Blackout!

1	A Special Joint (Intro) / Method Man 1:28
2	Blackout / Method Man 3:43
3	Mi Casa / Method Man 2:43
4	Y.O.U. / Method Man 4:03
5	4 Seasons / Ja Rule 4:21
6	Cereal Killer / Method Man 4:00
7	Da Rockwilder / Method Man 2:16
8	Tear It Off / Method Man 4:12
9	Where We At (Skit) / Method Man 1:51
10	1, 2, 1, 2 / Method Man 4:33
11	Maaad Crew / Method Man 4:27
12	Run 4 Cover / Ghostface Killah 4:25
13	The ? / Method Man 4:50
14	Dat's Dat S**T / Mally G. 4:19
15	Cheka / Method Man 3:02
16	Fire Ina Hole / Method Man 4:21
17	Well All Rite Cha / Method Man Bonus Track 4:14
18	Big Dogs / Method Man Bonus Track 3:25
19	How High / Method Man Bonus Track / Remix 4:40

Barnes & Noble

Since debuting their hysterically funny doobie brethren exploits back in '95 on "How High," Method Man and Redman just might be the finest NYC superstar pairing since Clyde Frazier and Earl the Pearl ran the Knickerbocker backcourt. As expected, BLACKOUT!, Meth and Red's likable weed-worshipping first full-length effort, is generally effortless in its displays of profanity-laced charisma, vocal chemistry, and vintage resuscitated old school hooks. Tunes like the bounce-ready "Da Rockwilder," "Run 4 Cover" (featuring Wu-Tangers Street and Ghostface Killah), and the driving title track are welcome additions to our heros' catalog of smile-cracking collaborations, and provide ample compensation for the occasional BLACKOUT! power outages like the misconceived Das EFX cover, "Cheka". Simply check out Meth's couplet from "4 Seasons" (also featuring LL Cool J and Ja Rule) for a concise summary of this zooted pair's out-to-lunch aesthetic: "My whole motto is fuck it/Hit the smoke shop and blow my whole budget." Cheech & Chong never sounded this fonkay. Chairman Mao

All Music Guide

Hip-hop fans have known for years that Method Man and Redman are two of the top MCs in the field, and their tour together not only proved the fact, but also showed they rap incredibly well together. Their deliveries are similar and the flow never falters, but the hint of gravel in Meth's voice makes them easily distinguishable. Now, with Blackout!, the duo's first album together (though both guested on each other's 1998 LPs), listeners have the proof on wax. Skating on top of spare, hard-hitting productions by Erick Sermon, Wu-Tang's RZA, Mathematics, and Redman himself -- under his Reggie Noble alias -- Meth and Redman trade off on hardcore rhymes and freestyle over each other. There's barely room for breath, but the rhymes are tight and inventive throughout. There are only two guest appearances (for Ja Rule & LL Cool J on "4 Seasons" and Ghostface and Street on the hilarious Blair Witch Project send-off "Run 4 Cover"), and the focus on just Meth and Redman makes for an even tighter, more combustible LP. Even with the high expectations that come along with a project of this magnitude, Blackout! rarely disappoints. John Bush