Clifford Smith, Jr.[3] (born March 2, 1971),[4] better known by his stage name Method Man, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor.

Method Man has appeared in films such as 187 (1997), Belly (1998), How High (2001), Garden State (2004), The Wackness (2008), Venom (2005), Red Tails (2012), Keanu (2016), and The Cobbler (2014).

[11] Growing up in Hempstead, Smith began playing lacrosse at a young age and continues to be a passionate supporter of the sport.

[16] Method Man's solo debut, Tical (1994), was critically acclaimed and well received, entering the American charts at #4[17] and eventually selling in excess of one million copies.

He also appeared on the Batman Forever soundtrack: his track, The Riddler, produced by RZA included a video with clips from the film.

In 1996, Method Man appeared on Tupac Shakur's album All Eyez on Me, on the song "Got My Mind Made Up" alongside his rhyme partner Redman, Tha Dogg Pound and Inspectah Deck, whose verse did not make the released album version, although his nickname "Rebel INS" can be heard as the song fades.

Method Man, alongside LL Cool J, Busta Rhymes, B-Real and Coolio released a song from the Space Jam Soundtrack called, "Hit 'Em High".

[20] His second solo album was Tical 2000: Judgement Day, released in 1998, which was heavily influenced by the apocalypse theories surrounding the forthcoming end of the millennium, and featured myriad guest appearances from his fellow Wu-Tang MCs.

[21] Other guest appearances include Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, D'Angelo, Chris Rock, Mobb Deep, Redman, and brief cameos from Russell Simmons, Bishop Don "Magic" Juan, Janet Jackson, and Donald Trump.

[25] Method Man was part of the very successful Hard Knock Life Tour with Jay-Z, Redman, Ja Rule, and DMX.

The album reached platinum status quickly, both in the U.S. and Canada, fueled by "Da Rockwilder", "Cereal Killa", "1, 2, 1, 2", "Tear It Off" and "Y.O.U."

[29][30] In 2003, Method Man criticized Oli "Power" Grant and Mitchell "Divine" Diggs, the managers of the Wu-Tang Clan business.

"[32] Aside from the financial issues, Method Man was unhappy with the decision to bring Wu-Tang into the fashion world for a brief period of time with Wu-Wear, despite the brand being a major money-maker for the group.

"[32] In 2004, Method Man released his third solo album Tical 0: The Prequel, which featured the hit party single "What's Happenin'" with Busta Rhymes and included guest appearances of pop-rap stars like Missy Elliott and P. Diddy.

"[33] Method Man's fourth album, entitled 4:21: The Day After was released in August 2006 with a star lineup of producers featuring Havoc, Erick Sermon, Scott Storch, Allah Mathematics, Mr. Porter, and fellow Wu-Tang Clan member, RZA.

[34] Despite this being one of Meth's strongest solo efforts to date, the album failed to do well commercially due to it having no single or video, which Method Man has held discontent towards his own label for.

However, he toured strongly all over the world to promote the album, and appeared onstage with fellow Wu-Tang member Inspectah Deck, as well as New York up and comers Saigon, and Gat Murdah.

[35] On March 27, 2007, Redman confirmed on BET's Rap City: Tha Bassment that a sequel to How High was then being written [citation needed].

Club interview,[36] Redman hinted that there would be a second collaborative album with Method Man, with work beginning in midsummer or early September.

[48] Throughout 2013, Method Man worked on material for Crystal Meth and on the Wu-Tang Clan's sixth studio album, A Better Tomorrow.

[60] Method Man starred in the Law & Order SVU episode "Snitch" as the main antagonist.

He made a guest appearance in the music video for "If I Ain't Got You" (2003) by Alicia Keys, where he played the role of her boyfriend.

[64] Method Man played the main antagonist, an arsonist wealthy executive, in an episode of the FOX TV show The Good Guys.

[66] Method Man had a cameo appearance in the film Cop Land (1997), as a violent criminal who, while fleeing, throws Peter Berg's character off of a New York rooftop.

He starred in the 50 Cent-produced series Power Book II: Ghost as Davis MacLean, Tasha's Lawyer.

Method Man is the first of the Wu-Tang Clan to produce a series of eponymous graphic novels for Hachette Book Group USA's imprint Grand Central Publishing[71] (to be followed by GZA and Ghostface Killah).

[77][78] The couple have three children together: son Shakuan; and girl-boy twins Cheyenne and Raekwon, the latter of which played football for Stony Brook University.

On June 28, 2010,[89] Method Man pleaded guilty to tax evasion and was sentenced to a conditional discharge[90] and paid a $106,000 fine.

[91] Williams talked on air about Method Man's wife's having cancer, which was something he wanted to keep private and her own family members had not yet known about.

[92] During a concert in 2006, Method Man criticized Diddy's decisions on Duets: The Final Chapter, the posthumous album by The Notorious B.I.G., saying that Biggie never would have worked with some of the rappers.