Blackout! 2 METHOD MAN & REDMAN
Thursday, March 3, 2011
, Posted by BLD at 12:11 AM
10 years on, it sure is great to have the Funk Doctor Spock and Ticallion Stallion back together. We’ve had some decent solo albums in the meantime, but the chemistry between these supremely talented blunt brothers has always been one of the very best to come out of the ‘90s golden era.
Heads have been seeking out the new material for a while, and although this album is admittedly not quite as anticipated as Raekwon’s imminent Cuban Linx sequel, the original Blackout! album has stood the test of time surprisingly well – and their debut 1995 single How High is a certified classic.
On first listen this album sounds like it really could have been made ten years ago. With a mouth-watering producer line-up of ‘90s hit-makers such as DJ Scratch, Erick Sermon, Havoc, Rockwilder, Pete Rock etc. the listener will find it virtually impossible not to bob their head throughout this feel-good set. Top choice is the lead single A-Yo. With an uplifting soulful groove provided by Pete Rock, Red & Meth’s humourous and boastful verses perfectly compliment Saukrate’s breezy, anthemic hook – with the right push this could have easily been as big as Lupe’s Superstar. Dangerous Mcees is produced by long term Reggie Noble cohort Erick Sermon and rings off like a banger, with the duo trading tight lyricism and the chant "game over" to anyone testing them, while equally hard-hitting is Rockwilder’s cut Hey Zulu.
Additional strong tracks include the pulsating, pitch-changing Errbody Scream with Redman’s fellow Hit Squad alumni Keith Murray on classic form, and the Isley Brothers-sampling City Lights featuring UGK’s Bun B (which is the most modern-sounding cut on the album, utilizing a downtempo vibe and sample-stabbing hook suited to new schoolers like T.I. or Weezy). Another highlight is the Ghostface Killah and Raekwon collabo Four Minutes To Lockdown, which feels like a vintage slab of mid-‘90s Wu action. Also deserving a mention is I Know Sumptn, a King David-produced track designed to get people on the dancefloor and cutting some shapes.
Blackout! 2 contains enough punchlines, witty one-liners, brags, put-downs, blunted/ drunken-party antics and general lyrical dynamics all complimented by consistently high quality production, to keep heads more than happy. The only negatives would be the non-memorable guest appearances from newcomers scattered throughout the set, and a few of the more pedestrian (albeit far from wack) tracks like Neva Herd Dis B4, A Lil’ Bit and opening track I’m Dope N----. That aside, this album is an essential purchase for Red & Meth fans, and is more than a worthy purchase for those new to the duo’s work and open to witnessing two of hip hop’s greatest emcees still enjoying the ride.
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