History of Method Man in Timeline
Clifford Smith Jr., or Method Man, is a prominent American rapper, record producer, and actor. He gained fame as a member of the Wu-Tang Clan and half of the duo Method Man & Redman. His stage name is derived from the 1979 film Method Man. Notably, he won a Grammy Award in 1996 for "I'll Be There for You/You're All I Need to Get By" with Mary J. Blige, with whom he later acted in Power Book II: Ghost.
March 2, 1971: Method Man's Birth
On March 2, 1971, Clifford Smith, Jr., who is better known as Method Man, was born.
1979: Stage name origin
In 1979, Clifford Smith Jr. took his stage name Method Man from the 1979 film Method Man.
1992: Began dating Tamika Smith
In 1992, Method Man began dating Tamika Smith.
1994: Release of Tical
In 1994, Method Man's solo debut album, Tical, was released and entered the American charts at #4, eventually selling over one million copies.
1995: Appearance in The Show documentary
In 1995, Method Man appeared in the documentary The Show, featuring an argument with U-God and Ghostface Killah.
1995: Featured on AmeriKKKa's Nightmare
In 1995, Method Man was featured on Spice 1's album AmeriKKKa's Nightmare on the track "Hard 2 Kill".
1996: Appearance on All Eyez on Me
In 1996, Method Man appeared on Tupac Shakur's album All Eyez on Me, on the song "Got My Mind Made Up" alongside Redman, Tha Dogg Pound and Inspectah Deck.
1996: Grammy Award Win
In 1996, Method Man 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" featuring Mary J. Blige.
1996: Release of "Hit 'Em High"
In 1996, Method Man, alongside LL Cool J, Busta Rhymes, B-Real and Coolio, released a song from the Space Jam Soundtrack called, "Hit 'Em High".
June 3, 1997: Wu-Tang Forever Release
On June 3, 1997, the Wu-Tang Clan released their Grammy-nominated multiplatinum double CD Wu-Tang Forever.
1997: Cameo in Cop Land
In 1997, Method Man made a cameo appearance in the film Cop Land, playing a violent criminal. He also appeared in the TV drama Wonderland as a patient in a mental hospital in 1997.
1997: Success of "Say What You Want"
In 1997, the Scottish rock band Texas found some success with their single "Say What You Want".
1998: Appearance in Belly
In 1998, Method Man appeared in the film Belly.
1998: Release of Tical 2000: Judgement Day
In 1998, Method Man's second solo album Tical 2000: Judgement Day, was released.
1998: Collaboration with Texas
In 1998, the band Texas collaborated with Method Man and RZA on a remix of the song "Say What You Want (All Day, Every Day)".
1999: Feature on Limp Bizkit Song
In 1999, Method Man featured on Limp Bizkit's song "N 2 Gether Now" from their album Significant Other.
November 21, 2000: The W Release
On November 21, 2000, the Wu-Tang Clan released The W, which received critical and commercial success.
2000: Performs Know Your Role
In 2000, Method Man performed Know Your Role which was included on the album titled, WWF Aggression.
December 18, 2001: Iron Flag Release
On December 18, 2001, the Wu-Tang Clan released Iron Flag.
2001: Appearance in How High
In 2001, Method Man appeared in the film How High.
2001: Marriage to Tamika Smith
In 2001, Method Man married Tamika Smith, whom he had been dating since 1992. The couple has three children together.
2003: Criticism of Wu-Tang Management
In 2003, Method Man criticized Oli "Power" Grant and Mitchell "Divine" Diggs, the managers of the Wu-Tang Clan business, expressing discontent over financial matters.
2003: Appearance in Alicia Keys' music video
In 2003, Method Man made a guest appearance in Alicia Keys' music video for "If I Ain't Got You," playing her boyfriend. He also appeared in Beanie Sigel's music video "Feel It in the Air" in 2003, where he played an undercover cop.
2004: Income Tax Evasion
Between 2004 and 2007, Method Man failed to file income tax returns for the state of New York, leading to his arrest in 2009.
2004: Appearance in Garden State
In 2004, Method Man appeared in the film Garden State.
2004: Release of Tical 0: The Prequel
In 2004, Method Man released his third solo album Tical 0: The Prequel, which featured the hit party single "What's Happenin'" with Busta Rhymes.
2004: Method & Red sitcom put on hiatus
In 2004, Method Man starred in a Fox sitcom called Method & Red. However, after only a short time on the air, the show was put on hiatus and never returned due to creative differences.
2005: Appearance in Venom
In 2005, Method Man appeared in the film Venom.
August 2006: Release of 4:21: The Day After
In August 2006, Method Man's fourth album, entitled 4:21: The Day After was released. The album failed to do well commercially due to lack of promotion from his label.
2006: Criticism of Diddy's decisions on The Notorious B.I.G. album
During a concert in 2006, Method Man criticized Diddy's decisions on Duets: The Final Chapter, the posthumous album by The Notorious B.I.G., saying that Biggie never would have worked with some of the rappers.
2006: Appearance on Yo Momma
In 2006, Method Man appeared on the MTV reality game show Yo Momma in the pilot episode.
2006: Conflict with Wendy Williams
In 2006, Method Man had a personal and publicized conflict with TV talk show host Wendy Williams after she discussed his wife's cancer diagnosis on air without his consent.
2006: Appearance on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
In 2006, Method Man portrayed Drops on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation in the episode "Poppin' Tags".
March 27, 2007: How High Sequel Confirmed
On March 27, 2007, Redman confirmed that a sequel to How High was then being written.
April 10, 2007: Hints of Second Collaborative Album
In an April 10, 2007 interview, Redman hinted that there would be a second collaborative album with Method Man, with work beginning in midsummer or early September.
May 2007: Street Single Leak
In early May 2007, Method Man's camp leaked the street single "New York New York" which became a popular track on the internet.
May 17, 2007: Arrest for marijuana possession
On May 17, 2007, Method Man was arrested in New York City for marijuana possession after being pulled over for an expired inspection sticker. He was charged with unlawful possession of marijuana, criminal possession of marijuana, DWI, and driving an uninspected motor vehicle and reached a plea agreement to perform community service.
December 4, 2007: Law & Order SVU Episode
On December 4, 2007, Method Man starred in the Law & Order SVU episode "Snitch" as the main antagonist.
2007: Income Tax Evasion
Between 2004 and 2007, Method Man failed to file income tax returns for the state of New York, leading to his arrest in 2009.
2007: Continued Role on CSI
In 2007, Method Man continued to portray Drops on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation in the episode "Big Shots".
December 9, 2008: Original Release Date of Blackout! 2
Blackout! 2 was originally scheduled for a December 9, 2008, release but was pushed back.
2008: Appearances in Movies
In 2008 Method Man appeared in The Wackness and Meet the Spartans.
2008: Continued Role on CSI
In 2008, Method Man continued to portray Drops on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation in the episode "Drops Out".
April 2009: Single Release
In April 2009, a single was released entitled "City Lights", produced by Nasty Kutt.
May 19, 2009: New Release Date of Blackout! 2
Blackout! 2's new release date was scheduled for May 19, 2009.
October 5, 2009: Arrest for income tax violations
On October 5, 2009, Method Man was arrested at his home in Staten Island for income tax violations for failing to file income tax returns between 2004 and 2007.
2009: Initial Scheduled Release of The Crystal Method
In 2009, The Crystal Method was given a scheduled release date.
June 28, 2010: Pleaded guilty to tax evasion
On June 28, 2010, Method Man pleaded guilty to tax evasion and was sentenced to a conditional discharge and paid a $106,000 fine.
December 23, 2010: Method Man Announces Album Release
At a concert on December 23, 2010, Method Man told the crowd to look for his album in March 2011.
March 2011: Crystal Meth Postponement
In March 2011, the Crystal Meth album was postponed again.
April 2011: Method Man Discusses Image
In an April 2011 interview with The Come Up Show, Method Man replied to a question regarding his "weed-loving" image and how he has to use more discretion because of his kids.
October 5, 2011: Release of "World Gone Sour (The Lost Kids)"
On October 5, 2011, a new single from Method Man, entitled "World Gone Sour (The Lost Kids)", was released on iTunes.
2011: Small role in The Sitter
In 2011, Method Man had a small role in the film The Sitter, starring Jonah Hill.
July 2012: Crystal Meth Album Confirmed
In July 2012, Method Man confirmed that the album would come out in 2013 & would be produced by RZA.
2012: Appearance in Red Tails
In 2012, Method Man appeared in the film Red Tails.
2013: Work on Crystal Meth
Throughout 2013, Method Man worked on material for Crystal Meth and on the Wu-Tang Clan's sixth studio album, A Better Tomorrow. He also toured with Redman throughout the year.
January 1, 2014: Announcement of Mixtape and Album Releases
On January 1, 2014, Method Man announced that a mixtape titled The Meth Lab would be released in March 2014 and that Crystal Meth would be released in August 2014 on Tommy Boy Entertainment.
March 2014: Initial Release Date of The Meth Lab
In March 2014, the mixtape The Meth Lab was supposed to be released.
August 2014: Initial Release Date of Crystal Meth
In August 2014, the Crystal Meth album was supposed to be released.
2014: Appearance in The Cobbler
In 2014, Method Man appeared in the film The Cobbler.
2014: Voice role in Chozen
In 2014, Method Man voiced Phantasm, the primary antagonist on the FX animated comedy Chozen.
August 21, 2015: The Meth Lab Released as a Mixtape Album
On August 21, 2015, Method Man released The Meth Lab as a mixtape album through Tommy Boy.
2015: Lead role in #Lucky Number
In 2015, Method Man played the lead role in the film #Lucky Number.
August 2016: Supposed Release of Crystal Meth
Crystal Meth was supposedly going to be released in August 2016 but still hasn't been released.
2016: Appearance in Keanu
In 2016, Method Man appeared in the film Keanu.
2016: Appearances in film and television
In 2016, Method Man played himself in Difficult People, Luke Cage, and Paterson. Also that year, he portrayed "Cheddar" in the film Keanu.
2017: Co-host of Drop the Mic
In 2017, Method Man became the co-host (with Hailey Baldwin) of a celebrity battle rap show Drop the Mic.
2019: Features on record
In 2019 Method Man featured on the record 'Winnebago' with South London rapper Blue Meth.
2019: Voice role in Marvels podcast and appearance in Shaft
In 2019, Method Man voiced Ben Urich in the scripted podcast Marvels. He also appeared in Shaft as Freddie P, an acquaintance of John Shaft.
2020: Starred in Vampires vs. the Bronx
In 2020, Method Man also starred as Father Jackson in Netflix film Vampires vs. the Bronx.
2020: Recurring role in Teenage Bounty Hunters
In 2020, Method Man appeared as a recurring character in the Netflix original series Teenage Bounty Hunters as Terrance Coin, Bowser's rival bounty hunter.
2020: Starred in Concrete Cowboy
In 2020, Method Man starred in the film Concrete Cowboy, an adaptation of the book Ghetto Cowboy.
February 2021: Host of Marvel/Method podcast
In February 2021, Method Man began hosting Marvel/Method, a podcast series for Marvel Entertainment and Sirius XM, featuring interviews about Marvel comics, music, and culture.
2021: Appearance in Godfather of Harlem
In 2021, Method Man made appearances as Samuel Christian in Season 2 of the MGM+ series, Godfather of Harlem.
2022: Host of "The Wire At 20" podcast
In 2022, Method Man produced and hosted "The Wire At 20" 20th anniversary podcast for HBO.
2025: Crystal Meth is still unreleased
As of 2025 the Crystal Meth album still hasn't been released
