What's happening kind folks?! This salute goes to one of the most anticipated albums of its era. Two of the most recognized names in hip-hop came together for an album that met all expectations and created some sure fire club and car speaker classics. Both men were members of prominent crews within the game and since their breakout collab hit "How High", they had been considered one of hip-hop's best tag team duos. The result was an album fill with bangers, and an album that will still malfunction any speaker it resonates from. We salute Method Man & Redman and their debut album, Blackout.
Admit it, from the moment you heard either version of "How High", you heard a chemistry that was palpable. Almost like this should've been an idea for years prior. Meth was riding high off his crossover success from the Wu. His debut album, Tical, was a platinum smash and showed he had the star power to elevate his own name apart from his Wu brothers. Redman was part of Def Squad with Erick Sermon and Keith Murray. Redman had been the breakout star of the three and most recognizable name with prior dope albums like Whut? Thee Album, Dare Iz A Darkside, and Muddy Waters, in spite of Erick being formerly one half of the legendary duo EPMD. It's been said that Meth was at odds with various members of the Wu and began to grow closer to Red than his Wu brethren to the point where they were damn like real brothers. After the buzz of "How High", our hip-hop dreams were realized when he heard "Tear Da Roof Off", which was the first server from their debut collabo album, Blackout. The Erick Sermon-produced track was filled with everything you would expect from them: high energy, fun, and a chemistry very reminiscent of other iconic duos like the aforementioned EPMD or Run-DMC. The album finally got released, and it was met with platinum-plus acclaim. These two kindred spirits delivered a very formidable album and it was very fluid. Every cut sounded like it was very effective in blending into the next damn near flawlessly. Their next single "Da Rockwilder" to this day is THAT certified club smash that immediately brings everybody to the floor. It's not a long single, as it's only about two and a half minutes long, but in that duration, it's heavy sweat and a feel good vibe that unites everybody into getting on that good foot. Pretty much, the entire album is this way, with other cuts like "Y.O.U.", "Checka" (their DOPE tribute to Das EFX and their cut 'Mic Checka'), and the LL Cool J and Ja-Rule-assisted "4 Seasons" helping in the flames department of this effort.
The only somewhat out of place cuts here are the RZA-produced cuts here of "Cereal Killer" and the Ghostface-assisted "Run 4 Cover", as they're slightly darker to no surprise and tend to speed bump the overall fluidity of the album when this was all mid to high fever the majority of this album. These cuts aren't subpar folks, so don't confuse this. However, with the energy of the album, they feel out of place. In any event, this album is impossible not to feel good about and get neck cramps while listening. Their follow-up, Blackout 2, was almost as seamless, although the energy wasn't as consistently high as before. Nevertheless, Red & Meth showed with Blackout, that infectious personalities such as there's can produce star making results without being pop-sounding, generic, or forced. They commanded the streets, suburbs, and clubs all at the same time. That's appeal. We salute Reggie and Meth-Tical for this searing album on their twentieth anniversary.
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