Steven Ferdman/Getty Images; @photorob
Rome Streetz recently connected with Method Man on “Pz n Qz,” a standout track from Rome’s abruptly released, characteristically stellar, Wasn’t Built In A Day, with producer Big Ghost Ltd. The New York MC tears through Big Ghost’s spooky keys from the outset, showing off his technical prowess but also dispensing wisdom like, “Ignorant Indians always gon’ outnumber the chiefs / How a lost nigga gonna lead?” Even before signing with Griselda in 2021, Rome has been a revered lyricist, twisting up multis and dropping gems on collaboration projects with Futurewave (Headcrack and Razor’s Edge) and DJ Muggs (Death & The Magician). But linking with Westside Gunn and the mighty Buffalo-based crew has helped Rome steadily shift from one of rap’s best-kept secrets to a universally respected lyricist. His effort throughout the 11-song collaboration with Big Ghost will help that cause.
Method Man, who turns 52 today, follows Rome up with his own sharp verse, displaying the mesh of lyricism and vocal dexterity that made him a star almost 30 years ago. The third (and final) season of Wu-Tang: An American Saga takes us to 1994 when the crew was reckoning with Method Man’s breakout as the group’s first solo star. It’s a beautiful thing to see Method Man still showing off the skills that made him decades ago. He interjects his verse with Spanish and shows off his wit throughout his 16, rhyming, “The meal plan is a million bands, no ki though / And freedom with no ”M’, should tell you nothin’ for free ‘do(e).”
On the surface, the track is a cross-generational link up between Rome and the iconic Method Man and the latest entry into the Griselda-Wu-Tang canon. But Rome tells Rolling Stone that the meaning of the track goes even deeper than that for him.
“In my [Streetz Of Rage] documentary, I told a story about the first album my mom ever bought for me being Method Man’s first album because he was my favorite rapper,” he told Rolling Stone via e-mail. “Big Ghost put that together,” Rome adds that his peer Mathematics, a DJ and Producer who designed the iconic Wu-Tang logo, told him that Method Man was a fan of his as well. “It just came together full circle,” Rome reflects. “It’s dope to work with a legend like Method Man because he was my favorite rapper in Wu-tang. This is like a dream come true to get to work with someone I hold on such high regard.”
“Pz n Qz” is the perfect toast to Hip-Hop’s 50th anniversary. It’s great to see moments like the Grammys’ sprawling hip-hop tribute performance, which paid homage to artists in rap’s formative years. But it’s also important to look forward to the next 50 years of the genre and acknowledge that not every hip-hop icon is celebrating their legacy from the rearview; some, like Method Man, are in the field and still sparring with younger MCs like Rome who are on track to join them as rap legends.
