Method Man: A Meet Up with Legendary Rapper in Staten Island

Method Man is my favorite rapper of all time. He is a cornerstone of East Coast hip hop and has left an indelible mark on the music industry. As a member of the iconic Wu-Tang Clan, he helped revolutionize the genre with his raw lyricism and gritty delivery. His solo career, highlighted by albums like "Tical" and "Tical 2000: Judgement Day," showcased his versatility and established him as a force to be reckoned with. Collaborations with Redman, such as the duo's platinum-selling album "Blackout!", further solidified his status as a hip hop legend. The paintings I created for him are a celebration of that old-school grit and culture, all larger-than-life and in my signature style.

Meeting him was one of my favorite brushes with fame ever. I was working with an accomplished singer, actress, and producer named Crystal Johnson on her docuseries “Switching Lanes” to make portraits of the people on her show. One of those people was hip-hop fashion pioneer, April Walker (who is just amazingly talented and creative). I found out she has been long-time friends with Meth going back to the late 80s. I proposed a deal for her to get me a collaboration with Meth and she was kind enough to hook up a meeting.

My wife and I were in Brooklyn for a Switching Lanes preview party and to drop off my painting of DJ Kool Herc to the Universal Hip Hop Museum, While we were there I asked April if Meth could meet us to do the signing. He said if we could meet him on Staten Island he would do it. We got to Shaolin and propped up the paintings up on the side of the van. When Meth showed up in a cloud of smoke, he freaked out, jumping up and down, having a hard time deciding which one he wanted to keep. He chose his, I kept mine, and the unusual third painting I made went to April for helping me out. The coolest part was being able to tell him he is my favorite rapper; he replied “You’re quickly becoming my favorite artist ever”. Real recognize real. It was so dope.