idk that I'm not trying to hear.

Might go through it quick one day tho
 
Fam on this album talking bout he one of the best to do it foh.
 
Any reviews of this?

I downloaded it, but haven't listened. Meth albums have always been a let down for me.
 
Meth is right tho.

You're wyling.

Your opinion is not great bruh.

I was talking bout Streetlife dude.

Did you even listen to the album?

Meth is wylin for letting buddy talk like we actually care about him.

Your comprehension is not great bruh.
 
Hanz On is my new hero. Apparently all you have to do to become a professional recording artist is punch Joe Budden in the eye.
 
Method Man :: The Meth Lab
Hanz On Music/Tommy Boy Ent.


First things first, this isn't an album in the traditional sense, or it would be the worst LP in Method Man's admittedly underwhelming discography. Fans have waited a long time for a new Method Man album, the last one being 2006's "4:21... The Day After", which was his second best offering following the bloated mess that was 1998's "Tical 2000: Judgment Day" and 2004's excessive collaboration project "Tical 0: The Prequel". I recently revisited Meth's debut "Tical" and it was noticeable how few guests he had compared to his later albums, and it's a pattern that further proves why Method Man NEEDS an album to himself. He's one of the most charismatic emcees in Hip-Hop history - let him take us somewhere God damn it!

"Tical" had Raekwon, RZA, Carlton Fisk, Streetlife, Inspectah Deck and Blue Raspberry on it, five of them appearing on the track "Mr. Sandman". That's five emcees and one vocalist. "Tical 2000" had Left Eye, Booster, Streetlife, Cappadonna, Inspectah Deck, Killa Sin, Masta Killa, Raekwon, Mobb Deep, Hell Razah, Polite, Star, Redman, D'Angelo and Janet Jackson. That's 13 emcees and 3 vocalists. "Tical 0: The Prequel" had Streetlife, Missy Elliott, Busta Rhymes, Redman, Snoop Dogg, Raekwon, ******, Ludacris, Kardinall Offishall, E3, Saukrates, Ghostface Killah, Mr. Porter and Black Ice. That's 14 emcees. "4:21... The Day After" had Ol' Dirty Bastard, Streetlife, Carlton Fisk, Ginuwine, Raekwon, U-God, La The Darkman, Fat Joe, Styles P, Inspectah Deck, Redman, RZA and Megan Rochell. That's 11 emcees and 2 vocalists.

"The Meth Lab" has Hanz On, Streetlife, Redman, Eazy Get Rite, Mack Wilds, Cory Gunz, Uncle Murda, Chedda Bang, Carlton Fisk, Cardi, Freaky Marciano, Raekwon, Inspectah Deck, Masta Killa, iNTeLL, Kash Verrazano, Killa Sin, Donny Cacsh, Dro Pesci and Hue Hef. That's 20 emcees, although Mack Wilds lays a hook rather than a verse. If you found previous Method Man albums overcrowded with guest verses, then "The Meth Lab" will inevitably disappoint, as it's just one verse on each song that Mr. Mef drops his gruffly iconic delivery, as effortless as it's ever been. There's even one track WITHOUT Method Man - "The Pledge".

Just as the best album tracks on "Tical 0: The Prequel" and "4:21... The Day After" saw Meth riding solo, "2 Minutes of Your Time" highlights just how much charisma the Ticallion Stallion possesses. It makes no sense to crowd out one of Hip-Hop's most beloved emcees on a project bearing his name.

There are some redeemable qualities to "The Meth Lab", unsurprisingly when Wu-Tang Clan members lend a helping hand. "The Purple Tape", featuring Raekwon and Inspectah Deck (produced by J57) is a legitimate banger carrying over the satisfying, piano-pounding sounds heard on tracks like "Is It Me" and "Dirty Mef" nearly a decade ago. I wouldn't mind hearing J57 working with the Wu more often, as he's been dropping heat for years now. "The Purple Tape" alone, sounds like an album track with superior mastering and an altogether more professional final product than all the songs that precede it. "Intelligent Meth" operates on a similar level, boasting a sinister 4th Disciple production and one of the more memorable Streetlife appearances.

Production is mixed, with recognised names such as J57 and 4th Disciple delivering the better beats, but the reliance on Pascal Zumaque's dated style of production is questionable. The first half of the album sounds like an early 2000s Papoose mixtape, without the impressive lyricism or dynamic storytelling. This album was released on Hanz On Music, and it feels like a collaborative mixtape in that respect, with Hanz On appearing on ten of the nineteen tracks. Considering one of them is an Intro, and another is an Outro, that's (keeping with the numbers theme of this review) 59% of the album. Billed as an album from Staten Island's resident street rappers, "The Meth Lab" is effectively a mixtape to hype up fans for the true Method Man album, "Crystal Meth", due to be released later in 2015.

"The Meth Lab" has been released as a Method Man album however, which sets listeners up for a huge disappointment. As a mixtape, it works, but is nothing more than generic New York street rap set to some largely forgettable instrumentals. Here's hoping "Crystal Meth" is the pure Meth it's billed as, and we may hear another great Method Man album that makes amends for previous disappointments, including this one.


Music Vibes: 4 of 10 Lyric Vibes: 4 of 10 TOTAL Vibes: 4 of 10

Originally posted: September 1, 2015
 
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Video kinda trash but the song kinda got me interested even though the first tracks weren't good
 
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