Concert Preview: Method Man @ the 9:30 Club
As the unofficial crown princes of rap, all nine members of the Wu-Tang Clan have had their solo moments in the spotlight. Most recently, it was Ghostface Killah’s time to shine: his album, Fishscale won accolades when it was released last spring. Prior to that, Ol’ Dirty Bastard was making headlines with his stint in jail and his untimely death in 2004.
But before all that, there was Method Man. Mef’s 1994 solo debut, Tical, made him the Clan’s breakout star, and he’s since firmly established himself as the group’s most popular personality. Who can forget his turn as Silas, the lovable pothead cum laude in 2001’s cinematic gem How High? If the Wu-Tang Clan were NSync, Method Man would be the Justin Timberlake of the bunch, no question.
The Shaolin Assassin himself will be at the 9:30 Club tonight, as part of a nationwide tour to promote his new album, 4:21…The Day After, which dropped in August. We haven’t listened to 4:21 yet, and we know he's had a rough year, but Mef better be working extra hard tonight to win our hearts back after his last solo effort, 2004’s disappointing Tical 0: The Prequel. (And according to PopMatters, 4:21 delivers.)
Method Man is touring with fellow Wu-Tang-ers Masta Killah and Inspectah Deck, who also have recently-released albums to flog. A Wu-Tang concert is like a box of chocolates: many of the group’s songs are collaborative, but the eight surviving members rarely tour en masse, so you never know how the performance will come together. It should be interesting to observe the breakdown of material from each rapper’s solo effort, as well as the old standards thrown in to please die-hard Wu fans. We’re also wondering if Masta Killah, the Clan’s most reclusive member, will be able to hold his own on stage. M.K. is so withdrawn that Ghostface Killah once joked that the two had never met before.
Method Man, Masta Killah, and Inspectah Deck will be at the 9:30 Club tonight at 10pm. Tickets are $25.
Photo by Flickr user lonnehendrix