Who Is Method Man's Wife? All About Tamika Smith

Mar. 15, 2025

Method Man performs onstage during the Strength of a Woman’s MJB concert on May 12, 2023, in Atlanta, Georgia.Photo:Paras Griffin/Getty Images

Paras Griffin/Getty Images

Method Manand his wife, Tamika Smith, have been together for over 30 years.

TheWu-Tang Clanrapper, né Clifford Smith Jr., rose to prominence in the early 1990s as a member of the famous hip-hop collective, won aGrammyin 1996 for a duet withMary J. Bligeand appeared in movies includingOne Eight Seven,How HighandKeanu.

Method Man, who said on a September 2021 episode ofRed Table Talkthat “respect is first and foremost” when it comes to having a long, successful marriage, has supported Smith throughout her career just as much as she’s supported him.

However, both Method Man and his wife keep their support of each other out of the public eye, preferring to keep as much of their relationship private.

“Just know me and my wife are good,” the rapper said during a July 2024 appearance at theESSENCE Festival of Culture. “As far as my family goes, I keep it out of the media. We’re happier that way, plus [my wife] prefers it that way. But just know we’re happy, period. That’s it.”

So who is Method Man’s wife? Here’s everything to know about Tamika Smith and her relationship with the rapper.

Smith was Method Man’s personal assistant

Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic/Getty Images

Smith grew up in Park Hill, a neighborhood in N.Y.C.’s Staten Island, before meeting Method Man in the early 1990s as he was finding fame with the Wu-Tang Clan.

For five years while Smith was dating Method Man, she also worked as his personal assistant. Per herLinkedInprofile, she was his personal assistant from January 1997 to January 2002.

In 2007, she also worked for a year as a caretaker and developmental aid for adults with disabilities. Now, according to her LinkedIn, she’s a business owner in the beauty industry, having also studied entrepreneurial and small business operations at the College of Staten Island in 2013.

Smith married Method Man in 2001 after nine years of dating

Method Man of Wu-Tang Clan at the First Annual World Stunt Awards on May 20, 2001 in Santa Monica, California.Ron Galella/Getty Images

Ron Galella/Getty Images

“I’ve been with her 29 years,” he said. “We got married in ’01, so we’re 20.”

Smith has three children with Method Man

Method Man (Clifford Smith) and his sons attend the New York Jets vs. Oakland Raiders game at MetLife Stadium on September 7, 2014.Al Pereira/WireImage/Getty Images

Al Pereira/WireImage/Getty Images

Together, Smith and Method Man have three children: sons Shakuan and Raekwon and daughter Cheyenne. Raekwon and Cheyenne are twins.

Shakuan and Cheyenne are rappers like their father, under the names 5thPXWER or PXWER and Chey, while Raekwon is a model. Both Shakuan and Raekwon played college football for the Stony Brook Seawolves, per theStaten Island Advance.

“We’re just a family of big football fans,” Raekwon told the outlet about what it’s been like breaking out of his father and brother’s shadows. “The best piece of advice he’s given me is to always stay humble and be yourself.”

Smith often shares photos and videos of her children on herInstagrampage, encouraging them in their careers.

Smith had breast cancer

Method Man went to Williams’ radio station to confront her for speaking light of the illness, tellingRolling Stoneat the time, “My wife is one of the strongest people on the planet. I just want to make Wendy Williams aware of exactly what it felt like to be sitting in that hospital room, watching them pump this poison into the one you love.”

Smith founded a nonprofit organization

Method Man is present at Day 1 of Revolt World at Pangaea Studios on September 20, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia.Paras Griffin/Getty Images

“At Have a Heart NY we are here to do what we can to help the youth of New York City,” Smith told theStaten Island Advancein July 2019. “We are glad we were able to secure Method Man for a Heart to Heart visit with Bryson through Meth’s management.”

Have a Heart NY has organized food drives, chess tournaments, a talent show and a softball game to help raise money. In November 2019, the nonprofit hosted a Thanksgiving feast, during which it also distributed winter coats and holiday meals to local residents.

“I wanted to do something for my community. I grew up in Park Hill. I went to school here. This is my community,” Smith told theStaten Island Advanceof the event. “I just wanted to do whatever I can to help the kids out here.”

Method Man said it’s a “blessing” that he and Smith have kept their marriage out of the public eye

Cliff “Method Man” Smith at the season 4 premiere of “Power Book II: Ghost” at The Hammerstein Ballroom on June 6, 2024 in New York City.John Nacion/Getty

John Nacion/Getty

Method Man and Smith keep their family life quite private, scarcely ever sharing posts about each other on social media.

During an appearance onSherri Shepherd’s talk showSherriin November 2022, the rapper shared that their privacy ishis secret to having a great relationship.

“Don’t talk about it," he said. “I think the more you keep things private and between you and her, it’s more personal and it lasts longer.”

In a July 2024 interview withVanity Fair, he expanded on thebenefits of keeping their relationshipbetween themselves, saying, “I’ve been married to the same woman for 30 years, and the fact that my wife and I stay out of the public eye is a blessing in itself.”

source: people.com