Credit: Alamy

Method Man does it all, but first and foremost, he’s still a rapper in his heart, with this rare footage a reminder of his world-class skillset.

Since the 1990s, he’s been just as heavily involved in the acting world as music after making his breakthrough in The Wire. Now, Method Man feels equally as much of a media personality as a rapper, but back during his pomp, the Wu-Tang Clan man could go toe to toe with anyone.

In recent years, he’s even co-hosted the reality series Drop The Mic with Hayley Bieber, which pitted celebrities against each other in rap battles, and was based on a segment from The Late Late Show With James Corden.

His current life is a world away from his humble beginnings, and Method Man isn’t frustrated that he’s no longer celebrated primarily for his skills on the mic.

“The higher-ups, the so-called gatekeepers didn’t have much use for a 44-year-old rapper,” he admitted in 2015. “I guess my background turned some people off. Some people aren’t willing to give you a chance, especially when you’ve already had one and you kind of squandered it.

“There was a changing of the guard in hip hop. I was cool with that. I had to evolve with the business and if that meant acting, so be it. I was going to throw all my eggs in one basket.”

Even though there’s been a changing of the guard, which has left him sidelined, in his peak, Method Man was one of the best freestyles around and could do things on the mic that left everyone bamboozled by his brilliance.

If anyone still wasn’t sold on his talents, his freestyle on Rap City proved that Meth was the real deal. The long-running programme was a hip hop institution that aired from 1989 until 2008, and it documented the rise of the genre.

His relaxed demeanour during this clip makes it all look effortless to him, and Method Man just oozes slickness. It’s a raw vignette that explains why the Wu-Tang founder is one of the most dynamic talents of his era.