09 Aug Royce da 5'9" – Success Is Certain | Album Review
If the happy ending to the much chronicled story of Royce da 5'9" was his reunion with Eminem, the emcee now moves into the sequel stage of this novel. From ghostwriting for Dr. Dre, to prison, to his alliance with Slaughterhouse, the faith in Detroit’s recognised son hasn’t been deserted by his long-time admirers and this year has shown why. Whilst the emphatic performances on his Bad Meets Evil EP with Slim Shady have catapulted 5'9" back into the radar of critics and fans who seek material away from the underground, Success Is Certain aims to maintain the emcee's current momentum.
It was in 1999 when the world first witnessed when ‘Bad’ met ‘Evil’. Detroit’s finest rappers and long-term friends Eminem and Royce Da 5’9" collaborated on the former’s Slim Shady LP, where both of their sick-to-def styles crossed paths making for a fine outing. But throughout the years, disagreements, personal tragedy and label drama contributed to the distancing of the pair. But after Royce and Em patched things up and became labelmates again (via Shady’s partnership with Royce’s Slaughterhouse collective) the Motor City’s meanest deliverers join forces once again, with the intention of causing an uproar within the realms of Hip Hop’s finest duos.