Redman

Method Man may be attached to his hip now, but Redman was holding it down on his own back in 1992, when he debuted with a rhyme scheme calloused enough for the streets and a sense of humor that made his singles the center of attention at block parties.

So Redman is a little crazy, as evidenced by a heated exchange with his alter ego ("Redman Meets Reggie Noble") and "Da Goodness," which boldly invites Busta Rhymes into the studio after appropriating his flow and borrowing the beat from "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See." Ah, but that's why he's so endearing.

Dare Iz a Darkside is Redman's "difficult" album. However, in his case that actually means it's his most unhinged, teetering-on-the-edge-of-insanity effort. "Slide and Rock On" hits a helium tank hard years before Quasimoto, while the rest of the record and these Deep Cuts play like deleted scenes from Half Baked (with bass-heavy beats).

Before he was a sitcom and popcorn-movie star, Redman was one of the East Coast's most respected rappers — both via his early-'90s solo work and collaborations with the Hit Squad, helmed by EPMD (producer Erick Sermon put the funk in the trunk of many Redman tracks). Somewhere in between then and now, he met Method Man and moved from a satirical/serious style, obsessed with sex, violence, and a good blunt, to a gruff confidence that'll leave you laughing and noddin' your noggin.