Method Man http://www.bmi.com/affiliate/rss/C530 This BMI RSS feed contains news articles, events, and musicworld articles for a specific affiliate or group. en affiliates@bmi.com Copyright 2008 2008-07-23T22:00:01-05:00 For Wu Tang Clan, It’s All in the Family http://www.bmi.com/musicworld/entry/233468 Artists, Method Man, Rage Against the Machine, TANG, Wu-Tang Clan, Musical Styles, Urban, Musicworld, Feature

''Wu Tang is one big family,'' says Steve Rifkind, president of Loud Records. ''Them together is pure energy. It's family, it's love.''

Loud Records is the home of the New York-based rap collective Wu Tang Clan. And Wu Tang really is like a family - a very large family. Comprising nine members, the group operates as a single unit and as individual artists. Method Man, Ghostface Killah and Ol' Dirty Bastard are Wu Tang members who have garnered acclaim as solo artists. Method Man's 1994 Tical album and Ghostface Killah's 1996 Ironman CD were both deemed artistic triumphs by many critics.

The drawback to all this individual activity is that Wu Tang itself has only released three albums since it formed in Staten Island, New York in 1993. The latest, entitled The W, was unleashed on the public this past November.

Wu Tang tracks draw their imagery from martial arts movies, stark urban life and Nation of Islam ideology. Some have placed the group in the same heady hip-hop pantheon occupied by rap trailblazers Public Enemy and N.W.A. The connection to the latter West Coast rap outfit is particularly apt since N.W.A. also served as a launching pad for numerous solo careers, including those of Dr. Dre and Ice Cube.

The W isn't nearly as groundbreaking as Wu Tang's 1993 debut album, Enter the Wu Tang (36 Chambers). But it is much more cohesive than the outfit's sprawling second album, a double CD effort titled Wu Tang Forever. It's also possesses a grit that's lacking in much of today's spit-shined rap.

If Wu Tang Clan is a family then RZA is like its reigning big brother. "They call me the nucleus of the group because I have a common denominator with each one of them," he recently told a reporter from the Los Angeles Times. "Before they knew each other, they definitely knew me." RZA, 29, met most of the clan while he was living in various housing projects in Staten Island. He also produces most of Wu Tang's music.

Like many families, the Wu Tang Clan has had its interpersonal problems. A few years ago, a much-ballyhooed tour with Rage Against the Machine dissipated due to internal strife that gripped the group. Ol' Dirty Bastard has had run-ins with the law and recently spent time in a halfway house. Also, Ghostface Killah had to push back the release of his second album due to serving jail time on a parole violation.

Nevertheless, Wu Tang Clan did manage to come together to record The W while living communally for three months in Los Angeles.

"I'm dealing with a group of masters here," RZA told Rolling Stone. "I don't need to call anybody else when I've got these niggas. I'm the happiest producer in the world."

]]> 2000-11-30T17:00:00-05:00 Method Man http://www.bmi.com/musicworld/entry/233613 Artists, Method Man, TANG, Wu-Tang Clan, Musical Styles, Urban, Musicworld, Hitmaker Tical, Johnny Blaze, Johnny Dangerous, or just spell it out - M.E.T.H.O.D. Man - and you are talking about one of hip-hop’s brightest stars.

Method Man made his mark with the spotlight single “M.E.T.H.O.D. Man” on Wu-Tang Clan‘s 1993 debut album, Enter The Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers. Although still a member of Wu-Tang, Method Man made his solo debut the following year with Tical, which sold over one million copies and produced the Grammy Award-winning single “You’re All I Need,” with Mary J. Blige.

With the release of his highly anticipated sophomore album earlier this year, Tical 2000 - Judgement Day, Method Man proves that he is not just another one-hit wonder. “I called the album Judgement Day because of the fact that it’s my sophomore project and everybody’s going to weigh and compare it to the first album,” says Method Man. “Judgement Day also refers to me judging what’s out there in hip hop now.”

Method Man is not just rapping these days. He has appeared in such films as The Great White Hype, Copland and Belly. “I’m definitely trying to be serious about acting and bring something to the roles I play,” says Method Man.

And the beat is still going on for Method Man. He recently released his second album this year, Blackout, in collaboration with his partner-in-crime, Redman (a/k/a Reggie Noble), which continues to top the charts. With his rugged, street-wise presence and his ambition, Method Man will continue to make his mark on hip-hop culture.

]]> 1999-11-30T18:00:00-05:00 Creed Climbs Quickly to the Top http://www.bmi.com/musicworld/entry/233515 Artists, Creed, Method Man, Musical Styles, Rock, Musicworld, Feature

On the maiden single from their Wind-Up Records/BMG album Human Clay, Creed vocalist Scott Stapp poses the musical question: "Can you take me higher?" The singer received his reply mere days after the album's release. Human Clay debuted at number one on Billboard's Top 200 Album's chart, outselling new releases from Garth Brooks and the highly touted hip-hop duo, Method Man and Redman. Now, Creed is credited with resuscitating rock music and critics are scrambling to explain the band's appeal.

Band members attribute their success to pent-up consumer demand for hard rock. In an interview published recently in Guitar One magazine, guitarist Mark Tremonti said: "I think there were a lot of people sitting at home going, 'Man, music sucks now because there's no rock!' So when they heard us, they were going, 'Great! At least there's one band out there playing straight-up, old school rock & roll with big guitars'."

Tremonti's analysis notwithstanding, solid songwriting factors largely into Creed's success. The band's music is spiritual, heroic and unabashedly positive - the perfect tonic for rock fans weary of jaded alternative pop. Moreover, Creed delivers their gothic-scale rock & roll with a messianic zeal that rivals U2.

The band's appeal, however, extends well beyond its music. Creed enjoys an enviable, almost familial rapport with their fans. The quartet offered a free digital download of the single "Higher" a full month before the release of Human Clay. The download created a grassroots street buzz and demonstrated how the Internet can be used to stoke consumer interest.

Hailing from Tallahassee, FL, Creed recorded their first demo for a paltry $6,000. The recordings resulted in an independently produced CD titled My Own Prison. The disc caught the attention of BMG, which inked a distribution deal with the band. To date, My Own Prison has sold over 4 million copies and yielded four number one rock radio singles, including "My Own Prison," "Torn," "One" and "What's This Life For." Creed is the only band in history to score four #1 Rock Radio singles.

Now, perched firmly atop the modern rock heap, fans are wondering just how much higher Stapp, Tremonti, bassist Brian Marshall and drummer Scott Phillips can climb. "We're the type of band that functions really well under pressure," says Stapp. Such resourcefulness bodes well for Creed's future.

By Bruce Britt

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