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2025 Is The Year of Redman 

The legendary rapper discusses his long-awaited album “Muddy Waters Too”, transforming his lifestyle, and his vision to be a filmmaker.

For more than 30 years, Redman has been hailed as one of the best rappers in the game. A native of Newark, NJ, “Funk Doctor Spock’s” iconic discography is full of classic solo albums such as Whut? Thee Album (1992), Dare Iz a Darkside (1994), Muddy Waters (1996), and Doc’s Da Name 2000 (1998).

He’s also dropped two acclaimed collaborative albums, Blackout! (1998) and Blackout! 2 (2009) with Method Man and Def Squad’s El Nino with Erick Sermon and Keith Murray.

As an actor, he starred in the classic stoner comedy film How High, Seed of Chucky, and the hit Starz drama “Power Book II: Ghost.”

On Christmas Eve, Redman gave the people what they wanted, Muddy Waters Too. With 32 tracks, the album, spanning 1 hour and 28 minutes, features Erick Sermon, Method Man, Snoop Dogg, KRS-One, Sheek Louch, and more. The album was released on his label, Gilla House.

“With the Jakk Boy Beat Freestyles, I planned it three years ago. I didn’t have a date on when I was going to drop Muddy Waters Too but I knew Jakk Boy Beat Freestyles was going to be a part of my promotion,” Redman told BET.com. “I wanted to go back to grassroots promoting. We're missing the direct-to-artist-to-consumer promotion. I knew that the album wasn't going to be straight boom-bap.” 

“I didn't want an album with just dope lyrics and dope punchlines on it. I'm done with that. I want songs that people want to stream that are relatable to their everyday lives. I'm 54 years old, bro,” he continued. “I can't be talking about the same boom-bap sh*t I was on the first  Muddy Waters. So I lined up some freestyles and some bars so people will still get that old Redman barring up. I did that for the fans but the album is nothing like that.”

After such a lengthy wait, Redman shared how it feels to release the LP.

“Getting the album done was like finishing a 10-year bid or probation. I know the pressure that everyone had on me to release that album, and if they only knew the backstory to why it took so long in detail they would be like, ‘Oh, okay, we understand.’ But I don’t have excuses,” Redman said.

“The best part about it is that I executed a plan that I've been sitting and planning for years. I definitely dotted my i’s and crossed my t's. I tried to leave no stone unturned for anyone to complain about it. You still have some people that were like, ‘It don't sound like the Muddy Waters.’ But overall, I put out a great body of work,” he continued. “That weight has been lifted off my shoulder and it gave me confidence just to go right back in and throw something else out in the next six months.”

He also shared how he made significant changes to his lifestyle in order to be his best self.

“I got a divorce and it lasted seven years. That’s another reason that it took me so long to drop the album,” Redman explained. “I started fasting for two years from sex and smoking. Straight two years and a half. It turned out to be one of the best decisions I ever made.”

“Being celibate helped me get rid of the distractions and really focus on myself. I had to get everything under control,” he added.

One of the standouts from the LP is “Lite It Up” which features some of the best rappers from New Jersey. Redman shared how important it was to pay homage to the Garden State’s” significant contributions to hip-hop. The track features guest appearances from Rah Digga, Shaquille O'Neal, Lords of the Underground, Lady Luck, Artifacts, Heather B, Channel Live, Nikki D, Queen Latifah, and Naughty By Nature.

“Jersey needed a movie. I don't mean a literal movie but we needed an event with all our top artists because we never had that. So I produced the record-based The Sugar Hill Gang “Rapper’s Delight.” I looped it and threw some drums and a couple of other elements behind it. I was like, “Yo, this is great.”

Interestingly, the New Jersey posse cut was almost a solo record.

“I had two verses on it because I was going to make it a solo record. Then I thought it would be dope to put some artists on it. Rockwilder thought we should just do a Jersey record where all of us were on it and that was the perfect record. And The Sugar Hill Gang was from Jersey as well so it was inevitable to do it. It was all about timing, getting the artists to perform on it wasn't nothing.”

“Even Queen Latifah pulled up. I told her, ‘Listen, Queen, if you don't do this verse, I'm not releasing the record,’” he continued. “‘You're the only one left that I need a verse from and if you don't do your verse, I'm going to hold on until you do.’ She pulled up and showed out. Shout out to everyone that was on the record.”

Redman spoke about how 2024 was a year when several rap legends dropped acclaimed projects and he was glad to be considered amongst his peers.

“It feels great because  I'm not alone. I'm not in the waters by myself. When LL dropped I was like, “F*ck Yeah. Then Snoop and Fat Joe dropped. My boy Xzibit is about to drop soon,” Redman said. “It just shows that our era is never going to die. We're always going to be relevant.”

“When we came into the game in the 90s,  we took the ball and were able to run with it from the 80s era. We elevated hip-hop,” he added. “I can honestly say that our era still stands strong because we’re still able to make a living from it. Talent-wise and when it comes to performing, I have strong confidence that our era will always be winning. Our core fans grew up with us. They are still cool. They got kids and 9-5s so we market what we do to them.”

With all of his years in the game, Redman believes that one of his keys to longevity is his desire to master every facet of the industry.

“An artist should not just be an artist. They should be a businesswoman or businessman. If they’re going to be in this industry, you should know everything about it, not just rapping, not just creating lyrics,” he shared. “You should know how to shoot your content, edit your visuals, and know how to work everything in the studio.”

After all of his accomplishments, Redman wants to take his talents behind the camera as a director. He said that everything he’s done is leading up to the next stage of his career.

“I want to direct. I want to be behind the scenes, directing, and helping make the magic happen. That is my goal. When you see me on the screen, it's because I'm mirroring a director or I'm the movie to make a connection,” Redman said. “I want to direct my own movie and have my own production company going, Even if it's just a couple of movies, I want to say I did it.”

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