Method Man featuring D'Angelo "Break Ups 2 Make Ups"

Album: Tical 2000: Judgement Day (Def Jam; 1998)
Songwriters: Samuel Barnes, D'Angelo, J.C. Olivier and Clifford Smith
R&B Peak Position: #29

"You and I/ Until the day we die..."

Though the late '90's reigned with Puff Daddy & Co.'s "shiny suit"-friendly, disco-sampling hip-pop, there remained a heavy hunger for rap's more rugged entities, most notably the anti-mainstream antics of the Wu-Tang Clan and it's many off-shoot solo acts. Focal member Method Man helped satisfy that hankering when he finally released 1998's apocalypse-obsessed Tical 2000: Judgement Day, the long-awaited follow-up to his highly-praised 1994 debut.

Unfortunately, in it's deviation from it's predecessor's well-appreciated insulated construction, the uneven 2000, with it's numerous guest performers and producers, overdose on skit interruptions and over-long heft, was met with a mixed response. At the center of the many complaints was that smack dab in the middle of the album Meth had provided the buttery D'Angelo collabo, "Make Ups 2 Break Ups", a blatant attempt to build off of his "I'll Be There For You/ You're All I Need" crossover success. "Make Ups" might have been an ill fit within the context of the street-centric full-length, but judged on it's own, the Trackmasters-helmed cut was a definite prize that only strengthened Mr. M.E.T.H.O.D.'s role as the Wu's biggest "star".

Sonically, "Break Ups" was a treat to the ears, aligning soothing Spanish guitar noodling with the smooth, barely-audible falsetto kisses of neo-soul prince D'Angelo. But with this being thug-R&B delivered Wu-style, Meth cuts through the radio sheen, polishing up a firearms, "bitch" and "slut"-filled lyrical arsenal as he damns an unscrupulous ex trying to do all she can to murk up his post-her existence.

The story opens with fond recollections of their romance's beginnings: Boy meets girl, Boy feels girl, Boy humps girl on mom's sofa. But as MM soon learns, big girls might not cry, but they "damn sure lie", and any hopes of a "happily ever after" are quickly demolished once he becomes aware that she's been cheating on him with several of his friends behind his back. After giving her the boot, he soon finds joy in the arms of another, but this doesn't sit well with his ex, who, while trapped in a new, abused relationship, proceeds to make Meth and his current boo's life a living hell with her constant meddling. From ex-girl's unsuccessful attempts of seduction to trying to jump new-girl at the mall with her "crusty ass crew" in tow, Meth's ire towards her only builds, but rather than resort to violence, he gets his retribution by simply noting how pathetic she is ("You ain't want me when you had me/ Now you on
your third baby daddy/ and you hate to see a nigga happy").

Yeah, it might have offered a different vibe than most heads preferred, but "Break Ups"'s silky production and engagingly hood-soaked soap opera storytelling form quietly affirmed it to be a classic one; it also perhaps rescued Meth from experiencing a major sophomore commercial slump, as without it's admittedly awkward album inclusion, Tical 2000 might not have even reached the million-plus in sales it eventually enjoyed.

D'Angelo Method Man Break Ups 2 Make Ups
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DL: "Break Ups 2 Make Ups" (YFH)