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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.
| The Meth Lab | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 21, 2015 | |||
| Recorded | 2013–2015 | |||
| Genre | Hip hop | |||
| Length | 55:36 | |||
| Label |
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| Producer |
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| Method Man chronology | ||||
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| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 59/100[3] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [4] |
| Billboard | [5] |
| Consequence of Sound | B[6] |
| Exclaim! | 6/10[7] |
| HipHopDX | [8] |
| Pitchfork Media | 4.0/10[9] |
| Rolling Stone | [10] |
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."[7] 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."[8]
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| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Intro" | Clifford Smith, Jr. | RZA | 0:18 |
| 2. | "The Meth Lab" (featuring Hanz On and Streetlife) |
| Cee the Architek | 2:54 |
| 3. | "Straight Gutta" (featuring Redman, Hanz On and Streetlife) |
| Ron Browz | 3:59 |
| 4. | "Bang Zoom" (featuring Hanz On, Streetlife and Eazy Get Rite) |
| Level 13 | 3:47 |
| 5. | "50 Shots" (featuring Mack Wilds, Streetlife and Cory Gunz) |
|
| 3:58 |
| 6. | "The Pledge" (Hanz On and Streetlife) | Charles | Mathematics | 1:10 |
| 7. | "2 Minutes of Your Time" |
| Mathematics | 2:06 |
| 8. | "Worldwide" (featuring Hanz On, Uncle Murda and Chedda Bang) |
|
| 3:27 |
| 9. | "Soundcheck" (featuring Hanz On and Carlton Fisk) |
|
| 2:27 |
| 10. | "Water" (featuring Chedda Bang) |
|
| 3:25 |
| 11. | "Lifestyles" (Cardi, Eazy Get Rite and Freaky Marciano) |
| P. Version | 4:10 |
| 12. | "The Purple Tape" (featuring Raekwon and Inspectah Deck) |
|
| 3:24 |
| 13. | "Intelligent Meth" (featuring Masta Killa, Streetlife and iNTeLL) |
| 4th Disciple | 4:01 |
| 14. | "Symphony" (featuring Hanz On, Streetlife, Kash Verrazano, Carlton Fisk and Killa Sin) |
| Daez | 3:20 |
| 15. | "What You Getting Into" (featuring Streetlife and Donny Cacsh) |
| P. Version | 3:38 |
| 16. | "Another Winter" (featuring Hanz On, Streetlife and Carlton Fisk) |
| 4th Disciple | 3:32 |
| 17. | "Rain All Day" (featuring Hanz On and Dro Pesci) |
| Daez | 2:42 |
| 18. | "So Staten" (featuring Hanz On and Hue Hef) |
|
| 3:43 |
| 19. | "Outro" | Smith, Jr. | 0:15 | |
| Total length: | 55:36 | |||
| No. | Title | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20. | "The Meth Lab" (Instrumental) | Cee the Architek | 2:37 |
| 21. | "Straight Gutta" (Instrumental) | Ron Browz | 3:36 |
| 22. | "Bang Zoom" (Instrumental) | Level 13 | 3:49 |
| 23. | "50 Shots" (Instrumental) |
| 3:56 |
| 24. | "The Pledge" (Instrumental) | Mathematics | 0:52 |
| 25. | "2 Minutes of Your Time" (Instrumental) | Mathematics | 2:09 |
| 26. | "Worldwide" (Instrumental) |
| 3:02 |
| 27. | "Soundcheck" (Instrumental) |
| 2:13 |
| 28. | "Water" (Instrumental) |
| 3:24 |
| 29. | "Lifestyles" (Instrumental) | P. Version | 2:52 |
| 30. | "The Purple Tape" (Instrumental) |
| 3:25 |
| 31. | "Intelligent Meth" (Instrumental) | 4th Disciple | 4:03 |
| 32. | "Symphony" (Instrumental) | Daez | 3:23 |
| 33. | "What You Getting Into" (Instrumental) | P. Version | 3:39 |
| 34. | "Another Winter" (Instrumental) | 4th Disciple | 3:33 |
| 35. | "Rain All Day" (Instrumental) | Daez | 2:46 |
| 36. | "So Staten" (Instrumental) |
| 3:43 |
| Total length: | 109:38 | ||
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| Chart (2015) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[11] | 80 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[12] | 77 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[13] | 183 |
| French Albums (SNEP)[14] | 133 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[15] | 38 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[16] | 12 |
| US Billboard 200[17] | 57 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard)[18] | 4 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[19] | 6 |
| US Top Rap Albums (Billboard)[20] | 4 |
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