The pairing of Method Man and Redman is a rare thing in hip-hop. While collaborations are common, few have been able to match the chemistry shared between these particular artists. Their ability to play off of each other is astounding, and as one magazine once said, when the two get together, it’s almost unfair to other rappers. After a number of soundtrack appearances and guest spots on each other’s albums, the duo graced hip-hop fans with Blackout! In 1999. The album was a near-perfect blend of frat humor, bass-pounding beats, and gritty lyricism that still holds up ten years later. Whatever the reasons for taking this long, they’ve finally seen fit to release a follow-up album.

The beauty of Blackout! 2 is that, for the most part, Meth and Red ignore whatever trends are popular in urban music these days, and just do whatever works best for them. Despite an extremely brief auto-tune moment, there’s little on the album to suggest that the duo is catering to anyone just to fit in. They’ve never needed to, and it’d be foolish of them to try now. Instead, they concentrate on the strengths of the original Blackout!, adding just enough of a polish to not sound dated. From the time “BO2(Intro)” kicks into gear, it’s clear that the two haven’t missed a step, trading verses back and forth effortlessly. On “A-YO”, Red and Meth get an assist from Saukrates, and production from Pete Rock, to craft a certified jam to blast through car speakers all summer. But it’s “Errbody Scream” featuring Keith Murray that proves to be one of the standouts on Blackout! 2. The slow-down/speed-up of the beat is particularly inventing, as all three emcees go for broke with bitingly potent verses filled with the witty punchlines and the overall lunacy we’ve come to expect. Murray, especially, sounds surprisingly energized. Meanwhile, “Dangerous Emcees” is a perfect nostalgic trip courtesy of Eric Sermon. This leads into more club-appropriate tracks like “Hey Zulu”, produced by Rockwilder, and “City Lights”, featuring Bun B of UGK. Red and Meth also make sure to show some love to the ladies on “Ms. International”. But it’s not long before the pair gets back to the grit and grime of the streets, especially on “Four Minutes To Lockdown”, featuring Raekwon and Ghostface Killah. It easily makes for one of the best Wu tracks not produced by the RZA in ages.

Speaking of which, the absence of the Abbott is probably one of the few flaws to be found on Blackout! 2. RZA produced one of my favorite tracks on the original Blackout!, so to not have him handling at least one or two tracks on the new album is quite disappointing. Beyond that, Blackout! 2 is a solid effort from Red and Meth, if not the instant classic that the first album was. There’s enough of a balance between their longing for the 90s glory days of hip-hop, and the need to move forward, to keep heads nodding emphatically for the foreseeable future.

The Verdict: A-