Method and Red" are Dumb and DumberBy James Hill, BET.com Staff Writer Posted June 17, 2004 -- The downward spiral of Black entertainment continues with the airing of last night’s “Method and Red.” Not only was the show phenomenally unfunny, a fact punctuated by a ghastly laugh track, but it boiled down two talented rappers, Method Man and Redman, in a benign, buffoonish broth ready for mainstream consumption.
For those who haven’t seen ads for the show, some of which are popping up right now on your screen, the premise has the two rappers moving into a rich New Jersey neighborhood in order to, if I may quote a similarly premised film, bring down the house.
If “Soul Plane” and “House” have taught us anything, Black people don’t fit in with rich, White folks. We’re too loud. We speak in indecipherable slang and dress funny. The premiere episode is one long illustration of White fear of supposed Black culture. The ****-retentive neighbors quake at **** and Red’s parade of booming Escalades. They balk at the outrageous parties and stare wide-eyed as they use Byzantine phrases, like “You feel me?” In short, the show avoids any hint of originality and instead regurgitates every Black-fish-out-of-water scenario, only to later tell us, “We really aren’t that different from one another.”
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One of the real failings of the show is the lack of attention it pays to the stars. Both rappers have been in the public eye since the early '90s, and while they have evolved (essential to stay relevant in the rap game), the show fails to discern between the two. It violates the rule of comedy duos, which is to make them polar opposites whether in looks or attitude.
Fans know that Red is a rude jokester, the kind of guy you’d never introduce to your girlfriend, while Method is a more of a grimy street rapper, with a penchant for wearing milky eye contacts and rhymes about swords. Here, there is no distinction made. **** and Red are just two ways of addressing the same overused Black stereotype of terminal hipness.
What’s worse, **** and Red are reduced to spitting the kind of dialogue you'd find in an after-school special, to distance themselves from all the very things that made them famous. When the White kid next door properly invokes Black Guy Rule #7, which states that “any Black male in a White neighborhood acts as a personal bodyguard,” to beat up some bullies, Method says (with a straight face), “We don’t get down like that” and something about how **** begats ****.
Far be it from me to promote the supposed real criminal nature of popular hip-hop artists, but anyone who owns a Method or Red album knows that they DO indeed get down like that or at least like to act like they do. So what’s up with this prime-time disarmament? As tired as the phrase “keeping it real” is, it's still a cornerstone of hip-hop and, indeed, any art form that leaves one wondering where exactly did Method and Red sell out -- when trying to sell records by acting like a **** or turning into Betty Crocker in an attempt to get ratings?
I would be willing to forgive the two if the show were in any way funny. Instead of capitalizing on their wit and insight, things any rapper worth his mic should have, **** and Red are human cartoons mugging for the camera and making swoosh noises when they turn their heads. The one laugh, the mantra of ****’s mother (Anna Maria Horsford), “Don’t date White women,” gets run into the ground and drained of any possible impact.
Surprisingly, FOX missed its best opportunity at a vehicle for the two that would capitalize on their real lives and chemistry – a reality show. With Method as a married man with kids and Red as the single guy, the potential for real laughs and human drama is palpable. But giving the rappers a star vehicle is not what “Method and Red” is about. It’s about reminding us what being Black is truly about -- nothing.
What yawl think about this endeavor fox has recently acquired onto their networks? has anyone watched it?
Posted June 17, 2004 -- The downward spiral of Black entertainment continues with the airing of last night’s “Method and Red.” Not only was the show phenomenally unfunny, a fact punctuated by a ghastly laugh track, but it boiled down two talented rappers, Method Man and Redman, in a benign, buffoonish broth ready for mainstream consumption.
For those who haven’t seen ads for the show, some of which are popping up right now on your screen, the premise has the two rappers moving into a rich New Jersey neighborhood in order to, if I may quote a similarly premised film, bring down the house.
If “Soul Plane” and “House” have taught us anything, Black people don’t fit in with rich, White folks. We’re too loud. We speak in indecipherable slang and dress funny. The premiere episode is one long illustration of White fear of supposed Black culture. The ****-retentive neighbors quake at **** and Red’s parade of booming Escalades. They balk at the outrageous parties and stare wide-eyed as they use Byzantine phrases, like “You feel me?” In short, the show avoids any hint of originality and instead regurgitates every Black-fish-out-of-water scenario, only to later tell us, “We really aren’t that different from one another.”
[img]
One of the real failings of the show is the lack of attention it pays to the stars. Both rappers have been in the public eye since the early '90s, and while they have evolved (essential to stay relevant in the rap game), the show fails to discern between the two. It violates the rule of comedy duos, which is to make them polar opposites whether in looks or attitude.
Fans know that Red is a rude jokester, the kind of guy you’d never introduce to your girlfriend, while Method is a more of a grimy street rapper, with a penchant for wearing milky eye contacts and rhymes about swords. Here, there is no distinction made. **** and Red are just two ways of addressing the same overused Black stereotype of terminal hipness.
What’s worse, **** and Red are reduced to spitting the kind of dialogue you'd find in an after-school special, to distance themselves from all the very things that made them famous. When the White kid next door properly invokes Black Guy Rule #7, which states that “any Black male in a White neighborhood acts as a personal bodyguard,” to beat up some bullies, Method says (with a straight face), “We don’t get down like that” and something about how **** begats ****.
Far be it from me to promote the supposed real criminal nature of popular hip-hop artists, but anyone who owns a Method or Red album knows that they DO indeed get down like that or at least like to act like they do. So what’s up with this prime-time disarmament? As tired as the phrase “keeping it real” is, it's still a cornerstone of hip-hop and, indeed, any art form that leaves one wondering where exactly did Method and Red sell out -- when trying to sell records by acting like a **** or turning into Betty Crocker in an attempt to get ratings?
I would be willing to forgive the two if the show were in any way funny. Instead of capitalizing on their wit and insight, things any rapper worth his mic should have, **** and Red are human cartoons mugging for the camera and making swoosh noises when they turn their heads. The one laugh, the mantra of ****’s mother (Anna Maria Horsford), “Don’t date White women,” gets run into the ground and drained of any possible impact.
Surprisingly, FOX missed its best opportunity at a vehicle for the two that would capitalize on their real lives and chemistry – a reality show. With Method as a married man with kids and Red as the single guy, the potential for real laughs and human drama is palpable. But giving the rappers a star vehicle is not what “Method and Red” is about. It’s about reminding us what being Black is truly about -- nothing.
