Method Man

While most of the Wu-Tang Clan has moved on to acclaimed solo albums and respectable movie roles, Method Man sounded like a bona fide star from the start — spreading his gruff flow across the spare, spooky piano keys of "Method Man." He also landed at #4 on the Billboard Top 200 with his Tical album just a year after the Wu arrived, which is what happens when a hungry MC starts his solo career off by stomping police squad sirens ("Release Yo' Delf") and distressed drum breaks ("C.R.E.A.M.," "Bring the Pain"). The beats keep a-banging in our Next Steps as well.

If there's one thing Method Man does well — there are actually several — it's guest spots, where he typically takes slamming rap and R&B tracks to a whole 'nother level through his gruff but easy-going rhyme schemes. That includes the toe-tapping, head-nodding neo-soul single "Left and Right," the pass-the-mic shuffle and very old-school vibe of "4,3,2,1," the string-section strut of "Flowers," and the tense spy groove of "Buck 50." Not through hearing every side of the M-E-T-H-O-D Man? Dig into our crate of Deep Cuts then.

All this talk of Method Man's straight-out-the-gate success and battle-ready guest spots misses a few crucial points — namely his Cheech & Chong-for-the-streets chemistry with Redman (the puddle-splashing "Well All Rite Cha," the funky fresh "Big Dogs") and a string of recent solo records that reminded old heads of the rapper's start, pushing Wu-Tang cassettes from car trunks. As for the latter, listen in as "Walk On" gets down and woozy, "Ya'Meen" tests the neighborhood's strongest subwoofers, and "Dirty Mef" dances around Ol' Dirty Bastard's ghost and a grimy beat from Erick Sermon and Mathematics.

Personality — that's the difference between Method Man and just another MC busting out of the five boroughs with a chip on his shoulder and a pad of complex, cutting rhymes to match. It's also the reason why he's done everything from commercials to movies to albums with Redman — another East Coast legend who's as humorous as he is hardcore. As a key member of the Wu-Tang Clan, Method Man has also helped helm one of hip-hop's most important (not to mention largest) collectives, from their instant classic debut, Enter the Wu-Tang — 36 Chambers, to such latter-day bangers as "Protect Ya Neck (The Jump Off)." Let's just say you won't need the song "Method Man" to tell you who this mic manipulator is once this playlist's over.