This year’s 4/20 holiday proved to be the ultimate celebration for not only marijuana enthusiasts but America as a whole. After disgraced ex-police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of all charges for the murder of George Floyd earlier today (April 20), tweets of joy and relief permeated social media.
Many celebrated gleefully by shifting their attention to tonight’s Verzuz match-up between Redman and Method Man. Instead of following the traditional battle format, the How High duo blitzed fans with a concert-styled performance. Not only did the rap pioneers ruminate on their bond that stretches past three decades, but they ran through their respective classics.
With DJ Scratch lobbing instrumentals to the rap vets, Redman and Method Man played a fun game of hot potato, switching turns effortlessly. After first diving into his 1992 classic “How to Roll a Blunt,” Redman allowed his partner-in-rhyme to take center stage with his anthem, “What the Bloodclot.” While Meth swept through his grimy hits, he also showcased his seamless breath control on features like GZA’s “Shadowboxing” and Wu-Tang’s “Shame on a N—a.”
Even after skating through their solo records with fervor, Red and Meth didn’t have a problem performing lyrical gymnastics on their collaborative records such as “Diz Is For My Smokers” and “Y.O.U.” After Method Man breezed through his verse with vigor on the latter, Redman matched his lyrical agility, proving why their chemistry remains stellar 20-plus years after the song’s release.
And while they reveled in telling jokes to the virtual crowd, the pair took a moment to chime in on today’s verdict. After Meth yelled out “Guilty,” Red issued a resounding message to Chauvin: “You get what you put out there. He deserved every f–king bit.”
Besides flooding fans with their hits, Red and Meth didn’t mind sharing the sugar. Midway through their performance, they surprised viewers by bringing out Keith Murray, who dished out his 4/20 friendly hit “Get Lifted.” Later, Meth introduced his Wu-Tang brethren Inspectah Deck and RZA for the earsplitting gem “Wu-Tang Ain’t Nuthin to F– With.” Following their onstage reunion, RZA announced that he and DJ Scratch finished a new album during quarantine and are readying the project’s release.
After taking their break, Method Man and Redman shared kind words regarding the former rap peer Black Rob, who passed away last Saturday (April 17). Inclined to pay more homage to some of his heroes, Meth revisited his collaboration “The What” with The Notorious B.I.G. Afterwards, they showed love to the late Phife Dawg by playing his Redman-assisted record “Nutshell Pt 2,” and later the recently passed DMX for his contributions on LL Cool J’s “4, 3, 2, 1.” To commemorate DMX’s efforts, Red and Meth formed an X with their arms to salute the fallen rapper.
The ladies also received quality treatment. After receiving pleas from DJ Scratch to rap “one of the greatest chick songs,” Redman obliged and performed “Soopaman Loova 3″ on one knee with a cape. Method Man didn’t shy away from flexing his rap muscles for the women either when he rapped his verses from Jonell’s “Round and Round (Remix)” and Teyana Taylor’s “Gonna Love Me (Remix).” The cherry on top came when he jumped into his ’90s classic “I’ll Be There For You/You’re All I Need to Get By” with Redman reimagining the role of Mary J. Blige. It’s safe to say Mary’s vocals remain unmatched, despite Red’s valiant attempt to recapture the moment.
After serenading the women, Red and Meth ventured back into their hard-hitting cuts by performing “Tonight’s Da Night,” and “Bring the Pain,” respectively. Then, the duo upped the ante when they called on DJ Kool to join them for a lively rendition of his 25-year-old hit “Let Me Clear My Throat” and Redman’s “Let’s Get Dirty.” Right after Kool left the party, EPMD crashed the evening with a rousing flip of “So Wat Cha Sayin’” and “Head Banger.” To cap off the festivities, Red and Meth had one more trick under their sleeves: They invited legendary producer Rockwilder for their final song “Da Rockwilder” off their 1999 album Blackout!.
While fans were probably savoring a battle royale between Red and Meth, the touted rap tag-team provided an entertaining show filled with gritty raps, witty banter, and surprise guests.
