Method Man Once Refused to Shake Destiny’s Child’s Hands — and Tina Knowles-Lawson Responded
Rapper and actor Method Man has been in the entertainment industry for decades, and throughout that time, the Wu-Tang Clan rapper has crossed paths with countless artists. When he had the opportunity to meet Destiny’s Child back in the day, he practically ignored the girl group and refused to shake their hands. His admission caught the attention of Tina Knowles-Lawson.
Method Man rose to fame in the 1990s
In the early 1990s, Method Man linked up with friends including RZA, GZA, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Raekwon, and Ghostface Killah to form the hit hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan. They released their debut album Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) in 1993.
Method Man was one of only two members of the group to get a solo song on Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). He was also the first member of the group to release a solo album. The group was signed to a unique contract that allowed its members to record and release solo albums under any record label.
Method Man ultimately signed with record label giant Def Jam Recordings. He released his solo debut album Tical in 1994. The album’s single “All I Need” was later remixed with breakout singer Mary J. Blige, ultimately earning the two a Grammy Award.
In the mid-1990s, Method Man became close friends with fellow New York rapper The Notorious B.I.G. Method Man ended up being the only other rapper featured on Biggie’s debut album Ready to Die.
Method Man didn’t want to shake Destiny’s Child’s hands
When Method Man crossed paths with Desitny’s Child in 2004, he took their interactions with him personally. He reflected on the experience at the MOBO Awards in a 2022 interview on the My Expert Opinion podcast.
“I see [Destiny’s Child], so I kinda moseyed out of my seat to go over and say what’s up to them,” he recalled. “Now, this is still me in my low self-esteem era. But I’m thinking like, comfort zone here, I’m gonna say what’s up to the girls. I love them, I’m just gonna say hi. I go over to say hi to them and when I said hi, they didn’t even turn around and acknowledge me.”
“Now, my a**, in my head, with my low self-esteem is like, ‘They just s****ed on me.’ When in fact, they didn’t even hear me,” he continued. “It was so loud in that motherf***er. That’s the excuse that I’m giving right now — they didn’t even f***ing hear me.”
“I didn’t like myself so I didn’t like anybody f***ing else,” he said of his self-esteem at the time. “So, that meant anything that would have come in my circumference at that point in time was gonna get it. My family went through a lot with my a** during that era, man. I can admit that I did take a lot of my f***ing misery out on them, and they did not deserve it, and I took some of my misery out on people at Def Jam that did not f***ing deserve it.”
He refused to shake their hands
Method Man was so taken aback that he refused to shake the group members’ hands.
“Afterward, [producer] Rockwilder, he was gonna do the ‘Bootylicious’ song for them,” he said. “He comes over, he’s talking to them, he’s like, ‘Oh, you know Redman and Meth?’ And they put their hands out to shake, and I kept my hand here and was like, ‘Go ‘head with that Hollywood s***.’”
Ultimately, however, he expressed remorse for how he treated the singers in the moment. “Neither Kelly, Beyoncé, or Michelle ever did any-f***ing-thing to me,” he said, “but me being so miserable and in that f***ing moment, I felt like they wasn’t treating me the way I should have been treated. Who am I to think that about these girls? They’re here to promote themselves and break records and things of that nature.”
He concluded with a proper apology for them. “And to this day, man, I don’t think I’ve ever apologized for that,” he said. “I apologize to Beyoncé, I apologize to Kelly Rowland and Michelle — y’all did not deserve that, at all.”
Tina Knowles-Lawson gave Method Man kudos for owning up to his behavior
Method Man’s apology earned the attention of Tina Knowles-Lawson, who shared her opinion on Instagram.
“Thank you Method Man,” she said. “It takes a real man to tell this story! Such a great example for other young men. Don’t assume someone is dissing you!”
