So why is Method Man’s Tical 0: The Prequel on this best 1,000 albums ever thing?
Tical 0: The Prequel is one of the very best Wu-Tang Universe solo albums.
That might be controversial or a “hot take” for some – including the editorial staff at All Music, which gives the album a paltry 2 out of 5 stars! – and to be fair I’ll admit that this one kind of snuck up on me.
The silly, raucous, slightly countrified, and deeply funked out hip-hop of “Rodeo,” featuring Ludacris (an artist I’m not typically drawn to) is the one that pulled me in.* It’s a track that simply never fails to put me in a good mood – at very specific moments in time it hits exactly right.
* I should note that lyrically this is, uh… R rated material. You see, it seems that the concept of the rodeo might be an analogy for something else. I’ll just leave it there.
“What’s Happenin’,” featuring Busta Rhymes, is an absolute smoker. It occurs to me that Method Man is an exceptional collaborator (outside of his Wu-Tang Clan collective efforts, there are multiple albums of fine work put in with Redman, such as Blackout! 2, which is #575 of best 1,000 albums ever).
Brooklyn
(Come on)
Shaolin
(Come on)
Queensbridge down to Long Island
(Come on)
This one can’t help but get me moving. If you’ve been missing out on “What’s Happenin’,” I strongly advise you to cease with the missing out.
What’s so fun and remarkable about Tical 0: The Prequel is that the collabs keep coming at you one after the other. “Afterparty,” which brings in Wu-Tang alum Ghostface Killah, is upper tier work for both rap legends. This one swings with upbeat hip-hop soul flavor.
The title track, “The Prequel,” featuring Streetlife (who shows up to great effect on many Wu-verse efforts), is another bouncy and exciting good time.
All told, this is an upbeat, party-friendly record (if no kids or people sensitive to lyrical content are involved) that gets better every single time I throw it on.
Pop culture stuff that has something to do with Method Man’s Tical 0: The Prequel
This is as good a time as any to discuss a revered Wu-Tang solo album that didn’t quite make the cut on the best 1,000 albums ever: Raekwon’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…
I don’t have anything particularly against it, and I’m probably in the minority of Wu-Tang and underground hip-hop fans here, but it’s simply not my favorite. As you can see by albums I’ve already included by Wu-Tang Clan alums (with plenty to come!), I think I’m simply more partial to the solo stylings of RZA, GZA, Method Man, Ghostface Killah, Cappadonna, Inspectah Deck, and U-God.
Some stats & info about Method Man – Tical 0: The Prequel
- What kind of musical stylings does this album represent? Rap, Hip Hop, East Coast Rap, Hardcore Rap
- Rolling Stone’s greatest 500 albums ranking – not ranked!
- All Music’s rating – 2 out 5 stars (?!)
- When was Tical 0: The Prequel released? 2004
- My ranking, the one you’re reading right now – #319 out of 1,000
Method Man’s Tical 0: The Prequel on Spotify
A lyrical snippet from Method Man’s Tical 0: The Prequel that’s evocative of the album in some way, maybe
Woke up in the morning, like ten A.M. Walked passed the Listerine, went straight for the gin.
What does the “best 1,000 albums ever” mean and why are you doing this?
Yeah, I know it’s audacious, a little crazy (okay, maybe a lot cray cray), bordering on criminal nerdery.
But here’s what it’s NOT: a definitive list of the Greatest Albums of All-Time. This is 100% my own personal super biased, incredibly subjective review of what my top 1,000 albums are, ranked in painstaking order over the course of doing research for nearly a year, Rob from High Fidelity style. Find out more about why I embarked on a best 1,000 albums ever project.