Details
Track Listing
1. Special Joint, A (Intro)
2. Blackout
3. Mi Casa
4. Y.O.U.
5. 4 Seasons - (featuring Ja Rule/LL Cool J)
6. Cereal Killer
7. Da Rockwilder
8. Tear It Off
9. Where We at (Skit)
10. 1,2,1,2
11. Maaad Crew
12. Run 4 Cover - (featuring Ghostface/Street)
13. Question, The
14. Dat's Dat S**T - (featuring Mally G)
15. Cheka
16. Fire in da Hole
17. Well All Rite Cha - (bonus track)
18. Big Dogs - (bonus track)
19. How High - (remix, bonus track)
Album Notes
Personnel includes: Method Man, Redman, Ghostface, Street, LL Cool J, Mally G, Missy Elliott (vocals).
Producers include: Erick Sermon, RZA, Redman, Gov Mattic, DJ Scratch.
Engineers include: Dave Greenberg, Brian Springer, Tommy Uzzo.
One of the most interesting things about this collaboration between two of hip-hop's heaviest hitters is how little it relies on traditional hip-hop rhythms. Rather, most of the songs on BLACKOUT employ rhythms based on funk and dancehall reggae, giving the album a freshness that sets it apart from the hip-hop pack. Method Man and Redman have nothing if not a talent for drama, going so far as to back up their statements of gangsta superiority and sexual prowess with the sound of exploding bombs on "Fire in Da Hole."
The pair eschews the use of elaborate arrangements and overt samples so as to focus the tracks on their own forceful, dynamic delivery. Most importantly, Method Man and Redman don't appear to be in a contest to see who can rap the fastest. Their pace is deliberate enough to ensure that their message is received, and their style is expansive enough to include vocal flourishes that play off the aforementioned dancehall rhythmic touches.
Industry Reviews
Included in The Source's Top 10 Albums of the Year [1999].
The Source (02/01/2000)
...skulk-funk...Redman moans a melody of dank basement isolation, while on 'Cereal Killer' he sabotages over vamping guitar....Meth executes some taut syncopation...on which his syllables alternate cadences with producer Eric Sermon's thumpingest track of the LP...
The Wire (01/01/2000)
...when hip-hop's most playfully creative rhyme stylers throw down like two superballs in a rubber room, they're unstoppable - and make rap's most joyous ride. - Rating: A-
Entertainment Weekly (10/08/1999)
3 stars out of 5 - ...a tight-as-drum album in an era of half-assed efforts...
Rolling Stone (11/11/1999)
Included in The Source's Top 10 Albums of the Year [1999].Rolling Stone (11/11/99, p.132) - 3 stars out of 5 - ...a tight-as-drum album in an era of half-assed efforts...The Wire (1/00, p.100) - ...skulk-funk...Redman moans a melody of dank basement isolation, while on 'Cereal Killer' he sabotages over vamping guitar....Meth executes some taut syncopation...on which his syllables alternate cadences with producer Eric Sermon's thumpingest track of the LP...Entertainment Weekly (10/8/99, p.73) - ...when hip-hop's most playfully creative rhyme stylers throw down like two superballs in a rubber room, they're unstoppable - and make rap's most joyous ride. - Rating: A-
The Source (02/01/2000)
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