Method Man on Why Mary J. Blige Is the Perfect Collaborator 30 Years After ‘You’re All I Need’ (Exclusive)
Written by Rtradio on June 7, 2024
It’s been 29 years since Method Man and Mary J. Blige released “I’ll Be There for You / You’re All I Need to Get By,” the single considered one of rap’s greatest love songs, and the pair still find ways to work together.
The 53-year-old rapper attended the premiere of the fourth and final season of the crime drama series, Power Book II: Ghost, at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City on Thursday, where he opened up about working alongside Blige years after their iconic single hit the music charts, and why he’ll miss acting on the Starz series as it comes to an end.
The rapper, whose legal name is Clifford Smith, Jr., has starred on the popular Starz crime drama since it began, playing infamous defense attorney Davis MacLean, who rarely needs the truth to secure a win.
“[I’ll miss] the crew and the cast, some of the producers, the writers… [we have a] big family here,” he told ET.
It’s no surprise that a crew that views themselves as a family would feel protective over one of their youngest — star Michael Rainey Jr., who’s played Tariq St. Patrick on both Power and Power Book II: Ghost.
“As the cast and crew, I think we all are. A lot of these guys have known Michael since he was very young, you know? So he kind of grew up with a lot of these guys,” Method Man shared. “So yeah, I think we’re all very protective of him, especially on social media.”
When it comes to Blige, the rapper doesn’t hold back from gushing about his bond with the singer.
“Mary [is] one of us. She’s from where I’m from and I just love her,” Method Man said.
The pair first collaborated on “I’ll Be There for You/You’re All I Need to Get By,” a remix of Method Man’s “All I Need,” which appears on his 1994 debut studio album, Tical. Released in April 1995, the song features an interpolation of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell’s “You’re All I Need to Get By,” and is also known as “I’ll Be There for You/You’re All I Need to Get By (Razor Sharp Mix).”
While Method Man has been candid about his hesitance to release the love song, there’s no denying that the single is one of his best-charting to date: the remix peaked at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 and held the No. 1 spot on the R&B singles chart for three weeks.
It also won both Method Man and Blige their first — and only for the rapper — GRAMMY, earning the gramophone for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group in 1996.
Starring on Power Book II has been their latest collaboration, but Method Man is confident that it won’t be their last.
“We always working together so I ain’t going to miss her long. It ain’t going to be for long. Yeah, we’ll find another one,” he assured ET.
Blige, who has starred on the popular Starz crime drama since it began, playing Monet Stewart Tejada, the tough-as-nails matriarch of the Tejada crime family and drug cartel, also told ET how much she’ll miss starring on the crime drama.
“I’m gonna miss playing Monet so much,” Blige shared. “I mean, this is so bittersweet. I made a lot of friends. It was a great, it was a great time…. [Playing] Monet was so therapeutic and so helpful.”
Part 1 of the fourth and final season of Power Book II: Ghost — from executive producer 50 Cent, co-starring Michael Rainey Jr., Method Man, Shane Johnson, Gianni Paolo and Lovell Adams-Gray — premieres June 7 on Starz. Part 2 is set to kick off in September.
RELATED CONTENT:
