In 2015, the compilation project The Meth Lab hit the streets, touted as a Method Man album, though much to the chagrin of fans, the Wu-Tang Clan legend was only thinly present. “People were upset,” Method Man recalls. “Every song on there had somebody else on it with the exception of one song that I did by myself.” Meth’s referring to the smooth “2 Minutes of Your Time,” though this time around he’s clocking in at a much longer stretch.
Meth Lab II: The Lithium is on its way, and with it comes the new single “Grand Prix,” premiering here on Billboard today (Aug. 9). The track is a return to Method Man’s true form: dark undercurrents mixed with sharp wordplay and seamless delivery. It’s that skill-set that has kept Method Man a continuous torchbearer for real rap, and his most obvious attribute. “I can rhyme my ass off, that ain’t nothin’ new,” he says with a laugh. “People already knew that, but they just tend to forget. Every now and then you’ve gotta remind them.”
The sequel project also brings the return collab of Method Man with music executive upstart Anthony “Hanz On” Messado of Hanz On Music. The two met years ago, as Messado was a Wu-Tang affiliate even as a teenager. When he forged plans for his own label and wanted to work with Method Man, Meth was skeptical at first. “But the more the music came through, the more I liked it and got more involved,” he expresses. A cosign from fellow Wu family member Streetlife made the mission complete, and now a part two is already in the pipeline.