Method Man Apologizes to Destiny's Child for Refusing to Shake Their Hands at 2004 MOBO Awards

  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Method Man wants to patch up a two decades-old encounter with Destiny's Child.

In a new interview with the My Expert Opinion podcast hosted by rapper Math Hoffa, the Wu-Tang Clan member opened up about feeling slighted by Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams of Destiny's Child while at the 2004 MOBO Awards.

Method Man recalled first meeting the group when its lineup featured Beyoncé, 40, Rowland, 41, and previous members LeToya Luckett and LaTavia Roberson. "This is when it was still four of them, the original members," said the rapper, 51. "Very nice, very cordial and all that. I always kept that in in my head, like these are some decent young ladies and s---."

Destiny's Child, Muhammad Ali, Mena Suvari & Method Man
Destiny's Child, Muhammad Ali, Mena Suvari & Method Man

Jim Spellman/WireImage Destiny's Child, Muhammad Ali, Mena Suvari & Method Man

While attending the award show to support Icon award recipient Janet Jackson, Method Man said he met the group in its three-piece iteration and didn't feel like he experienced as warm of an interaction.

"I remember I had just come off stage and where we were sitting, there were nothing but VIPs. We had *NSYNC up here, Destiny's Child right there, Tommy Lee was over here," he explained. "And I see the girls, so I kinda moseyed out of my seat to go over and say what's up to them."

Method Man continued, "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."

RELATED: Rap Icons Wu-Tang Clan and Nas Will Team Up for NY State of Mind Late Summer Tour

He was admittedly hurt by the exchange at the time but has since reevaluated the experience. "Now, my ass, 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," said Method Man. "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."

Feeling insulted in the moment, Method Man said he refused to shake the girl group members' hands in retaliation.

"Afterward, [producer] Rockwilder, he was gonna do the 'Bootylicious' song for them," recalled the Grammy winner. "He comes over, he's talking to them, he's like, 'Oh, you know [Redman of Wu-Tang Clan] 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---.'"

Method Man, Destinys Child
Method Man, Destinys Child

Frank Micelotta/Getty; KMazur/WireImage Method Man, Destinys Child

Looking back at the encounter, Method Man admitted, "Neither Kelly, Beyoncé or Michele ever did any-f---ing-thing to me."

He explained, "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. And it was not about me, it was about Janet f---ing Jackson."

"And to this day, man, I don't think I've ever apologized for that," concluded Method Man. "I apologize to Beyoncé, I apologize to Kelly Rowland and Michelle — y'all did not deserve that, at all."

After the podcast episode was published, Beyoncé's mother Tina Knowles-Lawson took to Instagram to respond to Method Man's apology. "Thankyou Method Man . It takes a real man to tell this story! Such a great example for other young men❤️. . Don't assume someone is dissing you," the 68-year-old entrepreneur captioned a video clip from My Expert Opinion.