Tical 0: The Prequel [EXPLICIT LYRICS]

Method Man

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 18, 2004)
• Original Release Date: May 18, 2004
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Explicit Lyrics
• Label: Def Jam
• ASIN: B00008G5DZ
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (162 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #134,107 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Tune in for the latest installment in the ongoing "Son of the Wu" saga, Tical 0: The Prequel, in which Method Man finds himself in a particularly awkward position. One gets the sense that it was a battle between Mista Mef and Def Jam for the soul of this album and that the label won. Meth's third solo outing radiates a blatantly commercial vibe that risks alienating die-hard Wu-Tang Clan fans, yet it contains just enough hot selections to grab the less judgmental listener's interest. And the hot selections are really what we're here for, right? Surprisingly, the album's many guest appearances provide the most excitement. A newly Def Jam-affiliated Puff Daddy produces and comperes the Missy-accented "Say What," Raekwon injects some old-school Wu flavor into "The Turn," and Busta Rhymes straight kills it with a full-throttle assault on "What's Happenin'." Even longtime Wu-Tang sidekick, Streetlife, adds some nice touches to tracks like "The Prequel." At least Meth's kept his friends close during this transitional period. --Rebecca Levine

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Garbage, October 13, 2004

By	HipHopFanatic (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

Method Man has lost his mind! After watching Ghostface become the top Wu-soloist, and seeing his formula of picking good beats, keeping his guest appearances in house and just straight keeping it real, you would think Method would follow in kind. Instead he has dropped an album highlighting the worst parts of Tical 2 instead of taking it back to his roots. Why would they have RZA on the intro talking up this album and saying the Wu is back when this album is horrible commercial pop music and there is hardly any guest appearances by Wu-Tang Clan members; ironically enough those and his solo cuts are the only decent songs on the album. There was a bunch of mixtapes preceding this album with a ton of RZA beats, but on Tical 0 there is only one! When will his A&R man get it through his head; the reason the Wu got popular in the first place is because their sound and style is unique; by pairing Meth up with producers and rappers that we don't want to hear with Meth (or period) like Missy, Puff, Ludacriss, etc., he is making him sound like every other corny rapper out there. How hard can it be to make an album with just Wu-tang members and just RZA beats; that would ship platinum! Don't buy this album; pick up Masta Killas joint and definitely Ghostface and Theodore Unit.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Extremely Disappointed (2 Stars), July 14, 2004

By	Norfeest "Yes Yes Y'all" (Washington DC USA) - See all my reviews

1. Why did Meth even offer this trash to the public?

2. Why did ANY of the Wu Tang soloists (except for Ghostface) abandon RZA's production skills? Isn't that what made them classic acts to begin with?

3. Why is P. Diddy on this album?

4. Why are all the tight MCs foresaking skills in exchange for commercial success and risking their core audience in the process?

5. Why is the last track (Ridin' For Outro) the tightest track on the whole album?

Now......the review:

Speaking as a die hard Wu fan that thought Meth was the best MC when they first came out, I find it hard to say this. But Method Man's album is wack. Straight up. I never thought I'd say this, but out of all the Wu releases this year, Masta Killa put out a better album than this and Ghostface's album blows this one out of the water too. His lyrics have fallen off drastically. He spits wack lines like "I'm trying to get the dollars like Creflo" and "Like Gwynn Stefani, you know there's no doubt". With the exception of Busta Rhymes, Black Ice, and a very tight appearance from Raekwon, even the guest appearances from Missy Elliott, Kardinall Offishall, Snoop Dogg, Saukrates, Ludacris, and the normally reliable and consistant Redman are straight wack. There's even an appearance from P. Diddy......that pretty much sums things up. And what's worse, the P. Diddy appearance is actually one of the better songs on the album. Even the appearance by Ghostface is questionable, but not quite wack. The "Intro" features The RZA and is very misleading because it has a tight beat and leads you to believe that this album is going to be hot, but it's actually the opposite. You want to know how far Method Man has fallen? Just listen to "Tease" or "Rodeo" feat. Ludacris and you'll see. After track 9, the album drones on and is very painful to listen to until you come to "Ridin' For Outro" feat. Black Ice. You might rememebr Ice as that incredibly skilled cat from the Def Poetry Jam show. His appearance is the only thing that saves this CD from achieving coaster status. This CD rates right down there with Chingy and Baby Bash. An album like this might be forgivable if Meth was putting out hot albums every year, but 4 tight tracks out of 17?! Come on. It takes him 5 years between albums ('94, '99, '04), so he should have plenty to say. Albums like this further strengthen my position on the piracy / downloading issue. Why shouldn't people know of this sort of wackness before we actually decide to pay for it? I would strongly reccomend that you download this album and test it out before you actually put any dollars on it. Overall, I don't know, if you like pop rap, you might like this. But for heads like me that wants skills, stay as far away from this album as you can. I'll never buy another Method Man album again because of the laziness he displayed on this LP. This CD is pure garbage.

Standout Tracks: Turn feat. Raekwon, What's Happening feat. Busta Rhymes, Ridin' For Outro feat. Black Ice (My Favorite), and Afterparty feat. Ghostface

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars This is trash-commercial rap basura, October 11, 2004

By	Lucas A. Freeman (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I was one of Meth's bigger fans before this album came out. Tical is an undisputed classic... Judgement Day was no Tical, but wasn't HALF bad... Tical 0 has proven that Meth has gone completely commercial and could care less about the fans who loved his first two joints. I figured that Mr. Meth/Mr. "How High" would come through this year and save his name seeing how his other commercial antics (aka TV show) haven't fared so well...and how disappointed was I. I got lifted and put this CD on, listened to about 2 minutes then found myself skipping song to song trying to find something reminescent of a Wu-Tang beat, no scratch that--ANY type of beat with something I could find a groove. I never found that magical beat that I was searching for, nor have I given this CD another chance. This is pure, commercial wanna-be-good music. DON'T waste your money buying this...if you think it's for you, listen to someone else's first--If you can find an unsmashed copy...