With 4 studio albums under his belt (the fourth being “Doc’s the Name 2000” – his bestselling album reaching platinum status), Reggie “Redman” Noble was riding high in the world of hip hop.

At the same time Clifford “Method Man” Smith was riding a high of his own.  The rapper had enjoyed artistic as well as commercial success with the Wu-Tang Clan’s “Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), as well as his own solo album “Tical.”  He was the first member of the Clan to release a solo record, and it reached platinum status.  Wu-Tang’s second group effort “Wu-Tang Forever” rocked the world and debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 and went 4X platinum.

Method would follow it up with his second solo effort “Tical 2000:  Judgement Day,” which also enjoyed a great deal of commercial success and featured a track with Redman titled “Big Dogs.”  (Redman’s “Doc’s the Name” also featured Method on a track titled “Well All Right Cha”).

The fact of the matter is that Redman and Method Man had indeed become Big Dogs in the hip hop world.  They were well respected by the critics, and although that doesn’t necessarily lead to commercial success in hip hop, for these two massive personalities it inevitably would.  The two didn’t need one another by any means.  They had become superstars on their own.  That’s what makes this duo so good.  Their partnership came about not out of necessity, or by outside forces pushing them to.  They teamed up out of the pure desire to make music together.  Out of that, we were gifted their first album as a duo “Blackout,”  which achieved platinum status after 3 months.

Although this was their first album as a duo, technically it was not their first release as a duo, as “How High” was collaborated on and released in 1995 as part of the soundtrack for the documentary film  “The Show.”

“How High” would be but a glimpse into the genius that is this collaboration.  Redman and Method Man worked because their respective sounds contrasted, yet their styles were similar enough to compliment one another.

This was not only true of their music.  Whether it be in interviews, or their outrageous stoner comedy “How High,” the duo’s chemistry was always explosive.

Classic line, you know which one…

Or this:

Or that time when Red held Meth’s weed for him while in custody:

That last clip exhibits the premiere reason why this duo works as well as it does.  They’re friends.  They actually like each other, they care about one another, and in that there is no ego.  Just success together.  They also both really really really love weed.

Red and Meth knew each other long before they signed deals with Def Jam.  They came up in the east coast hip hop community at the same time.  Fortunately for us, they decided that they really enjoyed hanging out with each other, but still had to earn money, and thus was born years of entertainment.