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Veteran rapper and actor Clifford "Method Man" Smith Jr. is shedding light on the experience of being a sex symbol, what he finds genuinely captivating about people, and the significance of self-love.

The 52-year-old's journey to fame began in the 1990s when he joined the legendary hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan alongside RZA, GZA, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and the late rapper Ol' Dirty Bastard. Despite the group releasing their highly acclaimed debut album Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) in 1993, Smith continued to achieve


success after going solo the following year to focus on other musical and acting endeavors.

To date, Smith has starred in various series and films, his most popular being Starz's Power Book II: Ghost. In addition to acting, the father of three dropped seven solo studio albums and has professionally collaborated with the Wu-Tang Clan members on numerous projects over the years.

Throughout his thirty-year career, Smith has always generated attention from fans because of his talent. But in recent years, with Smith taking care of his health and maintaining his physical appearance by regularly going to the gym, he has attracted a new set of admirers.

On the cover story of Men's Health magazine, in honor of the 50th anniversary of Hip-Hop, Smith shares why he doesn't consider himself to be a sex symbol, what he finds sexy about people and aging, and why he feels self-love is a fundamental part of living a happy life.

Method Man On Being A Sex Symbol And What He Considers The Sexiest Thing

In the August interview, the Soul Plane star revealed that he doesn't take the sex symbol label too seriously because he is not doing anything out of the ordinary to have earned that title.

"I'm not a sex symbol. That's the whole f--king point, man," he told the publication. "Put the words together. Sex and symbol. What's the symbol? I'm not doing anything. So what's the symbol?"

Further into the interview, Smith explained that although he doesn't consider himself a sex symbol, he does enjoy the attention he has received lately. Even with the newfound recognition, Smith added that what he generally finds sexy is someone authentically being themselves and not caring about what other people may think.

"I'm not going to lie, I love every freaking minute of it, but I don't want to be that guy that, when the clock starts winding down, he's still trying to be that sexy," he said while mentioning how Smokey Robinson's appeal has span decades with the singer becoming more comfortable with himself as he aged.

"I mean, Smokey Robinson is always going to be sexy to somebody. I'm not using him as an example; I'm just saying that with where Smokey is right now if Smokey was still at the same time he was back then, it would look ridiculous. And Smokey knew he was a sexy motherfucker. You get to a certain age where you just stop caring, and I think that's the sexiest thing in the world right there."

Method Man On Self-Love

Also, in the interview, Smith opened up about the steps he took to become his own "biggest fan" rather than his worst critic, something he claims all boiled down to self-love.

"Self-love, it's simple as that. Looking yourself in the mirror and honestly saying that you love yourself,” he stated. "But it's one thing to say and then another to go and do it. Show that you love yourself. That's all I've been doing. What people see now is just happiness."

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Feature image by Leon Bennett/Getty Images for the Critics Choice Association

 

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