The Meth Lab

The Meth Lab
Studio album by
Method Man
ReleasedAugust 21, 2015
Recorded2013–2015
GenreHip hop
Length55:36
Label
Producer
Method Man chronology
4:21... The Day After
(2006) 		The Meth Lab
(2015) 		Meth Lab Season 2: The Lithium
(2018)

The Meth Lab is the fifth studio album by American rapper and Wu-Tang Clan member Method Man. The album was released on August 21, 2015, under Hanz On Music and Tommy Boy Entertainment.[1][2] His first album since 2006's 4:21... The Day After, the album features guest appearances from Redman, Hanz On, Streetlife, and Wu-Tang Clan members Raekwon, Inspectah Deck and Masta Killa. It was recorded in Staten Island at Track Stars Studios on VanDuzer Street under the supervision of executive producer Hanz On and producer/engineer Pascal Zumaque.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic59/100[3]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
Billboard[5]
Consequence of SoundB[6]
Drowned in Sound5/10[7]
Exclaim!6/10[8]
HipHopDX3/5[9]
Mojo[10]
Pitchfork4.0/10[11]
RapReviews4/10[12]
Rolling Stone[13]

The Meth Lab received mixed reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 59 based on 11 reviews, which indicates "mixed or average reviews".[3] David Jeffries of AllMusic gave the album three and a half stars out of five, saying "Uncle Murda, Streetlife, and Hanz On appear often, making this LP close in structure to the crew-focused Theodore Unit releases from Ghostface, but that's not a complaint as much as a caution. Consider this a Meth-led posse LP aimed at returning fans, and a very good one at that."[4] Paul Cantor of Billboard said, "Method's skill and charisma are by far the highlight of The Meth Lab, but there's not enough of him to make this unremarkable compilation pop."[5] Del F. Cowie of Exclaim! stated, "Too often, the album is weighed down by pedantic, average beats and too many run of the mill guest verses, indicating Meth's generosity is a bit of a weakness. Ultimately, it dilutes The Meth Lab's potency."[8] Andrew Gretchko of HipHopDX said, "The Meth Lab may be Method Man’s return to solo work, but without a true connection between the tracks the album feels more like a mixtape than an album, a string of songs that range from uninspiring to a reminder that Method Man was once one of Hip Hop’s elite."[9]

Track listing

The Meth Lab track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Intro"Clifford Smith, Jr. 0:18
2."The Meth Lab" (featuring Hanz On and Streetlife)
Cee the Architek2:54
3."Straight Gutta" (featuring Redman, Hanz On and Streetlife)
Ron Browz3:59
4."Bang Zoom" (featuring Hanz On, Streetlife and Eazy Get Rite)
  • Smith, Jr.
  • Charles
  • Eazy Get Rite
Level 133:47
5."50 Shots" (featuring Mack Wilds, Streetlife and Cory Gunz)
  • P. Version
  • Don't Panic Ent.
3:58
6."The Pledge" (Hanz On and Streetlife)CharlesMathematics1:10
7."2 Minutes of Your Time"
Mathematics2:06
8."Worldwide" (featuring Hanz On, Uncle Murda and Chedda Bang)
  • P. Version
  • Don't Panic Ent.
3:27
9."Soundcheck" (featuring Hanz On and Carlton Fisk)
  • Smith, Jr.
  • George Cooney
  • P. Version
  • Code Red
2:27
10."Water" (featuring Chedda Bang)
  • Smith, Jr.
  • Chedda Bang
  • P. Version
  • Code Red
3:25
11."Lifestyles" (Cardi, Eazy Get Rite and Freaky Marciano)
  • Eazy Get Rite
  • Freaky Marciano
P. Version4:10
12."The Purple Tape" (featuring Raekwon and Inspectah Deck)
  • Akie Bermiss
  • J57
3:24
13."Intelligent Meth" (featuring Masta Killa, Streetlife and iNTeLL)
  • Smith, Jr.
  • Charles
  • Dontae L. Hawkins
4th Disciple4:01
14."Symphony" (featuring Hanz On, Streetlife, Kash Verrazano, Carlton Fisk and Killa Sin)
  • Smith, Jr.
  • Jeryl Grant
  • Charles
  • Cooney
  • Kash Verrazano
  • Messado
Daez3:20
15."What You Getting Into" (featuring Streetlife and Donny Cacsh)
  • Smith, Jr.
  • Charles
  • Donny Cacsh
P. Version3:38
16."Another Winter" (featuring Hanz On, Streetlife and Carlton Fisk)
  • Smith, Jr.
  • Charles
  • Cooney
  • ANSON
4th Disciple3:32
17."Rain All Day" (featuring Hanz On and Dro Pesci)
  • Smith, Jr.
  • Frederick J. Gatto
Daez2:42
18."So Staten" (featuring Hanz On and Hue Hef)
  • Smith, Jr.
  • Hue Hef
  • Pascal Zumaque
  • Zartical
  • Isaac Hanson
  • Taylor Hanson
  • Zac Hanson
  • P. Version
  • Zartical
3:43
19."Outro"Smith, Jr. 0:15
Total length:55:36
Deluxe edition bonus tracks
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
20."The Meth Lab" (Instrumental)Cee the Architek2:37
21."Straight Gutta" (Instrumental)Ron Browz3:36
22."Bang Zoom" (Instrumental)Level 133:49
23."50 Shots" (Instrumental)
  • P. Version
  • Don't Panic Ent.
3:56
24."The Pledge" (Instrumental)Mathematics0:52
25."2 Minutes of Your Time" (Instrumental)Mathematics2:09
26."Worldwide" (Instrumental)
  • P. Version
  • Don't Panic Ent.
3:02
27."Soundcheck" (Instrumental)
  • P. Version
  • Code Red
2:13
28."Water" (Instrumental)
  • P. Version
  • Code Red
3:24
29."Lifestyles" (Instrumental)P. Version2:52
30."The Purple Tape" (Instrumental)
  • Akie Bermiss
  • J57
3:25
31."Intelligent Meth" (Instrumental)4th Disciple4:03
32."Symphony" (Instrumental)Daez3:23
33."What You Getting Into" (Instrumental)P. Version3:39
34."Another Winter" (Instrumental)4th Disciple3:33
35."Rain All Day" (Instrumental)Daez2:46
36."So Staten" (Instrumental)
  • P. Version
  • Zartical
3:43
Total length:109:38

Charts

Chart (2015) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[14] 80
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[15] 77
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[16] 183
French Albums (SNEP)[17] 133
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[18] 38
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[19] 12
US Billboard 200[20] 57
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[21] 4
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[22] 6
US Top Rap Albums (Billboard)[23] 4

References

  1. ^ "Method Man Announces New Album The Meth Lab". Pitchfork. June 1, 2015. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
  2. ^ Hudson, Alex (June 1, 2015). "Method Man Cooks Up New Album 'The Meth Lab'". Exclaim.ca. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
  3. ^ a b "Reviews for The Meth Lab by Method Man". Metacritic. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
  4. ^ a b Jeffries, David (August 21, 2015). "The Meth Lab - Method Man". AllMusic. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
  5. ^ a b "Method Man Gets Lost in the Mix of Too Many Guest Stars on 'The Meth Lab': Album Review". Billboard. August 21, 2015. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
  6. ^ Kaye, Ben (August 17, 2015). "Method Man – The Meth Lab". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
  7. ^ Willis, Sam (September 16, 2015). "Method Man - The Meth Lab". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved April 4, 2025.
  8. ^ a b Cowie, Del F. (September 2, 2015). "Method Man The Meth Lab". Exclaim.ca. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
  9. ^ a b Gretchko, Andrew (August 31, 2015). "Method Man – The Meth Lab". HipHopDX. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
  10. ^ While other Clansmen excel are building intricate metaphors and vivid storytelling, Method Man is all about swaggering confidence and masterflow flows. [Sep 2015, p.93]
  11. ^ "Method Man: The Meth Lab". Pitchfork. September 3, 2015. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
  12. ^ Jones, Grant (September 1, 2015). "Method Man :: The Meth Lab". RapReviews. Retrieved April 4, 2025.
  13. ^ Dolan, Jon (August 21, 2015). "Method Man's New Album: The Meth Lab". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
  14. ^ Ryan, Gavin (August 29, 2015). "ARIA Albums: Disturbed Debuts At No 1 In Australia". Noise11. Retrieved August 29, 2015.
  15. ^ "Ultratop.be – Method Man – The Meth Lab" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
  16. ^ "Ultratop.be – Method Man – The Meth Lab" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
  17. ^ "Lescharts.com – Method Man – The Meth Lab". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  18. ^ "Officialcharts.de – Method Man – The Meth Lab". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  19. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Method Man – The Meth Lab". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  20. ^ "Method Man Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  21. ^ "Method Man Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  22. ^ "Method Man Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  23. ^ "Method Man Chart History (Top Rap Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
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