I came across Royce Da 5"9 through Eminem (just like every other fan of Royce ever), and while he's impressed me at times, in Slaughterhouse, and on Hell: The Sequel, he's never really hit his peak in terms of talent. Word on the street is that this is his most polished, and lyrically saavy solo album, so I figured I'd give it a shot, and see whether Royce can be the elite rapper he says he is.1. Legendary (Feat. Travis Barker)
This beat's one of the best I've heard in a while, as I love Travis Barker's collaborations with rappers. Royce goes pretty hard on here too, with a pretty monotone flow that works well with the busy background. This song's probably one of the better tracks I've reviewed so far.
2. Writer's Block (Feat. Eminem)
The beat for this was pretty flashy, but still good. Royce spits fire on here too, but I can't get over Em not spitting a verse. Why do people get him to do hooks? It doesn't make sense to me.
3. Merry Go Round
It's too bad the hook was fucking GAY and the beat's meh at best, or this would be the best track on the album. Royce spits hard rapidfire rap, over a shitty beat. He pretty much just tells his story since he was beefing with Eminem, which is cool.
4. Where My Money
I kind of expected tracks like this, with gimmicky production, and rapping style from 2006. I obviously wasn't impressed by this track.
5. ER (Feat. Kid Vishis)
Again, very gimmicky production. I have a feeling that might be the route Royce is going with this album, which I'm dissapointed about because Royce is at his best over simple beats, spitting hot bars at a high pace. Kid Vishis makes a good cameo though, so that was enjoyable, as is Royce's hook. An okay track, it seems like it sucks, but then leaves a good taste in your mouth.
6. On The Boulevard (Feat. Nottz & Adonis)
This was awesome. A sweet, slow, simple beat, with a solid hook. Nottz is okay on here, but Royce steals the show (as he should), with his best flow so far, except maybe legendary. A good track.
7. I Ain't Comin Down
I was pretty excited for this track, as The Alchemist is my favorite producer, and he doesn't dissapoint, delivering a solid beat for Royce to do his thing. He's not his best here, but good enough for this to be a sweet track. It's too bad the hook had to be so fucking long.
8. Security
I started to write some bad stuff about this track, until I realised what Royce was talking about; Proof's funeral, and how he couldn't say anything about it because of his beef with Eminem at the time. This seems pretty heartfelt, and sounds good over a beat by another one of my favorite producers, Mr.Porter.
9. Second Place
DAMN this track goes hard. It sounds like a really good Alchemist beat (it's actually my second favorite producer, DJ Premier. Great production on the last three tracks). This is probably my second favorite track on the project, and it ha the highlight of the album too: Person - "why this nigga gotta bring up em's name all the time, man. Nigga wouldn't even be rich without 'em" Royce - "shut up faggot."
10. My Own Planet (Feat. Joe Budden)
You know I like Mr.Porter, but this beat sucks, bad. Royce is still good, and Joe Budden's pretty great too, but this is deffinitely not a highlight of the album.
11. I've Been Up I've Been Down
Royce sounds pretty good over a sweet beat. Not exactly a grand finale, but a good way to finish off the album.
Best Tracks: Legendary, Second Place, Writer's Block, On The Boulevard
Rating: 6.5/10
I haven't really listened to too much of Royce's solo work, but this album is a worthy introduction. It's deffinitely worth listening to, and Legendary may be one of the best tracks I've heard in a while. However, there's a lot of really bad music on here too.
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