Method Man and Redman
With DJ Immortal, K-Razor & Icue
Revolution, Fort Lauderdale
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Better than: The last time Method Man and Redman played at Revolution, and they were six hours late.
Luckily for Method Man and Redman, they're two of the most beloved MCs of all time -- or else they might have been mauled to death by the angry, densely packed mob of urban frat boys who had been standing around waiting to see them play for more than four hours.
On the upside, the wait thinned out the less-patient, fair-weather fans,
so when they finally took stage at 12:30 to sound-check, there was
breathing room, and all was forgiven. Evident immediately is how
fluently Meth & Red interact, on track and onstage, and the show
opening "Errbody Scream" demonstrated just that as they seamlessly
traded verses and goofy dance moves across the stage. While their
material as a group is strong, it's there respective solo material that
packs the most punch, and so most of the crowd's energy was spent on songs
like Redman's "Time 4 Sum Aksion" and "Tonights Da Night" and Method
Man's "Method Man" and "All I Need."
Even during the less memorable parts of the show (i.e., songs from Blackout 2) you can't help but be engaged by their level of energy, and just when a ten-minute rant on wack rappers threatened to kill the momentum, in drops "Da Rockwilder" and the whole place goes apeshit. After jumping in and out of the crowd several times, throwing bottled waters and demanding that the Fort Lauderdale make more noise than Atlanta did the previous night, they ended on a surprisingly weak note with Redman's 1998 cover of Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight." With all the classics in their catalog it's hard to imagine why they would close on a novelty cover of one of the most played-out songs in hip-hop.
Critic's Notebook
Introductions: If you're unfamiliar with Method Man and Redman's material as a group, they wrote two songs, one about smoking weed and another about rocking crowds.
Personal bias: Highly distinguishable voices, trademark flows, street cred with a sense of humor and being one of the best duos in hip-hop; this is how you do two crappy movies and a deodorant commercial without getting officially removed from hip-hop's artistic registry.
Five songs they could've played besides "Rapper's Delight": "Whateva Man," "Release Yo Delf," "Let's Get Dirty," "Can't Wait," or verses from "4,3,2,1."
By the way: Big ups to opener and South Florida favorite DJ Immortal, who celebrated his 30th birthday last night on stage.
Set List:
Errbody Scream
Bounce?
Hell Yeah?
Time 4 Sum Aksion
Method Man
Pick It Up
Tonights Da Night
Bring the Pain
I'll Be Dat
Da Goodness
Blackout
Y.O.U.
Ice Cream
All I Need
DJ Set
How High
How High II
ODB Tribute - Shimmy Shimmy Ya/Baby, I Got Your Money
Rockwilder
Rapper's Delight
