Album: Tical 0: The Prequel
Release Date: May 18, 2004
Producers: Various
Review: On the opposite end of the spectrum of Inspectah Deck's The Movement, my biggest hesitation in starting Map of Shaolin was that one day I'd have to review Method Man's Tical 0: The Prequel. The reason I worried about this point is because Method Man may have the best flow in Wu-Tang but Tical 0 is just a bad album. And it pains me to say it. I hate dissing on anything Wu-related, since they're some of the world's best emcees - and Meth is one of my personal favorites - but I can't in good conscience ass-kiss or dick ride an undeniably weak release.
So what happened? In an interview with MTV two years after the fact (and just before the release of his fourth LP, 4:21 - The Day After), Method Man said "On the third LP, it was suggested to bring in Harve Pierre and P. Diddy. Who am I to argue? Puff knows how to sell some records. But that wasn't the direction to go in, and I know that now. [...] I just wanted to get my album out. Def Jam was going through their transition, and I felt that if I didn't get my album out, I wasn't gonna be at the label."
He continues, "I wasn't true to myself for the simple fact that, look who I was working with. I'm not trying to take nothing away from Puff - he's the biggest artist on Bad Boy. But Puff with Meth don't mesh. We don't party the same way."
That's damned obvious by the time we reach the one track Puffy is fully credited for producing - "Say What (Ft. Missy Elliott)." Nothing against Missy Elliott, but it comes across as an overproduced mess. Backing vocals of a crowd shouting "Ohhhh!" at the end of every bar and a blown whistle precede anything else; the dollar-grabbing hook does nothing for a Wu-Tang fan: "When they play this in the club (say what?) / Go 'head tell that nigga 'bump that' (say what?) / Throw ya hands up like 'Nigga what?'" etc.
Unfortunately, "Say What" is just one example of how Tical 0 was more a creation of a label than one artist - and it's a creation almost exclusively intended to sell records. In the Wu-Tang Manual, RZA says that Method Man never wanted to be known as the heartthrob of the Clan, but tracks like "We Some Dogs," "Rodeo" and "Baby Come On" are the exact opposite - proudly claiming that Meth will never be more than just some guy who loves getting laid.
Some of the guest spots reveal Def Jam's influence as well. On the one hand, it's not surprising to hear Wu generals Ghostface, Raekwon and RZA on Tical 0 (RZA even produces one track). It makes sense to hear Snoop Dogg make an appearance, given his work with Wu-Tang on The W; Busta Rhymes also guested on The W and Tical 0. Long-time Method Man and Wu-Tang associate Streetlife shows up, as does Redman (who had already guest-starred on The W and Tical 2000, released the collaboration Blackout! with Method Man and co-starred with Meth in the 2001 film How High). But appearances by Ludacris, Kardinal Offishall, Black Ice and Saukrates can't help but feel more like a Def Jam showcase than talent scouted by Method Man to fit on the sound of his album. And that's not to take away from them - Kardinal Offishall even seems to fill in on the ragga front for Suga Bang Bang or Junior Reid - it's just that when the liner notes have an ad for six albums releasing that year and only two of their artists don't appear on this record, it's hard not to take notice.
Of course it's a little unfair to write off the whole album as shitty. Despite the production generally sounding commercialized, mainstream and a bit syrupy-sweet, there are a couple decent tracks. "The Prequel," which features Streetlife and is the first proper song on the album, is good enough that it ends up making a promise the rest of the album can't keep. Same with the Busta Rhymes-boasting "What's Happenin'." Meth's rapid-fire lyrics include "Ain't it obvious how I'm hittin' it? Meth for president / Be in Hell with gasoline drawers just for the Hell of it / And I ain't delicate, flows hot as the kettle get / Now if you ain't fuckin' with that, you must be celibate." A good track that belongs on a better album. "The Motto" is curious and creepy and would sound more at home on Tical 2000: Judgment Day than here. It even features some good classic Wu-style rhymes like "Where the bastards at and where they habitats? / I send they asses back to foldin' sweaters at The Gap."
It's hard to misfire with RZA producing "The Turn" as Method Man and Raekwon trade verses, but anyone hoping for another "Meth Vs. Chef" came to the wrong place. Rae tongue twists lovely near the end of his verse ("Rae we gotta generate lord, I feel the ditech, the mildew / Buy jets and vehicles, steal a little / We wrap up the whole rap government") but most noticeably disses Wu's first label, Loud Records.
Sadly, "The Turn" is track 7 out of 17 on Tical 0 and for my money it's the last good song on the album - and some might argue that that's being too generous, as RZA's beat is far from his best. After that, there's 10 more tracks of Luda, club beats and missed opportunities.
Legacy: Meth took a punch to the gut over this record. Despite three or four good tracks, Tical 0 is mostly a series of misfires, nonsensical guest spots and attempts to please the lowest common denominator. It's a painful listen for anyone, maybe the most for the Ticallion Stallion himself. Maybe it's just me, but I can't help but feel like he got in the studio to make the record and just kept getting leaned on harder and harder by Def Jam (possibly its president Kevin Liles, who was Tical 0's executive producer) and Puffy to minimize the Wu/Meth sound and make it into a Def Jam Summer 2004 catalog. Who knows. But I stand by Tical 2000 as immensely underrated, and 4:21 The Day After and Wu Massacre have a lot of very solid tracks too. Couple that with the verses we've heard from the upcoming Wu album A Better Tomorrow and it's true what Mr. Meth says: Never count him out, just count him in.
Recommended Tracks: The Prequel, What's Happenin', The Turn.
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