Clifford Smith , better known by his stage name Method Man, is an American rapper, record producer, actor, and member of the hip hop collective, Wu-Tang Clan. He has appeared in films and TV shows such as CSI, How High, The Wire, Garden State, and Soul Plane, among others. He took his stage name from the 1979 film The Fearless Young Boxer, also known as Method Man. His name also refers to the slang "method", meaning marijuana in his native Staten Island. He is one half of the rap duo Method Man & Redman.

Early life
Method Man was born in Hempstead, New York but moved back and forth between Staten Island and Hempstead during his teenage years because his parents got divorced. In an apparent precursor to his career in hip hop, he was introduced both to playing drums and to poetry by his father. Fans of Method Man often refer to him by the shorthand nickname "Meth"; the man himself has self-applied a variety of nicknames, the most common being variations of "Johnny Blaze."
Not only was Meth interested in music, he was also fascinated by comic books and particularly Ghost Rider, a fascination which manifested itself years later in several of his many rap aliases.
His pre-hip hop life was mostly split between drug dealing and low-paid jobs (including a stint working at the Statue Of Liberty, along with future Wu-Tang colleague U-God). He has often spoken out against the ways of his past and regrets having gotten involved in the world of dealing drugs.

Music Career
Method Man was always one of the most visible members of the collective. He was one of only two members to get a solo song on the group's debut album Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers and he was the first to release a solo album under the Clan's unusual contract which allowed its members to release albums under any record label (Method chose to sign with legendary rap label Def Jam). Method Man's solo debut, Tical (1994) was critically acclaimed and extremely popular, entering the American charts at #4 and eventually selling in excess of one million copies. He soon collaborated with Mary J. Blige and Redman for a series of hit singles, one of which (the Blige duet "I'll Be There For You/You're All I Need") won a Grammy. He also appears on Tupac Shakur's album All Eyez on Me, on the song "Got My Mind Made Up". During this time Method Man also became close friends with the late The Notorious B.I.G., and was the only guest rapper featured on his debut album Ready to Die.

Method Man’s second solo album was Tical 2000: Judgement Day (1998), which was heavily influenced by the apocalypse theories surrounding the forthcoming end of the millennium, and which featured myriad guest appearances, from his fellow Clansmen. Other "guest stars" include Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, D'Angelo, Chris Rock, Mobb Deep, Redman, and brief cameos from Russell Simmons, Bishop Don "Magic" Juan, Janet Jackson, and even Donald Trump. The album sold even better than his first fueled by the party track Judgment Day and the D'Angelo collaboration Break Ups 2 Make Ups, earning Platinum and Gold certifications in the U.S. and Canada respectively. Reviews for the album were mixed and its long runtime and abundance of intermittent comedy skits were widely criticized. Tical 2000: Judgement Day was very well-received in the underground hip-hop culture, due to the fact that Meth favored the lyrical aspect of rapping, rather than going along with the Timbaland-style pop production that mainstream hip-hop employed. Producers on this album included Tru Master and the RZA. Standouts include "Step By Step", "Spazzola", "Elements", "Killin' Fields", "Cradle Rock", "Suspect Chin Music", "Retro Godfather", and "Shaolin What (skit)", which is one of the previously mentioned lyrical "skits" with no chorus.

Method Man was part of the hugely successful Hard Knock Life Tour with Jay-Z, Redman, and DMX. During this tour, Method Man & Redman recorded Blackout!, a light-hearted, bass-heavy, profanity-laced, party record with an EPMD-evoking emphasis on funky beats and the mischievous wit and cool flows of the two MCs. The album reached platinum status quickly, both in the U.S. and Canada, fueled by Da Rockwilder, "Cereal Killa", "1, 2, 1, 2", Tear It Off, and Y.O.U.. This album also featured three previously released tracks on which the two collaborated.
In 2004, Meth released his third solo album Tical 0: The Prequel, which featured the hit party single "What's Happenin'" with Busta Rhymes. Hip Hop critics voiced their displeasure with the album, many agreeing that Tical 0 felt like generic party rap and featured too many mainstream guests, detracting from his own performances. Regardless, this album sold reasonably well and was certified Gold by the RIAA relatively quickly, but would not see the platinum success of his previous solo releases. There was trouble even before the album's release when Method apparently complained to the press about excessive interference from Def Jam over the album's beats. On its release, many fans and critics were taken aback by its strong "mainstream" or "commercial" sound, highlighted by the guest appearances of pop-rap stars like Missy Elliott and P. Diddy, two artists that are involved with much different facets of rap music.
Diddy was one of the executive producers for the album, although Meth later voiced his displeasure with the final product.

Method Man's fourth album, entitled 4:21: The Day After was released in August 2006 with a star lineup of producers featuring Havoc, Erick Sermon, Scott Storch, Allah Mathematics, Mr. Porter, and, most importantly to Meth, RZA. This time around, a more focused Method Man went back to his hip-hop roots and both hip hop fans and the media took notice. He did an interview on the ItsHipHop.Tv. Despite this being one of Meth's strongest solo efforts to date, the album failed to do well commercially (although certified gold) due to it having no single or video, which Method Man has held discontent towards his own label for. However he has been touring strongly all over the world to promote the album, and has appeared onstage with fellow Wu-Tang member Inspectah Deck, as well as New York up and comers Saigon, and Gat Murdah. Meth contributed various reasons for the problems between him and his label, Def Jam. While puts most of the blame on personal agendas in the Def Jam offices, Meth did take some blame, himself, for giving into his record label.
In early 2007 Method Man confirmed that he has been in the studio with Rza working on the Clan's upcoming Fall 2007 release, 8 Diagrams.

Feuds
With Wu-Tang Management
In 2003, Method Man criticized Oli "Power" Grant and Mitchell "Divine" Diggs, the managers of the Wu Tang empire. "Number 1 on my shit list right now is Divine from Wu-Tang management. He took something major from me that he had no intention of giving back." Divine is multiplatinum record producer Rza's brother who along with Oli "Power" Grant took over the business end of Wu Tang around 1997.
Aside from the financial issues, Method Man was also unhappy with the decision to bring Wu Tang into the fashion world for a brief period of time with Wu Wear, despite the brand being a major money-maker for the group. "When Wu-Wear started making shoes and sneakers and pants, it was shoddy material. I never rocked that shit."
With Wendy Williams
In 2006 Method Man had a highly personal and highly publicized conflict with New York radio host Wendy Williams on The Breakdown, an internet show on www.itshiphop.tv. Williams talked about Method Man's wife having cancer on air, which was something he had wanted to keep private and even her own family members had not yet known about. He said that people who lived next door to him didn't even know, but Williams dug it up made it public over the radio.
Williams also reported rumors that Method Man had even been having an affair with his wife's doctor. "She said me and [the doctor] was fucking. What kind of shit is that, man? You don't do that to nobody." Method Man first heard of this when he while recording some tracks in Los Angeles, "I was ready. I was so mad, I was crying right there and I'm like I'm gonna kill some fucking body but my [Wu Tang] friends kept me in L.A."
With The Law
On Thursday May 17, 2007 Method Man was arrested in New York City on marijuana charges. His Lincoln Navigator was pulled over at the Battery Tunnel en route to Manhattan, when he rolled his window down the officer noticed a strong smell of marijuana. "It was like something out of 'Cheech and Chong.' He rolls down the window and the smoke would choke a horse," a source said. The arresting officer also said he noticed two "blunts" and a plastic bag with more marijuana in plain view. Upon further inspection more marijuana was found under the drivers seat. The arrest was made at about 10 P.M. Thursday night near the Battery Tunnel toll booths on Hamilton Ave. in Carroll Gardens.
He was charged with unlawful possession of marijuana, criminal possession of marijuana, operating a motor vehicle under the influence and driving an uninspected motor vehicle.
With Sean "Diddy" Combs
During a concert in 2006 Method Man called out Diddy's decisions on the posthumous The Notorious B.I.G. "Duets: The Final Chapter" album, saying that Biggie never would have worked with some of the sub-par featured rappers. "They got people on that album Big would have never rocked with, for real," Meth said of the album. "Musically, I ain't fuckin' with Puff Daddy". He also brought up the fact that he was the one and only other rapper that Biggie chose to have on his debut album Ready To Die. He was featured on "The What", the one and only guest appearance on the entire album.
Diddy was also one of the executive producers for Method Man's 2004 album Tical 0: The Prequel, to which Meth later voiced his displeasure on final product. "On the third LP, it was suggested to bring in Harve Pierre and P Diddy. Who am I to argue? Puff knows how to sell some records. But that wasn't the direction to go in, and I know that now".

Acting career
In the Early 2000s Method Man began a successful career in acting. He has had recurring roles in critically acclaimed television shows such as HBO's The Wire in which he plays the character Cheese, HBO's Oz as Tug Daniels, The Twilight Zone, and CSI. He hosted a series on MTV for a brief period called Stung and has made numerous appearances as himself on TV shows such as Mind Of Mencia, Chappelle's Show, and others.
He also co-starred with Redman in his own Fox sitcom called Method & Red in late 2004, however after only a short time on the air the show was put on hiatus and never returned. Method Man later complained in the press about Fox's influence on the show's style, claiming that "there's been too much compromise on our side and not enough on their side" and bemoaning the network's decision to add a laugh track. Before the show even aired for the first time, he was telling fans not to bother watching it. He plays the recurring character Drops on CSI, a wealthy Las Vegas party promoter who clashes with the CSI team in their investigations involving his clubs or entourage. His first appearance on CSI as Drops was in the 2006 episode "Poppin' Tags", he resumed the role in the 2007 episode "Big Shots".
His first prominent role came in 1998 with the film Belly along with fellow rappers Nas and DMX. He has since added many credits to his name, including roles in the films Garden State, One Eight Seven, and many others, with starring roles in the feature films such as How High and Soul Plane. On March 27, 2007 Redman confirmed on BET Rapcity that the sequel to How High is currently being written. The script for How High 2 is being written by Dustin Lee Abraham of CSI fame, who also wrote the first movie. In 2005 Method Man also had a cameo on the Pop/Indie/Horror movie Venom, where he played a deputy who shortly into the movie was killed. He has recently taken roles in the upcoming movies The Wackness and Hunting and Fishing.

Method Man has made an appearance in the Def Jam series. In Fight For NY he voiced Blaze, one of the main characters. In Def Jam: Icon, he voiced Gooch, a major character in the storyline. He made a guest appearance in the music video for the 2003 "If I Ain't Got You" by Alicia Keys, where he played the role of her boyfriend. Beanie Sigel also called upon Method Man's acting skills for his 2005 video "Feel It In The Air", where Method Man played an undercover cop leading an operation against Sigel.
Method Man appeared on the MTV reality game show Yo Momma in the first episode of Season 1.
Method Man has fallen back from pursuing more acting roles after the situation with his sitcom on Fox left a bad taste in his mouth, and now mostly just acts if the project is being handled by a friend of his, as was the case with CSI and The Wire.
Method Man had a brief but memorable cameo appearance in the Samuel L. Jackson film "187". At the beginning of the film, Jackson's character, a high school teacher, is attacked and nearly killed by Method.
Method Man also appeared in the indie documentary "Rhyme And Reason". While on a train in Japan, there is a memorable scene in which Method Man and U-God get into an argument over camera time, radio interviews, and clothing mishaps.

Awards
Grammy Awards
1996: Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group: "I'll be There For You/You're all I Need" with Mary J. Blige

Discography
Solo
Tical
(1994)
Tical 2000: Judgement Day
(1998)
Tical 0: The Prequel
(2004)
4:21...The Day After
(2006)
Crystal Method
(2008)
With Redman
Blackout!
(1999)
How High Soundtrack
(2001)

Filmography
Films
Hood of Horror
Venom
Soul Plane
Garden State
My Baby's Daddy
How High
Volcano High
Boricua's Bond
Black and white
Belly
The Great White Hype
Cop Land
One Eight Seven