50 CENT SALUTES METHOD MAN ON NAACP IMAGE AWARD: ‘HE WAS ALWAYS NO. 1 IN WU-TANG TO ME’
50 Cent has congratulated Method Man after he emerged a winner at the 2023 NAACP Image Awards.
The rapper-turned-actor was crowned Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his role as criminal defense attorney Davis MacLean in Power Book II: Ghost.
Meth (real name Clifford Smith) was also nominated in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture category for his appearance in the Hip Hop musical drama On The Come Up.
Following his win, 50 Cent — co-creator and executive producer of the Power universe — took to social media to salute Method Man, saying he “was always No. 1 in Wu-Tang to me.”
“@methodmanofficial is no joke, he was always #1 in Wu Tang to me but he has transitioned into something that has to be celebrated” he wrote. “This train won’t stop, shout out to @naacp for recognizing and the ZARS network.”
Meth replied in the comments section: “Boom!!!” along with a series of fire and trophy emojis.
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The 51-year-old also celebrated his NAACP Image Award in an Instagram post of his own, writing: “3rd times the charm.. another win for the team.. naacp image award winner.. PowerBook II Season 3 ..March 17.”
Method Man has developed something of a stronghold on the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series category having previously won the award in 2021 and 2022 — both for his aforementioned role in Power Book II: Ghost.
The Wu-Tang Clan veteran wasn’t the only Hip Hop artist who took home silverware at this year’s NAACP Image Awards. Kid Cudi and his Entergalactic collaborators won Outstanding Writing in a Television Movie or Special, while Will Smith took home Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture for his lead role in Emancipation.
“This is WILD! Thank u so much to the @naacpimageaward for the love!!!” Cudi tweeted while reacting to his win. “Entergalactic was a huge passion project of mine, and its a beautiful thing gettin recognized for the hardwork we put into it. I am so so happy that an idea I had ended up being a really epic one.”
“WOW!! NAACP!! I am absolutely humbled by this!!” Smith wrote on Instagram after his own victory. “I want to share this with my entire #Emancipation family – @antoinefuqua, @charmainebingwa, Ben, Bob, Jon the whole team at @westbrook and @appletvplus… I am so proud of the work we put into this film.
“I would like to thank the NAACP for honoring our film! @derricknaacp – you and your entire organization – and the work you do all year round – is truly important, so to be recognized by y’all – it means a lot.”
In the music categories, Quavo and TakeOff’s “Hotel Lobby” was crowned Outstanding Hip Hop/Rap Song, Beyoncé won both Outstanding Female Artist and Outstanding Album (Renaissance), Chris Brown took home Outstanding Male Artist and Rihanna’s “Lift Me Up” earned Outstanding Music Video honors.
Method Man could pick up more accolades for his acting chops in Power Book II: Ghost as the acclaimed series has been renewed for a third season, which is set to premiere on March 17 on STARZ.
An action-packed trailer for the forthcoming season debuted earlier this month, promising “twists, turns and murder.” It also appears that Davis MacLean is taking on a larger mentor/consultant role in Tariq’s life that extends well beyond their attorney/client relationship.
Last year, rumors circulated that T.I. was originally tapped to play Method Man’s character after comments made by Ghost actors Michael Rainey Jr. (Tariq) and Gianni Paolo (Brayden).
“I heard – this is a rumor, I can’t confirm,” Paolo told TMZ. “T.I. was supposed to play Method Man’s character. I don’t know if there was beef or something happened, but he never ended up playing him, and Meth was Davis MacLean.”
Rainey added: “This was early in the production before we started filming. We showed up to set, and Method was there. They didn’t really tell us.”
However, the Atlanta rapper later refuted that claim during an appearance on former NFL player Tony “The Closer” Robinson’s Get Yo Ass Up! podcast.
“That’s not true,” he said with a puzzled look on his face. “50 and I were executive producers on a different show, outside of the Power universe. But nah, man. Me and 50 cool.”
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