Born on March 2, 1971, in Hempstead, Long Island,^[6][7][8][9] Smith divided his childhood between his father's Long Island residence and his mother's home in the Park Hill section of Clifton, Staten Island, locally known as Killa Hill.^[10] Growing up in Hempstead, Smith began playing lacrosse at a young age and continues to be a passionate supporter of the sport.^[11] He attended New Dorp High School, where he became friends with Remedy.^[12] He has two sisters.^[10]

As Wu-Tang Clan ascended to hip hop stardom, Method Man was always one of the most visible members of the collective.^[13] He was one of only two members to get a solo song on the group's debut album Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)and he was the first to release a solo album under the Clan's unusual contract which allowed its members to release albums under any record label.^[13] Method Man chose to sign with rap label Def Jam Recordings,^[14] although Elektra RecordsA&R man Dante Ross initially wanted to sign him around the same time Ross signed fellow group member Ol' Dirty Bastard.^[15] Method Man's solo debut, Tical (1994), was critically acclaimed and well received, entering the American charts at #4^[16] and eventually selling in excess of one million copies.^[16] That album featured the hit single "All I Need", later remixed featuring Mary J. Blige, which won a Grammy ("I'll Be There for You/You're All I Need"). During this time Method Man also became close friends with fellow New York City-based rapper The Notorious B.I.G., and was the only guest rapper featured on his debut album Ready to Die, on the song "The What". He was also featured on Spice 1's album AmeriKKKa's Nightmare on the track "Hard 2 Kill". In 1995, he was also featured on "Got the Flava" off Showbiz and A.G.'s album Goodfellas. He also appeared on the Batman Forever soundtrack: his track, The Riddler, produced by RZA included a video with clips from the film. In 1996, Method Man appeared on Tupac Shakur's album All Eyez on Me, on the song "Got My Mind Made Up" alongside his rhyme partner Redman, Tha Dogg Pound and Inspectah Deck, whose verse did not make the released album version, although his nickname "Rebel INS" can be heard as the song fades. He was also featured on Redman's 1996 album Muddy Waters on the track "Do What Ya Feel".

On June 3, 1997, the Wu-Tang Clan released their Grammy-nominated multiplatinum double CD Wu-Tang Forever, the long-awaited follow up to 36 Chambers. The album has sold over 6 million copies to date worldwide.^[17]

In 1996, the movie Space Jam was released. Method Man, alongside LL Cool J, Busta Rhymes, B-Real and Coolio released a song from the Space Jam Soundtrack called, "Hit 'Em High".^[18] Method Man would go on to feature on LL Cool J's, "4 ,3, 2, 1" the following year.^[19]

His second solo album was Tical 2000: Judgement Day, released in 1998, which was heavily influenced by the apocalypse theories surrounding the forthcoming end of the millennium, and featured myriad guest appearances from his fellow Wu-Tang MCs.^[20]Other guest appearances include Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, D'Angelo, Chris Rock, Mobb Deep, Redman, and brief cameos from Russell Simmons, Bishop Don "Magic" Juan, Janet Jackson, and Donald Trump.^[21] Fueled by the party track "Judgment Day" and the D'Angelo collaboration "Break Ups 2 Make Ups", the album sold better than his debut, earning Platinum certifications in both the U.S. and Canada.^[22] Reviews for the album were mixed and its long runtime and abundance of intermittent comedy skits were widely criticized. Producers on this album included True Master, 4th Disciple and the RZA.