Method Man and Redman will headline at this fall's W.I.L.D.

Method Man and Redman will descend on campus this Saturday to headline W.I.L.D. The two are childhood friends and have collaborated together on a huge number of projects, working beside artists as varied as Tupac, Limp Bizkit and Xzibit. From the early days working with Wu-Tang Clan and Def Squad to creating perennial Cadenza favorite “How High,” Meth and Red have become household names. But for those who aren’t too familiar with them, what’s important to know?

Meth and Red have known each other for years, but started officially working together in 1994. Their first collaboration was in recording Tupac’s “Got My Mind Made Up.” From there the duo began to work together more closely. Finally they released a full album, “Blackout!” in 1999 to warm reception. The Source included it in their “Top 10 Albums of 1999” and Entertainment Weekly raved, “when hip-hop’s most playfully creative rhyme stylers throw down like two superballs in a rubber room, they’re unstoppable – and make rap’s most joyous ride.”

Their popularity exploded from there into movies and TV, the most famous being “How High.” While coming to Wash. U. marks their return to institutions of higher learning, the movie chronicles (oh! See what I did there?) the story of two stoners who grow a batch of ‘lucky’ weed by fertilizing it with their dead friend’s ashes. Upon smoking it, the ghost of their friend returns to help the duo pass their SATs and get into Harvard. Wacky hijinks ensue, both with the cast of characters they meet in college and with their attempts to keep up their grades; smoking the remains of John Quincy Adams or calling upon Ben Franklin’s ghost to persuade the alumni board to keep them at Harvard. “How High” won the Stony Award for Best Stoner Movie in 2002, and in 2007 Redman confirmed that a sequel was being written.

With the success of “How High,” Method and Red turned their gaze to the small screen, starring in the aptly titled sitcom “Method and Red.” The series was canceled after three months, but by that time the duo had given up on it anyway due to lack of creative control. Their vision for the show had been similar to that of “Arrested Development.” Method Man was especially upset with Fox’s poor editing job and the ever-present laugh track.

Ten years after the first installment, “Blackout! 2” was released on May 19, 2009 and peaked at #7 on the Billboard 200. Critical reception was overwhelmingly positive: HiphopDX.com noted that, “Red and Meth clearly made this album for the fans, and the fans should be more or less sated. They may not be as ferocious as they once were, but very few ever have been. So with that in mind, Blackout! 2 is definitely worth a spin – and not just for nostalgia’s sake.” Check out singles, “A-Yo,” “City Lights,” and “Mrs. International.”

For old fans and new listeners, Method and Red are sure to put on a show. Don’t miss their performance Saturday at W.I.L.D.

Read more about the other performers at this fall’s W.I.L.D.: Passion Pit, K’Naan and Deskhop.

Method Man and Redman perform on "Last Call with Carson Daly." (Stacie McChesney | NBC Photo)