Method Man & Redman Atone for Their Sitcom Sins

It’s hard to believe, but it’s been ten years since Method Man & Redman released Blackout!, the high point of the once-bountiful union (just edging stoner-film classic How High, of course). Which means it’s perfect timing for the sequel! Recently leaked tracks from next month’s Blackout 2 have gone a long way toward mending the duo’s reputation — rocky ever since their Fox sitcom flopped hard — and “City Lights,” featuring UGK, is no exception. The late Pimp C is represented by a well-placed chorus sample, along with the kind of exquisite slow-burn beat he used to churn out on the regular. Meanwhile, a post–8 Diagrams Meth stays rejuvenated while Red pulls off his usual court-jester act (“That nigga too fly/ My momma gave birth on Continental Airlines“). But it’s elder statesman Bun B who owns the track: “Supertight like pants in Soho,” indeed. (Oh, by the way: How High 2’s still coming.)