#65. I shared a funny weed moment with Method Man as we watched Jay Z perform (Tampa, 2000)
At the newspaper in Florida where I worked as an assistant in the late 90s, none of the real reporters wanted to cover rap shows, so the editors gave me all-access passes to the Hard Knock Life Tour to write about Jay Z, DMX, Redman and Method Man.
I remember sitting on some dead speakers side stage, looking straight up at Jay Z 10-feet above me, and finding him boring to watch, especially on such a huge stage, up there in a puffy jacket, grabbing his nuts as he walked back and forth. He’s really grown a lot as a performer, since.
Anyway, several songs into Jay Z’s set, rapper Method Man stepped out of the backstage area and came and sat right beside me. He said hello and I shouted in his ear that I liked his set with Redman. He gave me pound. Then he, of course, busted out a big bag of weed and proceeded to break open a gar in his lap. Maybe he had it all on a clipboard or at least a piece of paper, but I remember it as him balancing the gar on his knee as he sprinkled in the crumbled weed. It smelled delicious.
Just then, this hot young lady walked right up to Method Man and, without warning, plopped her baby (?!) down right in his lap — right in his weed. I don’t remember if the baby wore ear protection, but that loud-ass arena was no place for a baby.
Meth took it in stride though. He didn’t shout or get pissed. He did shoot me a smile like You believe that shit? but otherwise pretended it didn’t happen, and just floated a peace sign for mom’s camera flash. After the woman gave him a fan hug, took her baby back and walked away, Method Man and I laughed together as he wiped the remains of his aborted blunt from his lap onto the floor.
Then he took his bag of weed back out and started over with a fresh gar.
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