Success is Certain (Gracie Productions, 2011) by Royce Da 5'9"

"My life's been goin' around ‘n’ round since ’95/Went from goin' where about to die/Went from callin’ my chick a chicken cause she look like she got poultry around her thighs/To callin’ your piece a chicken cause she got no teeth and she got crow feet, around her eyes/How hard are y’all? I got a heart the size of Arkansas/Count to five, these birds gon’ hit the ground and they ain’t from out the sky/Went from havin’ an outta-this-world-flow, to doin’ the pity, or doin’ the coon dance/To watchin’ my good friend Eminem winnin’ a moonman/I remember cause I was in New York with all of my boys to start shit/Lettin’ ‘em stay with me, long story short, they tore my corporate apartment/Went from bein' a kid addicted to basketball/To bein' an ignorant nigga addicted to alcohol/Round and round we go is how this movie would end/Self-proclaimed King of my city, not really just truely the King of losin’ a friend/Who would’ve thought this goof in the park whose true to his art would lose/Or win just by givin’ his thoughts ‘n’ views"

-Royce Da 5'9", "Merry Go Round"

Rock City (Game, 2002) by Royce Da 5'9"

Despite Royce's beef with D12 at the time, that fortunately did not overshadow his debut album.  Lyrically, he's one of the best and his beat selection does a good job of showcasing that skill.  "Boom" is a great record and "Rock City," with Slim Shady on the hook, does an excellent job of creating a catchy chorus without compromising quality verses.  "Life" is a deep song which finds its counterbalance in "My Friend" which is an ode to his genitals.  Overall, this album does a wonderful job of presenting Royce as a well-rounded emcee.  It's no surprise he's still successfully making music 10 years later.

Hell: The Sequel (Shady, 2011) by Bad Meets Evil

“He’s Evil, and I’m Bad like Steve Seagal/ Against peaceful, see you in Hell for the sequel”, and with that the final rhyme of “Bad Meets Evil”, from Eminem’s 1999 Slim Shady LP, are air-borne.  And after twelve years, the sequel has finally arrived.  Once upon a time, Bad and Evil (Royce Da 5’9” and Eminem respectively) were the best unsigned rappers in Detroit, Michigan, and this EP is a reminder as to why.  As far as lyrics and delivery are concerned, this EP is flawless. Hell’s first single, “Fast Lane”, is arguably the most memorable hip-hop duet since “Brooklyn’s Finest” in 1996. While the shock value seemed somewhat uninspired on Eminem’s 2009 album Relapse, “Fast Lane” finds Mr. Mathers back in top form.  And Royce is clearly capable of matching wits with 50’s favorite white boy (Graduated from master debater slash massive masturbator, to Michael Jackson’s activator/ Meanin’ I’m on fire off the top, might wanna back up the data) over the orchestral beat.  Other highlights include “The Reunion”, which find Eminem slowing down his flow and Royce turning down a woman for using the word ‘swagger’.  “Lighters” featuring Bruno Mars is also a good song.  As out of place on the EP as it is, the record does do a great job of breaking up the warped sense of humor and fun approach throughout the rest of the project.  Production-wise, the tracks become a bit repetitive and tiresome by the end.  But to be fair, most of the beats are sparse and tailor-made for spitting.  And in this case, more so than many, the beats are there to accentuate the rhymes.  The use of the Mike Epps vocal sample on “I’m on Everything” seems clever at first, but him saying “Ha ha huh” in the chorus comes off as obnoxious.  And for something as highly anticipated as Hell, it seems improper that the EP would close out with “Loud Noises”- the only track featuring other rappers, supergroup Slaughterhouse, alongside Bad and Evil.  Even with a great set-up for the song by Eminem on the previous number, “Take From Me”, “Loud Noises” still feels out of sequence.  Despite a few faults, Hell: The Sequel is a great release.  It is an EP which clearly aims to satisfy hip-hop purists without compromising anything to appeal to pop sensibilities.  And just because it probably won’t sell in the millions doesn’t mean that it doesn’t deserve to.  Twelve years is a long time.  But it was worth the wait.