Method Man‘s music has stood the test of time. Whether it be as a solo act or as a member of the Wu-Tang Clan, Method Man has a catalog of songs that are universally loved.
Yesterday (April 28) at the New Orleans Jazz And Heritage Festival, Wu-Tang Clan performed an electrifying set that encapsulated several of their classics. During a performance of Wu-Tang Clan’s “Can It All Be So Simple,” Method was feeling the beat of the music and the energy from the audience. Also displaying vibrant energy was Method’s sign language interpreter, who was visibly getting into the song.
In a fan-captured video, Method quickly catches wind of the sign language interpreter and is visibly in awe of how quickly she signs to the beat.
— 2025 NBA Champs/Pels In Six (@ShotByLu) April 28, 2023
This isn’t the first time an interpreter has gone viral for getting into the music during a live performance. Back in FebruaryRihanna’s sign language interpreter was the talk of the internet after she signed perfectly on beat to Rih’s music, while busting some dance moves.
If you ever had the golden opportunity to see Wu-Tang Clan perform live, then you probably saw Mathematics on the turntables behind them. Born Ronald Maurice Bean, the Queens, New York native serves as Wu-Tang’s official DJ and producer… also the brains behind Wu-Tang’s iconic logo.
Growing up, Mathematics was first introduced to Hip-Hop by his brother, who’d bring home recordings from Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five, Treacherous Three and Cold Crush Brothers. In the late 80’s, Math began DJing block parties and local park functions, under the moniker Supreme Cut Master.
In 1990, Math eventually linked up with GZA, who was then on the Cold Chillin’ label. Math would then land a spot as the official DJ for The Cold Chillin Blizzard Tour, with an all-star lineup of Biz Markie, Big Daddy Kane, and Kool G. Rap… and the rest was history.
Fast forward to today, Mathematics returns with his own short film series titled “100 miles From Home.” This time, he steps into the writer and producer role, as he blends the world of film and music into one cohesive storyline. To date, he’s recruited Method Man, Wire actor Hassan Johnson, Griselda rapper Rome Streetz, and actress Kamaria Sarai.
The Source went on Instagram live with Mathematics to discuss touring with Wu-Tang, going from DJ to producer, what Hip-Hop means to him, the impact of Wu-Tang, and more!
How have you been?
I’ve been good, just been moving around. Just came back from South America, we were out there rocking, the whole Clan. We stormed through from Bogota, Chile, Brazil, Argentina. It was poppin’. It was nice out there, people were good.
How is it touring now compared to touring back then?
Well now, for one, we’re way more professional. Take things a lot more seriously, as far as even soundcheck, being on time. Back in the day, we get there when we get there. [laughs] Get the soundcheck, just be having fun. Be cutting off, dudes come in and start rapping. Now, everything is professional. Everybody’s on point, making sure the sound is right. We also rocked with a live band on this one too, so it was a little different. But it was good.
How was that? That must have been beautiful.
Yeah, it is! It also shows the growth within us because originally, we wasn’t really into the live band. But now, we understand as far as enhancing your show, doing certain things. I can do what I do on the 1’s and 2’s, but if you got a band, you can extend songs and do all types of things. Going into different arrangements. It’s dope, especially being a producer too and understanding arrangements and measures.
Why weren’t you guys into the live bands before?
Because we were a hardcore hip hop group. We love the bands as far as music-making, because we grew up on it. Groups like Earth Wind & Fire, we were into that.
For people who might not know, how did you get into DJing?
I was a Hip-Hop head. I deal with all aspects of it from graffiti to breaking to emceeing. I’m from Southside Queens, so the person I give salutes to is GMV, GrandMaster Vic. I was at 40 Jam. I was young, riding my bike and got to the front. Got a chance to see a master at work. When I seen him, how great and how ill he was, yo that’s what I want to do. That’s how I started DJing.
Did you teach yourself?
Taught myself. I have friends that DJ, I’d go to different cats’ houses and we’d practice, but mainly I taught myself. Just being in the lab. I cut school to be home practicing, it was a passion.
What was the progression from DJing to producer?
It was fast because I started producing at the time I didn’t really know what production was. I started producing originally for GZA when he was on Cold Chillin. When that didn’t work, we did a couple of demos. I ended up going back to work becoming a carpenter. My father was a carpenter so by trade, I became a carpenter. I saved up some money, got some equipment. I got me an Akai S950 and a Alesis HR-16 to trigger it. I was just sampling joints.
Around the same time, RZA was starting his whole Wu-Tang thing. With the beats, he already knew what he was doing. I’m hearing the shit he’s doing and I’m listening to what I’m doing, I’m like what the fuck am I doing? So I took a backseat. I’m the DJ. I started producing when one night, we’re hanging out. We’re chillin’. RZA’s working on the Cuban Linx album. We went to the movies. When we came back, he started working on the “Ice Cream” beat. I remember falling out but kept waking up, because smoking, drinking 40’s and all that. We had a little spot out of Staten Island, I was knocking out. I seen RZA working on the beat.
It was 3am he’s doing it. By 7am, “Ice Cream” is blaring out the speakers. I hopped up like how the fuck did you do that? Not saying I’ve never seen or heard him make beats before, but this time for some reason it really keyed in on me. Took the time to start introducing me, he told me about the ASR-10. That’s what went to cop, right after that. That’s when I became a producer and started producing.
I think of all the DJs and producers, whether it’s Pete Rock, Premiere, Large Professor, Dr. Dre, Lord Finesse, the list goes on. A lot of dope producers know how to DJ at one time or another. It’s an easy transition.
This year celebrates 50 years of Hip-Hop. What does Hip-Hop mean to you?
That’s life. I’ve been living Hip-Hop all my life. For the first time I seen B-boying and popping, and didn’t know what it was. I seen it at the community center, through Rodney McClain who’s a real cool dude doing it. What the hell is that? I was attracted to it. Seeing the graffiti on the train, on the walls, it’s more than just music for me. Hip-Hop is a way of life.
For me, it came at a time Ronald Reagan was President. He took all the music programs out of the school. It helped us and gave us the voice. You hear songs like “The Message,” Melle Mel was killing even in Beat Street. He was dropping jewels in there. We got to tell our story. East coast told the story first, New York, then the story would keep going. As it got to the West Coast, we got to see how they live. When I heard N.W.A, I was in high school like yo, it was crazy.
Even Common ,when I heard “I Used to Love H.E.R.,” the way he described the whole element of Hip-Hop and made it sound like a female, that was beautiful to me. Hip-Hop is the way life. It’s beautiful, because I recall a time when they said Hip-Hop would not last. They said it’s not music, it’s a phase. It’s gon’ fade out, it won’t last. Look 50 years later, it’s the #1 genre in music
Your homie said Wu-Tang has the biggest impact when it comes to Hip-Hop groups of all time.
I agree. Not just because I’m down with the crew, but because prior to Wu-Tang, dudes wasn’t able to sign as a group and then go solo. Record labels wasn’t working together. That was done by design. If you watch American Saga, you see they came up with power and RZA to get the logo. That was a big impact for Hip-Hop, it’s still impactful because people still do to this day. At one point, they called it a Wu-Tang deal. “Let me get a Wu-Tang deal.” But now, it’s normal. People may not even know where it first started, it started with Wu-Tang.
Wu-Tang impacted in so many ways, as far as so many lyrical assassins. Even beats. A lot of my beats in the beginning, you can say sporadic. It took me a while to go study music theory. We did as we felt, whether it was right or wrong. James Brown when I seen his movie, I understood it completely because “wait hold on, you can’t do that.” Because music theory will tell you, you can’t do that. James Brown said “well does it feel good? Does it sound good? Whichever it is, we gon’ do it.“
That’s what Wu-Tang did, there was a lot of freedom that Wu-Tang had in a mixture of the karate flicks. Even the mixture of black movies, old blaxploitation movies. Also the names: Method Man, aka Johnny Blaze. Raekwon, aka Lex Diamond. It wasn’t no aka’s until Wu-Tang, so the biggest impact all the way around the board.
Is this a good time to talk about 100 Miles From Home? Meaning behind the title?
100 Miles From Home means you can beat around the corner and get caught up into some shit, seeing you so far from home. I remember almost getting robbed, down the block from my mother’s house. The dudes jumped out on me, pulled out a gun on me. Had me pinned. I was getting ready to give them everything, but they came with a certain aggression and tried to manhandle me. When it got to that, wait hold on. A tussle happened. The dude with the gun is laughing. Yo, they playing with my life right now.
There’s a dog in the yard, he’s barking. He’s going crazy. The dog is a rottweiler. I break free, get over the fence. I take off, past the dog. The dog’s still barking, but it slowed them down. I had to jump the fence, and I hear shots go over my head. I had to dip around the block, cut through the yard to get back to my mom’s crib. It felt like I was so far from home. That’s 100 Miles From Home, you could be down the block and still feel a million miles away because of your situation.
I wrote it. There’s 3 acts to it, they all connect. I have different actors in it. I wrote the majority of it, it’s beautiful. Writing is a passion I have now, so I’m writing scripts. You can write scripts all day, but the best thing to do was to show your work. When I make beats, I have to manifest to put it into existence the same way with my scripts. I gotta bank on myself, I’ma do it. Nobody else is gonna do it for me.
Raekwon’s proposal for a New Jersey cannabis lounge was rejected after facing objections from local church members. Many churchgoers raised concerns about the proposed lounge in the community. According to an NJ.com report, the application for a New Jersey cannabis lounge proposed by Wu-Tang Clan’s Raekwon was denied after objections were raised by a local […]
On this day in Hip-Hop history, Wu-Tang Clan’s Ol’ Dirty Bastard released his debut solo LP, Return of the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version. Released by Elektra Records, Return of the 36 Chambers was only the second solo LP by any Wu-Tang member. Largely produced by fellow Wu-Tang emcee RZA, the album had a mostly positive commercial reception.
Peaking at number seven on the Billboard 200 and number two on the Top R&B/Hip Hop chart, Return of the 36 Chambers sold 81,000 albums in its first week and was certified gold later that year. The album was also nominated for “Best Rap Album” at the 1996 Grammy Awards.
Coming off such a successful group debut, there were little critics could say to discount the record. The Source, Rolling Stone and Allmusic have all given the project four out of five stars. In 1998, The Source selected the album to be a part of its 100 Best Rap Albums list.
Following Return of the 36 chambers: The Dirty Version, ODB went on to release one more solo album, Nigga Please, before his untimely demise in 2004. Ol’ Dirty will forever be remembered as one of the most talented and unique emcees to ever grace the mic.
Wu-Tang Clan rapper Raekwon and his team take fans behind the scenes of the official music video for “Ice Cream,” featuring Ghostface Killah, Method Man and Cappadonna from his Only Built 4 Cuban Linx album in the latest installment of Vevo Footnotes, premiering today. The exclusive content is part of Vevo’s celebration to honor the historic 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop.
In the episode, Raekwon stresses the importance of the song in celebrating women in hip-hop and showcasing the diversity of beauty in its music video. He also shares he was looking for something “soft but heartfelt” for the album and that the RZA-produced track and ice cream truck sample was perfect to inspire the lyrics and make it happen. Director Ralph McDaniels notes that filming in Jamaica, Queens posed challenges with crowd control once word spread of their location and that his favorite moment was the impromptu casting for the scene with Ghostface Killah. While Raekwon’s manager, Rashida Watler, further discusses how the music video influenced hip-hop fashion and discusses the instant impact of “Ice Cream” on the hip-hop community.
Statik Selektah is back on the scene this weekend, and he brought Ghostface Killah and Raekwon with him. Titled “Unpredictable,” his new song reunites the Wu-Tang Clan as they channel old-school vibes that have everyone buzzing. Born Patrick Baril, the producer has been active in the music industry since the early 2000s. Even in 2023, he certainly shows no signs of slowing down. Statik has worked with some of the biggest names in the hip-hop world and is known for his traditionalist approach to hip-hop production. This style incorporates classic sounds and samples and can be clearly heard in “Unpredictable.”
As they came up in Staten Island in the 1990s, Wu-Tang Clan asserted themselves as an obvious influence on the music industry. Because of Selektah’s music style, fans are finding the collaboration to be an old-school dream come true. The opening lyrics set the tone for the next three minutes, “Cashmere pea coat/Fella caught a fortune off a c note/Wiggin’ out I’m giving out free smoke/Hater love to doubt Ace.”
Statik Selektah Brings the Wu- Tang Clan Back into the Spotlight
Each member of the Clan gets their own verse, as they delve into explaining what makes each of them so “Unpredictable.” The legendary creatives prove that their quick wit and mic skills are still ahead of the game. Their throwback style matches that of their initial albums from the ’90s, surely bringing back a sense of nostalgia to long-time fans. However, there is still definitely a modern approach to the track that will draw in new listeners.
“Unpredictable” is only a precursor for Statik Selektah’s upcoming project, Round Trip. If the rest of the album is as good as the latest single, then fans can expect an amazing drop. Unfortunately, no official release date has been set yet. Make sure to check back later for any updates on the producer’s forthcoming work.
Quotable Lyrics:
In spite of all my gold they tried to shut down I’m still worth millies on the bustdown So savage, total my average that’s GOAT status Addicts fiending for these lines, that’s a coke habit
The roster for Pharrell Williams’ much-awaited SOMETHING IN THE WATER festival, which will be held in Virginia Beach from Friday, April 28 through Sunday, April 30, has been unveiled.
Presented by Walmart and produced by IMGoing and Live Nation, SITW will celebrate art, culture, and music with performances by 100 Gecs, Aminé, Ayra Starr, Babyface Ray, BADBADNOTGOOD, Black Sherif, CHIKA, Clipse, Coi Leray, d4vd, Doechii, Feid, FLO, Flo Milli, gigi, Grace Jones, Jay Pharoah, Jazmine Sullivan, Jessie Murph, Kamasi Washington, KayCyy, KAYTRANADA, Kehlani, Kenny Beats, Kid Cudi, Kitty Ca$h, Latto, Lil Durk, Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Wayne, Lil Yachty, Machine Gun Kelly, Maren Morris, Masego, Mumford & Sons, Nile Rodgers & CHIC, NLE Choppa, Polo G, Remi Wolf, Riovaz, Saucy Santana, Skrillex, Summer Walker, SWV, The Kid LAROI, UMI, Wale, Weston Estate, Wet Leg, Wu-Tang Clan, YEИDRY, yvngxchris and Pharrell’s Phriends.
The partnership between Walmart and Something in the Water as the festival’s presenting sponsor is new for this year, but the business is no stranger to community celebrations and support. With more than 4,600 locations around the country, Walmart is dedicated to fostering equity and a sense of belonging while assisting local groups and issues that are important to its patrons and employees.
“Strengthening local communities is core to Walmart’s DNA,” said Cedric Clark, executive vice president, store operations for Walmart U.S. “By investing in our associates and in the communities we serve, we help build a foundation where people can live their full potential every day. We’re excited to team up with Something in the Water, returning to a special place to Walmart, Virginia’s Hampton Roads, to help celebrate and empower this community we’re so proud to be a part of.”
YouTube will be live streaming the Something in the Water festival on Pharrell’s Facebook page, delivering this significant moment in music culture to a global audience. See complete live sets, performance footage from festival headliners, and YouTube Shorts with even more action by tuning in.
Three-day passes are on sale now at SOMETHINGINTHEWATER.COM. You can see the full lineup below.
Brooklyn rapper Lola Brooke is the new face of Timberland’s latest commemoration of hip-hop’s legacy for its 50th anniversary. Though both were established in 1973, there was once a time when the iconic boot company didn’t want to be associated with the music genre. Timberland released a purple six-inch “Hip-Hop Royalty Boot” inspired by the original […]
On this date in 1971, the Shaolin Island emcee who was virtually named after the term “John Blaze”, was born in Long Island, New York.
Admired for his unique voice and witty lyrics, Method Man is known for his one of a kind sound. The Long Island-born/Staten Island bred rapper raised the bar for the ideal Shaolin emcee alongside Wu brothers Raekwon and Ghostface Killah. Trailblazing the 90s, Johnny Blaze has pioneered an impressive portion of verses that are considered as one of the greatest in hip-hop history. His unpredictably bouncy flow hit wax in 1993 on Wu-Tang’s debut Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers, which featured what would later become his anthem, “M.E.T.H.O.D. M.A.N.” His signature stance continued into creating essential tunes as featured in his 1994 solo debut, Tical, along with guest features on the solo debuts of fellow Wu members and the only featured emcee on Biggie’s Ready To Die LP.
The wavering style and persona of Method Man have allowed him to flourish in many different pursuits in both music and entertainment. His iconic r&b collaboration with Mary J. Blige “I’ll Be There for You/You’re All I Need to Get By” is sanctioned as a cult classic and also snagged the class-act rapper a Grammy in 1996. Dubbing another innovative vibe, his musical duality with Redman became one of the most distinct and successful in the light of hip-hop duos, which triggered Method Man’s acting career. Bound to craft commendable works, starting from his role as Father Sha in Belly (1998), to How High, and now Power II: Book Of Ghost, the man with the iron lung has maintained a stellar track record of creating classics that are timeless. His deeds as an emcee, actor, showman, and overall creative make him one of the greatest hip-hop artists of all time. A certified legend.
(@ShotByLu) April 28, 2023
