Mic Nickels Link With Method Man For New Visual “El Matador”

When your skills are unquestionable, even legends show respect. “El Matador” pairs an indomitable, fiercely idiosyncratic underground emcee with one of the most famous voices in the history of hip-hop with no incongruity whatsoever. NYC alt-rap hero Mic Nickels and international celebrity Method Man sound like they’ve been doing this forever. Their styles are complementary, their flows are impeccable, and their belief in the power of hip-hop is total. By the end of the track, there’s only one question: when will these two lyrical champions collaborate again?

“El Matador” is one of the many highlights of Bars for Days, an album that establishes Mic Nickels as a formidable solo artist, a rap traditionalist, and an autobiographical storyteller with few peers anywhere in the music industry. It’s a culmination of the work he did with Nickel and Dime Ops, the fiery jazz-rap project that Mic Nickels has taken around the world. He’s been on bills with Jeru the Damaja, The Alkoholiks, Pitbull, and Vast Aire from Cannibal Ox, to name a few, and collaborated with Jean Baylor from Zhané, Ian Hendrickson-Smith of The Roots, Rockness Monsta, Rah Digga, Timbo King, Kurious, and many others. Nickels writes about his unique artistic journey in Bars for Days, a candid memoir that shares more with his most recent album than a title. It’s a pure expression of dedication, perseverance, and the love of music.

As for Method Man, he hardly needs an introduction. Millions all over the world have seen him in motion pictures and on Method and Red, his own sitcom. But fans of hip-hop will always think of him first as one of the breakout stars of the Wu-Tang Clan, the immortal Staten Island collective that shook the music industry to its core and reintroduced street lyricism to rap. Tical, his 1994 solo album, was received as a classic upon release — and its reputation has only grown since then.

The Wu-Tang Clan has always been famous for imagery drawn from esoteric comic books and karate movies, and in keeping with this aesthetic, the animated “El Matador” clip presents Mic Nickels and Method Man as urban superheroes. Their High Noon happens on the streets of New York, and their dueling grounds are the aisles of corner bodegas. They take turns delivering their lacerating verse and face down opponents who, frankly, don’t stand a chance. Eagle-eyed viewers will notice several references to hip-hop history in the animated clip, including a prominent hat-tip to the late MF Doom, an inspiration to both rappers. Doom had initially agreed to jump on “El Matador”, before his tragic passing; Method Man took his place, and he and Nickels play homage to Doom together.

Do you plan on collaborating with Method Man again?



There are no solid plans in the works as of right now, but I’m definitely hoping to. This track was already written and recorded months before he even heard it. So, it would be super dope to get a chance to get in the lab with him, with a raw beat and just create from scratch. It’s always more fun to feed off another artist’s creative energy, and vice versa. So yeah… I’m really hoping to get that opportunity.



What was it like working with Method Man?

What was it like to work with Johnny Blaze, Hot Nickels, M-E-T-H-O-D Man?? I mean damn, you are talking about one of the greatest rappers of all time. Period. Meth was one of my personal heroes coming into this game. When I started, I never even dreamed it would be possible. This is like an upcoming b-ball player training with Jordan or Lebron. And he is mad cool too. Super humble and down to Earth. No star ego or anything like that. Our styles really complement each other, so it was like magic the first time I heard his verse on this track. It’s still kind of unbelievable to me when I try to pull back and listen outside of myself.

How was the songwriting process for “El Matador”?

This song has so much crazy energy to it. The backstory of it all… I wrote my parts in advance, and played with a few different ideas of who could match me on a sixteen, before eventually getting to Meth. It was already set up for him by the time he heard it. All he had to do was write his verse and drop it at his lab in Staten which he calls the Meth Lab. Collabs are usually pretty easy. Especially being, we each just traded a sixteen. Plus, I added the hook.

Why did you choose animation for the “El Matador” music video?

Initially, I had some ideas for a live action video, but Meth and I were having difficulty lining up our schedules. So, I started toying around with the idea of this animated dystopia instead. I’m glad I did. I called my good friend and phenomenal artist, Ooge, who had done several of my album covers in the past. After some brainstorming sessions, we came up with this “hood western” concept which would be set in deep Brooklyn. It fit the gritty vibe of the song so well, it all just really felt meant to be.

What was it like directing “El Matador”?

I have directed music videos in the past, but this was my first animation. The process was a little different. After Ooge and I developed the concept, the characters, and the mood, I hashed out a treatment of the story, scene by scene, and let Ooge go to work. He knocked it all out at an incredible pace. When he was finally done, I created a detailed storyboard down to the second, which explained which files went where, if there were overlapping files, what animation I expected to see in each frame, etc. Then I passed it all over to an animator that I found overseas. They did an incredible job putting it all together, and I made sure everything worked out the way Ooge and I envisioned. It all came together surprisingly smooth.

Which came first, the beat or the lyrics? And what was that process like?

99% of the time I write to the beat. The music always sets a tone, and tells a story. My MHB brother, Mr. Cord made the original, and his style is always gritty, traditional boom bap, with banging drums. He’s one of my favorite producers, so it was important for me to get him on the album. This particular track hit hard when I heard it, but it was lacking a bassline, so I recruited the bass player from my band, Dezron Douglas, to add something to it. The part he played is an unedited one-take, no copy and paste or anything like that, and it added a little extra vibe. The lyrics just flew out of my pen… One of those magic moments. That’s how you know it’s going to be something special.

What inspired you to make “El Matador”?

While working on the Bars for Days album, I was also writing the ethnographic memoir that comes along with it. Same title, same cover; in fact, you can access the streaming album directly from the book when you buy it. I was taking in a lot of classic authors, while working on developing my own chops as a writer. I got into the Hemingway classic, The Sun Also Rises, around the same time I first listened to Cord’s beat. The book goes into detail about how the matadors handle charging bulls while in front of a crowd, and I began thinking how relevant it all seemed to street culture, and dealing with enemies while in public. How one manages their opponent was the premise behind the song.

Anything in the works that your fans can look forward to?



Oh yeah… I already recorded and mixed my next release, The Impressionist, with a Serbian producer named Kiza. We have worked together many times in the past, and I’m a big fan of his style, so this was a long time coming. There are some huge special guests on here as well, which I can’t wait to announce, but you’re all going to have to wait a little longer to find out. The plan is to start releasing tracks from it this Fall, so it’s coming soon. You really are going to want to hear this!

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