Tical 0: The Prequel

Tical 0: The Prequel is the third studio album by American rapper Method Man, released on May 18, 2004, by Def Jam Recordings.

Upon its release, Tical 0: The Prequel debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 chart, and was certified gold by the RIAA on July 14, 2004. The album received mostly mixed reviews from critics who criticized its lack of cohesiveness, production, and overall sound.

Background

Tical 0: The Prequel experienced over three years of delays before it was ultimately released. The album was originally scheduled for a December 19, 2000 release (as found in the booklet for Ja Rule's Rule 3:36 album), but was delayed. It was then scheduled for an October 28, 2003 release (as found in the booklet for DMX's Grand Champ), but was again delayed. Tical 0: The Prequel was ultimately released on May 18, 2004.

The album features production from Sean "Puffy" Combs, Rockwilder, and Mr. Porter, among others, as well as guest appearances including Redman, Missy Elliott, Snoop Dogg, Ludacris, and various other Wu-Tang affiliates. Method Man would later voice his displeasure with the album, stating "On the third LP, it was suggested to bring in Harve Pierre and P Diddy. Who am I to argue? Puff knows how to sell some records. But that wasn't the direction to go in, and I know that now."

Critical reception

Tical 0: The Prequel garnered mixed reviews from music critics who felt it lacked cohesiveness in its production and Meth's lyricism. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 51, based on 13 reviews.

Notes

signifies a co-producer

Sample credits

Method Man – executive producer
Kevin Liles – executive producer
Harve Pierre – A&R direction
Tina M. Davis – A&R
Mark Brown – A&R
Folayan Knight – A&R
Tyson Davis – A&R coordinator
Patrick "Plain Pat" Reynolds – A&R administrator
Tony Vanias – recording administrator
Chris Athens – mastering
Shante Bacon – marketing
James Ellis – management
Dawud S. West – art direction, design and graffiti
James Porto – cover illustration
Vurv Inc. – phoenix logo
Matt Doyle – photography
Walik Goshorn – bus photo
Jennifer L. Justice – legal counsel
Randy "Mac" McMillan – business affairs
Antoinette Trotman – business affairs
Ian Allen – business affairs
Chris Kellam – engineer
Deborah Mannis-Gardner – sample clearance agent

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"

! Chart (2004)

! Peak<br />position

! scope="row"| Australian Albums (ARIA)

| align="center"| 81

! scope="row"|Canadian R&B Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)

|style="text-align:center;"|1

Certifications

Year-end charts

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"

! Chart (2004)

! Position

| US Billboard 200

| style="text-align:center;"|154

| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)

| style="text-align:center;"|66