Method Man & Redman: Blackout! (2LP) [DEF JAM]

Why you'll love it

This 2LP set spreads the album across four sides. Blackout! debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on the R&B/Hip-Hop chart, selling 254,000 copies in its first week, and went platinum within four months.

This edition

• 2LP set
• Stereo mix

About the album

Rap duos usually start in the same neighbourhood. Method Man came from Staten Island and the Wu-Tang Clan, Redman from Newark and the Def Squad, and after trading verses on "How High" in 1995 they decided a whole album together was simply common sense.

Erick Sermon produced most of it, with help from RZA, Mathematics, DJ Scratch and Rockwilder, and the pair bounce off each other like old friends. "Da Rockwilder" is a full-throttle back-and-forth, "Tear It Off" stomps, "Y.O.U." is a laid-back crowd-pleaser, and "Blackout" sets the tone. LL Cool J and Ja Rule drop by on "4 Seasons," Ghostface Killah joins "Run 4 Cover," and "Cereal Killer" is as daft and brilliant as the title promises.

The chemistry carried straight into the film How High two years later and a sequel album in 2009. The Source named it one of the ten best albums of 1999, and the pair took it on the road with that year's Family Values Tour. Two rappers, one microphone each and not a single dull moment, which is a better ratio than most committee meetings.

Also at Kops: more Method Man & Redman on vinyl · browse Hip Hop / R&B

Tracklist

Listen

On Def Squad / Def Jam (cat# 314 546 609-1), a reissue of the 1999 album.