Method Man, Redman & Raekwon on the Art of the Cypher: ‘It’s About Culture’

Method Man, Redman and Raekwon are each hip-hop legends, but they aren’t resting on their laurels. Huddled inside of Red Bull’s Los Angeles studio, the veteran MCs are gearing up for their Red Bull Spiral Freestyle. Before filming the cypher, Redman reflects on what this moment means for him and for rap’s evolution.

“It’s not just about us. It’s about the culture of Hip-Hop,” Redman tells Billboard. “We lettin’ people know, we’re ’90s dudes, but we still got fire… You young cats, let me see how active you are when you’re 54 years old. Because I’m 54. People be like, ‘You 54?’ Yeah, I’m 54! I just take care of myself and I still body s–t. This gives us the opportunity to let that cultural vibe out to the world.”

That vibe is on full display in this Red Bull 1520 release. With the dynamic energy they’re all known for, the venerated icons deliver what’s billed as a one-take performance in this dynamic visual. And while they have a history of collaborations — including Wu-Tang Clan’s “Red Bull,” for example — this marks “the first-ever freestyle track exclusively featuring all three MCs,” according to a press release.

The three rap titans sat down with Billboard to discuss the art of the cypher during this Red Bull 1520 shoot. The trio hit on the art form’s expansion from parks and alleys to the TV screen and beyond. They also highlight memorable cypher verses from the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Eminem and Ol’ Dirty Bastard.

No strangers to cyphers in the form of posse cuts, they also break down some behind-the-scenes stories from celebrated classic songs (and one that never happened). Finally, they drop gems for future MCs too.

Since you’re here for the Spiral Freestyle Cypher, what’s your favorite personal cypher story? 

Redman: The end of Yo! MTV Raps with all of us on it. Me, Meth, Special Ed, even MC Hammer was there. It was epic and we all barred up! Shout out to Doctor Dré and Ed Lover for supporting the community of Hip-Hop for so long. Let me mention one more, too. I liked the Def Squad cipher on BET. We was bodyin’ s–t!

Raekwon: Some of my favorite ciphers probably was in the community. We’d go to the park and be in the staircases. These were amateur rhymes from guys from our community. For us, it was always freestyling, gettin’ high, smokin’ blunts, 40 ounces, bangin’ on the hallway door. That, to me, was some of my greatest times of being in cyphers. We’d spin a bottle around a room, so whatever the last word he said, the next man picked it up. That’s the essence of freestyling, to be able to get in a room and pick it up when it’s your turn, to carry the torch. 

Method Man: When we first started out, everywhere we went, it was a cypher. You had to basically rhyme all f—kin’ night, because you had a record deal, or n—as wouldn’t respect you. Plus, if you really enjoyed it, that was the kind of s–t you did. 

Outside of your own, what’s been the best cipher you’ve seen in person or on film?

Redman: I like Kendrick Lamar’s freestyle on BET. Him and TDE. There’s so many elements to a freestyle. It’s not just about bars. It’s the movement; it’s the body language. My favorite part of Kendrick’s freestyle was when he high-fived ScHoolboy Q. See, I pay attention to little things like that. It was the perfect high-five! It was clean and you heard it! I know when or if he sees this, he’ll be like, “Wow, that guy is detailed. He knows what he talking about.” Because I know that hand slap was practiced and perfected.

Eminem too… Em always bodyin’ s–t. What he was talking about [during a BET Hip-Hop Awards freestyle], the purpose he was talking about when he was freestyling is what I liked. He could have blacked out and just went HAM, but he talked about purpose and things that was going on, so [I] highly respect it.

Raekwon: One year, we went to [the] Jack the Rapper [convention]. It was an event, but it felt like a neighborhood, because everybody from all over was there… We’d run up and start battles. I remember, [Ol’ Dirty Bastard], God bless his soul, would approach artists and say, “Shoot [your rhyme].” They shoot they rhyme, thinking that we were just inspired, but they don’t know they just walked into a f—kin’ liquid sword fight. I remember Dirty goin’ crazy. “I grab the mic and I damage ya/ Crush ya whole stamina/ Here comes the medical examiner!” Those three lines right there was like, “Holy s–t!” 

Method Man: My favorite moment — I wasn’t there, but it was when [Busta] and Dirty had that cypher…It was kind of like a battle, but it wasn’t, but it was very respectable. And I think that started their friendship from that day, where they was, like, inseparable…I [also] really liked the Slaughterhouse/Eminem cipher. That s–t was dope. They was killing it. I also liked a battle rapper cipher that they did on their own. Everybody caught a body on that. K-Shine killed it. Those are the ones that stick out in my mind.

Posse cuts are kind of like cyphers in recorded musical form. What’s been your favorite story from a posse cut experience?

Redman: One of my memorable posse cuts was [“Headbanger”], with Hit Squad, EPMD and K-Solo. It was so much tension on that video, because Erick [Sermon] and Parrish [Smith] was breaking up at the time. Parrish had his crew over here, and E had us and his crew over here. It almost came to blows on the set. At that time, [I was like] “Damn, man, I hope I don’t have to fight my own dudes.”

I was kind of pissed because it was my turn to shine. Everyone was supposed to be like, “Redman came out with his album. Let’s go back on the road and help promote his s–t.” But everything broke up when I was coming out. It was something for me to learn from… I was thinking, “I gotta get my a-s up and get away from this. I can’t depend on the Hit Squad giving me that support that I needed.” It triggered something in me, and gave me a lot of motivation. That right there catapulted me into an independent career.

Raekwon: Making “Protect Ya Neck.” That record was a posse cut with nine members getting on a song… When we did “Protect Ya Neck,” I wasn’t even trying to kill nothin’. I just wanted to be involved, because I kind of was seeing the future of what we were going to be. If you notice, I went second. Inspectah Deck went first. When I heard his verse, I had to go next — because I’m like, “F—k waiting!” I just threw my little rhyme in to keep the momentum up.

Method Man: I can tell you about a song that never happened. Busta [Rhymes] was doing an album. He wanted myself, Biggie and Nas on the record. I remember the first time we tried to do the record, Nas didn’t show up. It was weird that night. A bunch of weird s–t happened that night. But the record never got done. Then we went to the other spot. I think it was Quad? I’m not sure. Everybody showed up but the elevator was broke, and B.I.G. wouldn’t walk up the stairs, man. So we never got that record done. That’s one that I wish would have happened.

Another studio session that stood out to me — I was in the studio with Dr. Dre, and by the time I left there, I couldn’t even spell my own f—kin’ name. Just the anxiety, first of all, being in there with Dre — and second, just the level of smoking. I smoke, but the level of smoking and the grade of the smoke, I was not in the right place at the right time, that’s for sure. And I should have murdered that s–t! But I was off. I vowed that would never happen again.

Sometimes you hear about people changing verses on posse cuts. An MC will hear a verse and go, “I might need to change my verse.” What’s been your experience with that sort of thing?

Raekwon: I remember making this record [“John Blaze”]. It was me, Nas, Jadakiss, Fat Joe, and Big Pun, God bless his soul. Everybody told me I scored. I wrote my rhyme kind of quick, though, so I didn’t even really think too hard on it. But I heard, between there, that there was a lot of cats shufflin’ they rhymes and going back-and-forth. I think I was mad at Joe… I was like, “You let cats go back in and do they s–t over? Why you ain’t let me get mine over?” You know, we’s all laughing. But it was all out of fun because, you know, that’s what the game represents sometimes.

That’s what makes hip-hop so dope, because we all realize when it’s certain guys that’s in the room that get busy, it’s a chess game now. You want to make sure that you push the right envelope with your rhyme and make sure your s–t hits the way you want it to hit. That was just probably one situation… sometimes, it happens. But I’m confident in anything I throw out.

Oh, and [Mobb Deep’s] “Eye for a Eye [(Your Beef Is Mines)]” too. I wish I had another chance to spin the bottle on that one, because a lot of times when I write, I write at the moment, because I be so hyped. It’s like — the person who know how to cook, they don’t got time to measure. They just season it with their hand, chef it up, boom-boom-boom. Eat it, it’s good, you love it. I love this s–t. But if I really had time to measure, to calculate, to do it the way I feel I want to do it-do it-do it, then it’s a different story. Then you’re going to get an even more impactful chef. But you know, I’m always able to serve and do what I gotta do.

Redman: If I jump on a record with somebody, I record in my own studio. Before I send it in, I live with it for like 2-3 days. I be very skeptical of myself. I don’t worry about what the next man’s saying. It’s really about my purpose and what I’m saying. I might go back in, I might switch a couple of words around before I send it out. But yeah, I proofread everything I do, and I make sure that I execute correctly when I send it out, and I’m happy with it… I have never heard anyone in the world that has ever made me want to change my verse. I know that I’m coming with something different and I’m coming to body s–t. 

Like me and Eminem, when we wrote the record for “Off the Wall,” we wrote the song right there in the studio. I flew to Detroit. We wrote this song right there in the studio, and we laid it, and we didn’t go back. I didn’t hear his vocals — and I was like, “Damn, I should have tightened this. I should have said this. I need to go back.” No, we was very happy with what we wrote. I never in my life have changed my verse because of another man. If I change my verse, it’s before I sent it out and I wasn’t happy with a word that I said, but it was never because of anyone else.

Method Man: I had one person ask me to go back and do a verse, and I kind of – I didn’t tell them this so I’m not naming any names – but I kind of took it personal, and I went in on that motherf—kin’ verse. The worst s–t you can do is ask a n—a to come a little harder or something, especially if he felt like he did. But it’s the best thing you can do as well, because sometimes we need that reality check, or sometimes you need to check a n—a for saying that your s–t wasn’t hard enough. “What do you mean it ain’t hard enough, n—a?” You know what I mean? So, yeah, it’s a good thing.

If you had to advise a young up-and-comer, what’s the mentality that an MC should have for a cipher?

Redman: What’s your purpose when you’re coming into a freestyle? Is it to impress the guys around you? Is it to impress the fans, or is it to start making a cornerstone in hip-hop for you? Will this freestyle be memorable for the next 20 years? I’m gonna give you a perfect example. How I got on [was through] Biz Markie, rest in peace, my big brother, Biz Markie. I was getting on with EPMD, but also Biz Markie took me around battling. I got heard freestylin’ at [a park] in Queens… I was doing it for the culture of Jersey. Like, “I’m from Jersey. I’m battlin’ a lot of New York dudes. I gotta put my city on my back.” 

Someone had a tape recorder [at the park]. They recorded the freestyle, sent it to [the] Stretch and Bobbito show in New York. Stretch and Bobbito played that freestyle and it went — if you will, in the ’90s — viral through the circuit. I was known for that freestyle as much as I was known for the record I did with EPMD that introduced me. So I say that to say this: Young artists, when you freestyle, make sure you have a purpose. It’s cool to just body s–t and be cute with punchlines and all that bulls–t, but have a goal. Everything is purpose. What you do in life, even this music, even down to the littlest thing like a freestyle, try to have purpose.

Method Man: Stay out of [cyphers]. They don’t pay your bills no mo’. That was for us. It was a sport, like slapboxing back in the day. Somebody’s talking a lot of s–t? Let’s see what you got, man. We didn’t have SoundCloud and s–t like that. So you were always looking for an opportunity to show motherf—kers that you ’bout this s–t. That was the importance of it. Nowadays, we don’t have to do that. 

But wait, what was the question again? What type of mentality shouldn’t you bring into a cypher? Keep that other s–t I said, but that is a great question. Don’t come on that hard rock s–t, like you harder than the ground you walkin’ on — because you’ll f—k around and get beat up, and then it’s beyond hip-hop. Don’t battle in nobody neighborhood if you ain’t from there. You can go in they city, but don’t go in they neighborhood and battle there. That ain’t going to work out too well for you there, playboy. You don’t want to do that.

Raekwon: Don’t panic. Be smart. Be clever. Sometimes, you can have a dope rhyme but if you don’t say it right, you might have lost the game. You may sometimes win based on cadence. Always look at it as a competition. It’s a sport. You came to “bus’ ass” like Busta would say. Take it for real. Write something dope. Today, I wrote something fresh off the stove, right off the grill. So I would say, come in, be strong, believe in your rhyme and flow… and just breathe, man. Breathe on it.