Tical 0: The Prequel

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(Redirected from What's Happenin')
Tical 0: The Prequel
Studio album by
ReleasedMay 18, 2004
Recorded2003-2004
GenreHip hop
Length55:11
LabelDef Jam Recordings
ProducerSean "Puffy" Combs, DJ Scratch, Mr. Porter, RZA, No I.D., Rick Rock, Rockwilder, Yogi, Rich Mae, Tony Dofat, Lee Stone, Nashiem Myrick, Boogz, DJ Fafu, Jelly Roll, E3, Self, Scott Storch, Q
Method Man chronology
Blackout!
(1999)
Tical 0: The Prequel
(2004)
4:21... The Day After
(2006)
Singles from Tical 0: The Prequel
  1. "What's Happenin"
    Released: March 30, 2004[1]
  2. "The Show"
    Released: September 14, 2004[2]

Tical 0: The Prequel is the third studio album by American rapper Method Man, released on May 18, 2004, by Def Jam Recordings.

Upon its release, Tical 0: The Prequel debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 chart, and was certified gold by the RIAA on July 14, 2004. The album received mostly mixed reviews from critics who criticized its lack of cohesiveness, production, and overall sound.

Background

Tical 0: The Prequel experienced over three years of delays before it was ultimately released. The album was originally scheduled for a December 19, 2000 release (as found in the booklet for Ja Rule's Rule 3:36 album), but was delayed. It was then scheduled for an October 28th 2003 release (as found in the booklet for DMX's Grand Champ), but was again delayed. Tical 0: The Prequel was ultimately released on May 18th, 2004.

The album features production from Sean "Puffy" Combs, Rockwilder, and Mr. Porter, among others, as well as guest appearances including Redman, Missy Elliott, Snoop Dogg, Ludacris, and various other Wu-Tang affiliates. Method Man would later voice his displeasure with the album, stating "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."[3]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic51/100[4]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
Blender[4]
Mojo[6]
Q[6]
Rolling Stone[7]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[8]
SpinB[9]
Stylus MagazineF[10]
Vibe[11]

Tical 0: The Prequel garnered mixed reviews from music critics who felt it lacked cohesiveness in its production and Meth's lyricism. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 51, based on 13 reviews.[4]

Chris Ryan from Spin gave praise to Meth's signature hook-filled delivery being utilized well on the various "tried-and-true rap templates" throughout the track listing, highlighting his Wu-Tang features with RZA and Ghostface Killah.[9] Vibe writer Damien Lemon found Meth's usual brand of lyrical bars to be of diminished quality and that the only things keeping the record together are the quality beats from Rick Rock, P. Diddy and Dofat, and the collaborations with Ghostface Killah ("Afterparty") and Busta Rhymes ("What's Hapennin'").[11] AllMusic's Andy Kellman saw the album as having even lower interest to attract listeners than the similar but more ambitious Tical 2000, criticizing the overabundance of guest artists and producers for making the listening experience feel "unfocused and disjointed, not diverse and well-rounded" despite commending Meth for retaining his charismatic personality and strong lyricism, concluding that "[A]s an MC, he's had nothing to prove for quite some time. Give or take a couple hot tracks, this release is not likely to play a significant role in his legacy."[5] Rolling Stone's Peter Relic felt the record lacked the "astro-black ambition" that encapsulated previous Tical installments and found Meth's stoner persona devolved into a "leering grotesque of his former menacing self", saying "Tical 0 finds the thirty-three-year-old still stuck spinning doughnuts in a cul-de-sac of blunts."[7] Scott McKeating of Stylus Magazine was heavily critical towards the album, noting the "scattered production styles" and featured guests making Meth's performance feel lacklustre, and the overall concept lacking focus due to studio interference concluding that, "There’s probably an OK Tical 0 that you could Frankenstein together from the leftovers and leaks, but he wasn’t anywhere near interested or prepared to make this album; it’s a bloody mess."[10]

Track listing

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[12]

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Intro" (featuring RZA)
  • Yogi
  • Rich Mae[a]
1:01
2."The Prequel" (featuring Streetlife)Rick Rock2:07
3."Say What" (featuring Missy Elliott)4:11
4."What's Happenin'" (featuring Busta Rhymes)DJ Scratch3:52
5."The Motto"
  • C. Smith, Jr.
  • Nashiem Myrick
  • Lee Stone
  • Nashiem Myrick
  • Lee Stone
3:24
6."We Some Dogs" (featuring Mr. Porter, Redman, and Snoop Dogg)Mr. Porter4:30
7."The Turn" (featuring Raekwon)
RZA3:01
8."Tease" (featuring Chinky)
No I.D.4:50
9."Rodeo" (featuring Ludacris)
Boogz2:57
10."Baby Come On" (featuring Kardinal Offishall)
DJ Fafu4:01
11."Who Ya Rollin Wit" (featuring Streetlife)
  • C. Smith, Jr.
  • Charles
  • David Drew
  • Raheem Buggs
Jelly Roll4:26
12."Never Hold Back" (featuring E3 and Saukrates)
E33:05
13."The Show"Self Service2:30
14."Act Right"
Rockwilder3:17
15."Afterparty" (featuring Ghostface Killah)
Q3:12
16."Crooked Letter I" (featuring Streetlife and Mr. Porter)
  • C. Smith, Jr.
  • Charles
  • Porter
  • Mike Chavarria
Mr. Porter3:48
17."Ridin' for Outro" (performed by Black Ice)
  • Lamar Manson
  • J. Graham
  • Yogi
  • Rich Mae[a]
1:01
Total length:55:11
Japanese bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
18."Uh Huh"C. Smith, Jr.Nottz4:25
19."Let's Do It" (featuring Redman)
Scott Storch4:35
Total length:64:11

Notes

  • ^[a] signifies a co-producer

Sample credits[12]

Personnel

Credits for Tical 0: The Prequel adapted from AllMusic.[13]

  • Method Man – executive producer
  • Kevin Liles – executive producer
  • Harve Pierre – A&R direction
  • Tina M. Davis – A&R
  • Mark Brown – A&R
  • Folayan Knight – A&R
  • Tyson Davis – A&R coordinator
  • Patrick "Plain Pat" Reynolds – A&R administrator
  • Tony Vanias – recording administrator
  • Chris Athens – mastering
  • Shante Bacon – marketing
  • James Ellis – management
  • Dawud S. West – art direction, design and graffiti
  • James Porto – cover illustration
  • Vurv Inc. – phoenix logo
  • Matt Doyle – photography
  • Walik Goshorn – bus photo
  • Jennifer L. Justice – legal counsel
  • Randy "Mac" McMillan – business affairs
  • Antoinette Trotman – business affairs
  • Ian Allen – business affairs
  • Chris Kellam – engineer
  • Deborah Mannis-Gardner – sample clearance agent

Charts and certifications

See also

References

  1. ^ "What's Happenin' - Method Man | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic".
  2. ^ "The Show/The Prequel - Method Man | User Reviews | AllMusic".
  3. ^ Reid, Shaheem (January 6, 2006). "Method Man Drops Diddy, Seeks Clarity On New LP, 4:21 … The Day After". MTV. Viacom. Archived from the original on May 20, 2021. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
  4. ^ a b c "Reviews for Tical 0: The Prequel by Method Man". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on September 26, 2016. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  5. ^ a b Kellman, Andy. "Tical 0: The Prequel - Method Man". AllMusic. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
  6. ^ a b "Tical O: prequel CD - Rakuten.com". Buy.com. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
  7. ^ a b Relic, Peter (May 27, 2004). "Method Man: Tical 0: The Prequel". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Archived from the original on May 6, 2007. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
  8. ^ Cross, Charles R. (2004). "Method Man". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 539. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  9. ^ a b Ryan, Chris (June 2004). "Method Man 'Tical 0: The Prequel'". Spin. 20 (6). Spin Media LLC: 104–105. ISSN 0886-3032. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
  10. ^ a b McKeating, Scott (May 19, 2004). "Method Man - Tical 0: The Prequel - Review". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on July 19, 2010. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
  11. ^ a b Lemon, Damien (June 2004). "Method Man 'Tical 0: The Prequel'". Vibe. 12 (6). Vibe Media: 152. ISSN 1070-4701. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
  12. ^ a b Tical 0: The Prequel (booklet). Def Jam. 2004.
  13. ^ Kellman, Andy. "Tical 0: The Prequel - Method Man | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
  14. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 186.
  15. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Method Man – Tical 0: The Prequel" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  16. ^ "Ultratop.be – Method Man – Tical 0: The Prequel" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  17. ^ "Ultratop.be – Method Man – Tical 0: The Prequel" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  18. ^ "Method Man Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
  19. ^ "R&B : Top 50". Jam!. May 27, 2004. Archived from the original on June 3, 2004. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  20. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Method Man – Tical 0: The Prequel" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  21. ^ "Lescharts.com – Method Man – Tical 0: The Prequel". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  22. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Method Man – Tical 0: The Prequel" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  23. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Method Man – Tical 0: The Prequel". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  24. ^ "Method Man | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  25. ^ "Method Man Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
  26. ^ "Method Man Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
  27. ^ "American album certifications – Method Man – Tical 0: The Prequel". Recording Industry Association of America.
  28. ^ "2004 Year-End Charts: Billboard 200 Albums". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 27, 2021. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
  29. ^ "2004 Year-End Charts: R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 19, 2015. Retrieved December 19, 2018.