Method Man

Clifford Smith (born March 2, 1971), better known by his stage name Method Man, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. He took his stage name from the 1979 film Method Man. He is perhaps best known as a member of the East Coast hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan. He is also one half of the hip hop duo Method Man & Redman. In 1996, he won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group, for "I'll Be There for You/You're All I Need to Get By", with American R&B singer-songwriter Mary J. Blige.

Method Man has appeared in films such as Belly, How High, Garden State, The Wackness, Venom, Red Tails and The Cobbler. On television, he and frequent collaborator, fellow East Coast rapper Redman, co-starred on the short-lived Fox sitcom Method & Red. He also had a recurring role as Tug Daniels on HBO's Oz and Calvin "Cheese" Wagstaff on the HBO's The Wire.

In 2012, The Source placed him on their list of the Top 50 Lyricists of All Time.

Early life

Born on March 2, 1971, in Staten Island, New York, Smith divided his childhood between his father's Long Island residence and his mother's home in the Park Hill section of Staten Island (colloquially known as Killa Hill). He has two sisters, Terri and Missy.

Last Judgment

The Last Judgment, Final Judgment, Day of Judgment, Judgment Day, or The Day of the Lord Hebrew "Yohm Ha Din" or in Arabic Yawm al-Qiyāmah or Yawm ad-Din is part of the eschatological world view of the Abrahamic religions and in the Frashokereti of Zoroastrianism.

In Christian theology, it is the final and eternal judgment by God of the people in every nation resulting in the glorification of some and the punishment of others. The concept is found in all the Canonical gospels, particularly the Gospel of Matthew. Christian Futurists believe it will take place after the Resurrection of the Dead and the Second Coming of Christ while Full Preterists believe it has already occurred. The Last Judgment has inspired numerous artistic depictions.

Christianity

Biblical sources

The doctrine and iconographic depiction of the "Last Judgement" are drawn from many passages from the apocalyptic sections of the Bible, but most notably from Jesus' teaching of the strait gate in the Gospel of Matthew and also found in the Gospel of Luke:

Tical 2000: Judgement Day

Tical 2000: Judgement Day is the second studio album by American rapper and Wu-Tang Clan member Method Man. The album was released on November 10, 1998, under Def Jam Records. The album's title and overall theme were heavily influenced by the apocalypse theories surrounding the forthcoming end of the second millennium. Judgement Day features production from RZA, True Master, Inspectah Deck, 4th Disciple, Erick Sermon, Havoc, and Trackmasters, among others. The album also features a multitude of guest appearances from artists such as Redman, Left Eye, Mobb Deep, D'Angelo and various Wu-Tang Clan members and affiliates such as Streetlife, who appears on seven of the album's twenty-eight tracks.

The album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 chart, and number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, while selling 411,000 copies in its first week. On December 16, 1998, Tical 2000: Judgement Day was certified platinum in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Upon its release, the album received mostly favorable reviews from music critics, though several disapproved of its over-abundance of skits.

Def Jam Recordings

Def Jam Recordings is an American record label, focused predominantly on hip hop and urban music, owned by Universal Music Group. In the UK, the label takes on the name Def Jam UK and is operated through Virgin EMI, while in Japan, it is Def Jam Japan operating through Universal Sigma Music. The label distributes various record labels, including Roc-A-Fella Records, Kanye West's GOOD Music,Ludacris' Disturbing Tha Peace, and ARTium Recordings, headed by Def Jam's current executive vice president, No I.D.. Current artists include Iggy Azalea, Logic, Big Sean, Kanye West, Leona Lewis, 2 Chainz, Axwell Λ Ingrosso, Mother Mother, Afrojack, Jeezy, Frank Ocean, Jeremih, Ludacris, Alesso, Jhené Aiko, Desiigner, among others.

Company history

Founding and Def Jam under Columbia/CBS Records-Sony Music Entertainment

Wu-Tang Clan

The Wu-Tang Clan /ˈwuːtæŋklæn/ is an American hip hop group from New York City, originally composed of East Coast rappers RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa and Ol' Dirty Bastard. The group was formed in and is associated with the New York City borough of Staten Island.

The Wu-Tang Clan has released seven gold and platinum studio albums with worldwide sales of more than 40 million albums, including members' solo projects, since 1992. Its debut album, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), is considered to be one of the greatest albums in hip-hop history and it is said to have been groundbreaking for hip-hop and one of the most important albums of the hip-hop golden age.

The Wu-Tang Clan has introduced and launched the careers of a number of affiliated artists and groups, often collectively known as the Wu-Tang Killa Bees and it has been mentioned to be one of the most influential hip-hop groups of all-time. In 2008, About.com ranked them the No. 1 greatest hip hop group of all time". Kris Ex of Rolling Stone called Wu-Tang Clan "the best rap group ever". In 2004, NME hailed them as one of the most influential groups of the last ten years.