Drum roll, please. The new episode of Fresh Pair is here, and Redman, the rapper who defined the combination of comedy and complex lyricism through the ’90s and 2000s, stops by to accept his custom kicks from Katty and Just Blaze while breaking down his unique contributions to the hip-hop canon. Among them: His admission that longstanding fan-favorite hit “Da Rockwilder” really did have an extended version.
Another highlight of the interview is Redman talking about his infamous MTV Cribs episode. For those who weren’t around at the time or just need a refresher, in the 2001 episode of the celebrity home tour show, Redman showed off his Staten Island duplex complete with a shoebox full of cash and a cousin crashed out on the floor. At the time, this was a departure from the usual Cribs guests, who often introduced viewers to extravagant mansions with over-the-top furnishings and garages full of luxury cars.
“Let’s be very clear,” he says, mischievously. “A lot of people was renting houses for MTV Cribs. And I used to be like, ‘Yo, they house is too neat.’ Every house they showed on there was neat, the refrigerators was stocked full with food and water… I was like, ‘Yo, there’s something going on that I’m not getting.’ Until they asked me… and the first thing they said was, ‘We got a couple of houses picked out for you.’”
He jokes that he caught the camera crew off-guard and a meeting was held to decide how to proceed. The anecdote is a great example of how Redman’s authenticity endeared him so well to audiences in the 2000s.