Blackout! (Method Man & Redman album)

Blackout! is the debut studio album by American hip hop duo Method Man & Redman.[4] It is the first full-length release by Method Man and Redman after many collaborations. The album continued a string of highly successful Def Jam releases in the late 1990s. The album debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 with first week sales of 254,000 copies[5] and served as a bit of a precursor to the 2001 major studio film How High. Both rappers enjoyed perhaps the height of their popularity as a tandem after the success of the album and its three charted singles. The singles were also popular videos which were mainstays on MTV and BET. The sequel to the album, Blackout! 2, was released on May 19, 2009.

Blackout!
Studio album by
Method Man & Redman
ReleasedSeptember 28, 1999
GenreHip hop
Length58:36
LabelDef Jam Recordings
ProducerDJ Scratch, Gov Mattic, Mathematics, Reggie Noble, Rockwilder, RZA, Erick Sermon
Method Man & Redman chronology
Blackout!
(1999)		 Blackout! 2
(2009)
Method Man chronology
Tical 2000: Judgement Day
(1998)		 Blackout!
(1999)		 Tical 0: The Prequel
(2004)
Redman chronology
Doc's da Name 2000
(1998)		 Blackout!
(1999)		 Malpractice
(2001)
Wu-Tang Clan solo chronology
Nigga Please
(1999)		 Blackout!
(1999)		 Uncontrolled Substance
(1999)
Singles from Blackout!
  1. "Tear It Off"
    Released: August 17, 1999[1]
  2. "Da Rockwilder"
    Released: October 26, 1999[2]
  3. "Y.O.U."
    Released: January 18, 2000[3]

Background

Originally the name of the album was to be Amerikaz Most Blunted and was advertised as that for months before the release, but they changed it to the more commercially acceptable Blackout!. The CD version of the album features three previously released bonus tracks; "Well All Rite Cha" also appeared on Redman's solo album, Doc's Da Name 2000, "Big Dogz" from Method Man's Tical 2000: Judgement Day and 1995's critically acclaimed single "How High".

The most popular of these previous collaborations was on the song "How High" from the soundtrack to The Show. The album's three singles, "Y.O.U.", "Da Rockwilder" and "Tear It Off", spearheaded the highly hyped release to go platinum on January 6, 2000,[6] more than three months after the album's release. The album has also been certified platinum in Canada (100,000 copies).[7] The album has sold 1,575,000 copies to date. . Blackout is also considered a landmark for both rappers and for East Coast Hip Hop.

Critical reception

Rolling Stone (11/11/99, p. 132) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...a tight-as-drum album in an era of half-assed efforts."

Entertainment Weekly (10/10/99, 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 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."

The Source (2/00, p. 95) - Included in The Source's "Top 10 Albums of the Year [1999]."

Commercial performance

Blackout debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 254,000 copies in its first week.[8] On January 6, 2000, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over a million copies.[9] As of October 2009, the album has 1,575,000 copies in the United States.[10]

Live performances

Among the live performances of songs from this album was a live performance of "Da Rockwilder" by both rappers during boxer Roy Jones Jr.'s entrance for his undisputed light heavyweight championship fight against David Telesco at Radio City Music Hall on January 15th, 2000, which was the first boxing match hosted at the venue.[11][12]

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)ProducerLength
1."A Special Joint" (Intro)Clifford Smith, Reggie NobleReggie Noble1:28
2."Blackout"Smith, Noble, Erick SermonErick Sermon3:39
3."Mi Casa"Smith, Noble, SermonErick Sermon2:57
4."Y.O.U."Smith, Noble, SermonErick Sermon3:55
5."4 Seasons" (featuring LL Cool J and Ja Rule)Smith, Noble, Sermon, James Smith, Jeffrey AtkinsErick Sermon4:04
6."Cereal Killer" (featuring Blue Raspberry)Smith, Noble, Robert DiggsRZA3:57
7."Da Rockwilder"Smith, Noble, Dana StinsonRockwilder2:19
8."Tear It Off"Smith, Noble, SermonErick Sermon4:10
9."Where We At" (Skit)Smith, NobleReggie Noble1:53
10."1, 2, 1, 2"Smith, Noble, George SpiveyDJ Scratch4:30
11."Maaad Crew"Smith, Noble, SermonErick Sermon4:17
12."Run 4 Cover" (featuring Ghostface Killah and Streetlife)Smith, Noble, Diggs, Dennis Coles, Patrick CharlesRZA3:49
13."The ?"Smith, NobleReggie Noble4:50
14."Dat's Dat Shit" (featuring Mally G and Young Zee)Smith, Noble, Ronald Bean, Jamal Phillips, Young ZeeMathematics4:02
15."Cheka"Smith, Noble, Aubrey WilliamsGov Mattic, Reggie Noble2:49
16."Fire Ina Hole"Smith, Noble, BeanMathematics4:21
Total length:58:36
Bonus tracks (CD only)
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
17."Well All Rite Cha" (from the album Doc's Da Name 2000)Noble, Sermon, SmithErick Sermon, Reggie Noble4:11
18."Big Dogs" (from the album Tical 2000: Judgement Day)Smith, Noble, SermonErick Sermon, Reggie Noble3:28
19."How High *" (* Although listed as "How High (Remix)" on all pressings, the actual version included is the original as featured on The Show (soundtrack))Noble, Sermon, SmithErick Sermon4:33
Total length:1:09:14

Charts

Singles
Year Single Peak chart positions[26]
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks US Hot Rap Singles
1999 "Tear It Off" 52 16
1999 "Y.O.U." 69 18
1999 "Da Rockwilder" 51 14
"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[27] Platinum 100,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[28] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[29] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

References
  1. "Tear It Off [Def Jam] - Method Man & Redman | User Reviews | AllMusic".
  2. "Do Rockwilder - Method Man | User Reviews | AllMusic".
  3. "Y.O.U. [US Vinyl Single] - Method Man & Redman | User Reviews | AllMusic".
  4. "Blackout: Method Man, Redman: Music". Amazon. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  5. Eminem's 'Relapse' Tops Billboard 200 | Billboard
  6. Archived November 9, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  7. "Gold & Platinum Certification – July 2001". Canadian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved August 17, 2010.
  8. "Happy 20th Anniversary to Method Man and Redman debut album Blackout!". September 27, 2019. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  9. "RIAA Certifications - Redman". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  10. "XXL SCANS: DEF JAM'S ENTIRE DISCOGRAPHY & RECORD SALES". October 18, 2009. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  11. "Roy Jones Jr. with Method Man & Redman at Radio City Music Hall - Classic Performance!". YouTube. Home Box Office. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  12. Snoop Dogg; Redman (8 October 2013). "Redman and Snoop on Mt. Kushmore (GGN with Snoop Dogg)". YouTube. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  13. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 186.
  14. "Method Man Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  15. "R&B : Top 50". Jam!. November 8, 1999. Archived from the original on November 10, 1999. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
  16. "Dutchcharts.nl – Method Man / Redman – Blackout!" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  17. "Lescharts.com – Method Man / Redman – Blackout!". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  18. "Offiziellecharts.de – Method Man / Redman – Blackout!" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  19. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  20. "Method Man Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  21. "Method Man Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  22. "1999 The Year in Music". Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 52. December 25, 1999. p. YE-46. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  23. "1999 The Year in Music". Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 52. December 25, 1999. p. YE-56. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  24. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2000". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 10, 2015. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  25. "2000 The Year in Music". Billboard. Vol. 112, no. 53. December 30, 2000. p. YE-54. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  26. "allmusic ((( Dare Iz a Darkside > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles )))". Allmusic. Retrieved December 2, 2010.
  27. "Canadian album certifications – Method Man & Redman – Blackout". Music Canada.
  28. "British album certifications – Method Man & Redman – Blackout". British Phonographic Industry.
  29. "American album certifications – Method Man and Redman – Blackout". Recording Industry Association of America.
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