Method Man facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Method Man
Method Man in 2010
Background information
Birth name	Clifford Smith, Jr.
Also known as	Johnny Blaze Tical Methical Ticallion Stallion Iron Lung Mr. M.e.f. Hott Nikkels Shakwon the Panty Raider Shotgun
Born	(1971-03-02) March 2, 1971 (age 54) Hempstead, New York, U.S.
Origin	Staten Island, New York City, U.S.
Genres	East Coast hip hop
Occupations	Rapper songwriter record producer actor
Years active	1992–present
Labels	Def Jam Island Def Jam Tommy Boy RBC Wu-Tang Productions

Clifford Smith, Jr. (born March 2, 1971), known as Method Man, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. He is a key member of the famous East Coast hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan. He is also one half of the hip hop duo Method Man & Redman. His stage name comes from a 1979 film called Method Man. In 1996, Method Man won a Grammy Award for "I'll Be There for You/You're All I Need to Get By". This song featured the R&B singer Mary J. Blige. Later, they both acted together in the TV show Power Book II: Ghost.

Method Man has appeared in many movies. These include How High (2001), Garden State (2004), and Keanu (2016). He also starred with rapper Redman in the TV show Method & Red. He has had important roles in HBO series like Oz and The Wire.

Early Life and Beginnings

Clifford Smith, Jr. was born on March 2, 1971, in Hempstead, Long Island. He spent his childhood living between his father's home on Long Island and his mother's home in Staten Island. This area is known as Killa Hill. Growing up, Smith started playing lacrosse and still loves the sport. He went to New Dorp High School. There, he became friends with another rapper named Remedy.

Music Career Highlights

Rising with Wu-Tang Clan

Method Man became very well known as the Wu-Tang Clan grew popular. He was one of only two members to have a solo song on the group's first album, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). He was also the first member to release his own album. He signed with Def Jam Recordings.

His first solo album, Tical (1994), was a big success. It sold over a million copies. This album featured the hit song "All I Need". A remix of this song with Mary J. Blige won a Grammy Award. During this time, Method Man also became good friends with The Notorious B.I.G.. He was the only guest rapper on Biggie's first album, Ready to Die.

More Albums and Collaborations

In 1997, the Wu-Tang Clan released their double album Wu-Tang Forever. This album sold over 2 million copies. Method Man also worked with other artists. He was on the Batman Forever soundtrack with his song "The Riddler". He also appeared on Tupac Shakur's album All Eyez on Me.

His second solo album, Tical 2000: Judgement Day, came out in 1998. It featured many other Wu-Tang Clan members and other famous artists. The album sold very well and was certified double platinum.

Teaming Up with Redman

Method Man joined a successful tour called the Hard Knock Life Tour. On this tour, he and Redman recorded their album Blackout!. This album was fun and upbeat. It quickly became platinum in the U.S. and Canada. Hit songs from the album included "Da Rockwilder" and "Tear It Off".

Because of their success, Method Man and Redman starred in the movie How High. They also had a TV show together called Method & Red. In 2000, Method Man performed the song "Know Your Role" for the album WWF Aggression. This song was about the famous wrestler Dwayne Johnson, also known as 'The Rock'.

Later Music Projects

The Wu-Tang Clan released The W in 2000 and Iron Flag in 2001. Both albums were successful. Method Man's album Tical 0: The Prequel came out in 2004. It sold well and was certified gold.

In 2006, Method Man released 4:21... The Day After. This album went back to his original hip hop style. He toured around the world to promote it. In 2009, he and Redman released Blackout! 2, a sequel to their first joint album.

Acting Career Highlights

Method Man started acting in the late 1990s. He has had important roles in many TV shows. He played Tug Daniels in HBO's Oz. He also played Cheese Wagstaff in HBO's The Wire. He appeared in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation as a character named Drops.

His first big movie role was in Belly (1998). He has since been in films like Garden State and How High. In 2011, he had a small role in The Sitter with Jonah Hill. He also played Sticks in the 2012 movie Red Tails, which was about the Tuskegee Airmen.

Method Man played main characters in the films The Mortician (2011) and #Lucky Number (2015). In 2016, he played Cheddar in the movie Keanu. He also played himself in the TV shows Difficult People and Luke Cage.

From 2017 to 2019, Method Man was the host of the TBS show Drop the Mic. This show was based on a popular segment from The Late Late Show with James Corden. In 2019, he voiced Ben Urich in a podcast called Marvels. He also appeared in the movie Shaft. In 2020, he was in the Netflix series Teenage Bounty Hunters and the films Concrete Cowboy and Vampires vs. the Bronx. In 2021, he joined the cast of Godfather of Harlem. He also stars in the series Power Book II: Ghost as Davis MacLean.

Other Ventures and Interests

Method Man has appeared in documentaries like The Show (1995). In 2006, he was on the MTV show Yo Momma. He also produces his own series of graphic novels.

In 2017, he co-hosted the celebrity battle rap show Drop the Mic with Hailey Baldwin. In 2021, Method Man started hosting Marvel/Method, a podcast for Marvel Entertainment. On this podcast, he interviews celebrity guests about Marvel comics, music, and culture. In 2022, he produced and hosted a podcast for HBO about the 20th anniversary of The Wire.

Personal Life

Clifford Smith, Jr. married Tamika in 2001. They had been dating since 1992. They have three children together: a son named Shakuan, and twins named Cheyenne and Raekwon. Raekwon played football for Stony Brook University.

Method Man is a big fan of comic books. He has a collection of about 30,000 comics. This collection includes a very rare Hulk #181 comic, which is the first full appearance of Wolverine.

Discography

Filmography

Film Roles

Television Appearances

Music Videos

Video Games

Documentaries

Images for kids

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  Method Man at the 2007 Eurockéennes music festival.

See also

In Spanish: Method Man para niños