Method Man

Released in '94, this was the first in a very long line of Wu-Tang solo albums and side projects. Produced entirely by the RZA, it's a classic from start to finish, loaded with basement beats and raw-dog rhymes. Includes the timeless gems "Bring The Pain" and "Method Man," as well as the ill Raekwon collaboration "Meth vs. Chef."

So crushing was the Dre-Snoop power play in 1993 that their G thang all but obliterated the
competition. Any hardcore rap save the loping-beat West Coast kind got sidelined. But only
temporarily. In 1994, southeast Houston's Scarface, for one, bounced back fighting. A
full-blooded member of the Geto Boys (a true PMRC nightmare and one of the first crews to
toss word bombs so explosive as to alienate all but their faithful), Scarface kicks... More >

I dunno--maybe he's a great rapper because he doesn't distract from the beats ("Bring the Pain," "All I Need") (Grade - *)