So we are in the midst of another year with another Eminem release, what else is new? Except, this one is different, and special really, for that matter. For all the hip hop head junkies that actually follow more of the underground scene, then Royce Da 5'9 should be a name that rings a few bells (which is a shame because this guy is really fucking good in case you haven't noticed). Slim and Royce have both been pretty busy of late, with Em releasing two studio albums in the past two years and Royce releasing his own solo album and working with the hip hop supergroup Slaughterhouse, so it was surprising to me that the two decided to, all of the sudden, reconcile their differences and work on a collaboration together.
A little history between these two. Royce and Em, both from the Detroit area, met as Slim's career was beginning to blossom in 1997, when rapper Proof (may he R.I.P.) introduced the two to each other. It was hip hop love at first sight, as the two immediately found chemistry between another. They decided to form their own duo group, Royce as "Bad" and Slim as "Evil" (probably appropriate; probably also appropriate that LeBron forms his own solo act as the same name). The two were first be heard on Shady's debut, The Slim Shady LP, on the track "Bad Meets Evil" (how creative, you know this song, the one with the Willy Nelson impersonation at the beginning. The song itself wasn't anything special, though), but never were able to actually turn their duo around to make an actual album. Em tried to make it happen by bringing in Dr. Dre to produce the two; unfortunately, Royce had a falling out (I still haven't found out why) and Bad Meets Evil seemed to be a failed project (like every team LeBron has been a part of to this point).
Still, there was hope early on that the two could find a way to put together something, even if it was a mixtape. That was until the Warped Tour in 2001, where Slim's protoge group, D12, was involved in a backstage that had the group kicked off the remainder of the tour. For reasons unknown to those except Slim and Royce, the incident either started or was the climax of animosity between the two and they ceased to talk anymore (like Dan Gilbert and LeBron). D12 went another step further to actually release multiple diss tracks on Royce (like this one) and Royce fired with a few back of his own (like this). While there may never have been any actual real beef between Slim and Royce, they continued their silence with each other for over five years.
Then, tragically in 2006, the same man that introduced the two was the same man who brought them back together (inadvertantly, though). When Proof was shot that April, Em and Royce finally met with one another and whatever bad feelings had existed were history (just like LeBron's comparisons to MJ. I feel sick just putting those two in the same sentence now). Royce then made a return to D12 on Return of the Dozen Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 (2008 and 2011, respectively) and things were finally back on track for a possible reunion of Bad Meets Evil. Once Em decided to sign Royce's Slaughterhouse to his label (Shady Records) last year, a Bad Meets Evil album/mixtape seemed only a matter of time. And thank goodness, it's actually happened.
So is the long-awaited EP of Bad Meets Evil worth the 13 year wait?
1. Welcome 2 Hell
There's not many rappers I can say are allowed to act like they're from hell, but I think Royce and Em are two of the very, very few exceptions (DMX is probably the only other one I can think of at the moment). After a pretty chilling intro, Em jumps right in and seems he wasn't kidding when he said "Welcome to Hell" because he's on fire, as well as Royce. Havoc's beat here, while nothing special, sets a dark undertone for the two and works very, very well. I loved Royce's verses, particularly the"That the game don't need, the Bad and Evil Regime/That's like saying that bad boy Pistons didn't need Isiaah", but it's Em's return to his battle rapping style that was a real breath of fresh air. Only one track, "Cold Wind Blows", on Recovery sounded anything like the old Em, and let's face it, the old Em, the one who the title "Evil" actually fit, was way fucking better. Great opening track.
2. Fast Lane
Now THIS is what I was really hoping for when I heard Bad Meets Evil was actually serious about releasing an EP. The beat, the lyrics, the hook; everything about this track is just awesome. What makes this track work so well is it ensures that the only two stealing the show are Slim and Royce, which is the way it should be. Both MC's absolutely obliterate their verses and I can't help but laugh everytime I hear Em's "And I hope this doesn't sound to heinous when I say this to Nicki Minaj/but I wanna stick my penis in your anus!". Well said, Mr. Mathers, well said.
3. The Reunion
A much slower pace than the first two tracks of Hell, it still finds a way to find a way to work. . .sort of. The lyrics are still solid (although I think Royce outshines Slim here) and it'll sound good on your speakers. There seems to be something missing from this song, though, even if I can't point it out. The hook is actually pretty weak, but otherwise, there's no glaring flaws with this. A good metaphor for this. Remember LeBron's game five performance in the Finals? You know, the one where he posted a triple double, yet the next day everyone was still shitting on him for only scoring two points in the fourth quarter? Yeah, that's what this song is the equivalent. It has some good elements, but it's not great. Except that LeBron has a ton of great elements. And he doesn't utilize half of them.
4. Above the Law
The first Mr. Porter produced track of the EP, and it sounds pretty good. Again, I think Royce is the better of the two fighters here, even though Em's verse is nothing to sneeze at. Royce's line "You got a mouth like Kanye, I'll knock your entire bottom row of teeth out/No disrespect to Mr. West, shit, I'm just nice with mine/And this just rap, just like Ricky Hatton I just like to line/These weak rappers wanna set us up, they never tough/They asked me for a hook, I tell em' left or right? And a cut!" proves this, to me. I've also noticed that most of the beats on the EP are more tailored to Royce, rather than Slim. Seriously, go pop in Royce's Death is Certain and compare it to any of Slim's albums. You'll realize pretty quickly how much pop influence is actually behind Shady's material, whereas Royce has relished in the underground scene. To his credit though, Shady has been extremely successful with these influences, while I'm positive about 5% of people who call themselves "hip hop fans" actually know who Royce is.
5. I'm On Everything ft. Mike Epps
If the intro wasn't enough reason enough to give this a spin, wait until the :18 mark when the bass kicks in. The track is much lighter on it's feel than the previous four, but Royce and Slim make this sound fucking fantastic. Props to Mr. Porter for the production behind this because it's the best beat on the entire EP. One thing that impressed me here was Em's ability (as if this should surprise me anymore) to change his delivery in the middle of his verse. His jamaican line is a great example of this and this track is also a perfect example of how Royce and Em work play off of each other. Songs like this will make Bad Meets Evil fans as impatient as LeBron is for next season for another EP or (gasp!) an LP.
6. A Kiss
You know this is classic Shady (not the new, rehabilitated one) when a line of his stirs controversy with another artist. I noticed the line the first time I listened to the track, but if you've listened to these six tracks in sucession, it might be hard to notice it at first since your ears are probably on exhaust from taking in the lyrical onslaught these two have provided. Here is the line, anyways: "These bells are my maiden call and I'm here, bell's raiding and tell Lady GaGa, she can quit her job at the post office, she's still a male lady". Of course, GaGa hasn't found this funny, even though Em claims it was simply just a joke and that he thinks GaGa's music is "dope". How long do you think it will take Fox News to get ahold of this story? (It's a white rapper, even if he's not visiting the White House, so yes, they actually will care).
7. Lighters ft. Bruno Mars
What the fuck is this shit?! And who the hell decided to let Bruno Mars in the same studio?? While this may be OK lyrically, the hook absolutely kills any hope for this song. I would have been alright with this on Shady's Recovery (although I still probably would have hated it) but it has no place here.
8. Take From Me
After the last track, anything is going to sound better, and this is a decent rebound. Mr. Porter's beat (his third of four for this) isn't as hard hitting as the earlier tracks on this, but it's still acceptable. Royce and Em both give great verses, which ultimately saves this song from another skip. This was one of those songs that I really liked for some God-known reason the first time I listened to it, but after a few more times, it lost some it's steam with me.
9. Loud Noises ft. Slaughterhouse
For some reason, I expected a track like this to be here. When I saw Slaughterhouse was a feature, it confirmed that prediction. Lyrically, it's the best track of the album, but that's because there's so much here. Honestly, I'd just go search for the lyrics because it's hard for me to pick a favorite. Joell Ortiz's verse though, had to be my favorite (his Santonio Holmes line is brilliant). The only thing that bothered the shit out of me was the random dude yelling "SLAUGHTERHOUSE" in between artists. Seriously, this track would've been about 34x better without it.
Closing Statement: OK, so it's not the best thing to ever hit hip hop and it's not even the best body of work this year so far. There are some weaker tracks on here, like "The Reunion" and "Take From Me" and one REALLY bad one in "Lighters". If the album wasn't an EP and was more around the 14 track range, Bad Meets Evil could get away with a few throwaways. When it's just an EP though, there's barely room for error, and there are certainly a few in the nine tracks here. However, the remaining six tracks are fantastic and songs like "Fast Lane" and "I'm On Everything" are some of the best tracks I've heard all year. There's also two bonus tracks, "The Echo" and "Living Proof", on the deluxe edition, and they're both worth checking out. Overall, Royce and Em reinforce that they are two of the best lyrically, if not the best (well, Nas may have something to say about that), today and this is still a solid effort. It may not be everything I was personally hoping for, but harder albums like this are much, much harder to come by in today's world, and I'm thankful that Slim and Royce still want to spit on the mic like they do here. A little more work on the next release (that I pray they decide to do) and it will be a true winner (unlike LeBron, who hasn't won shit).
The Verdict: If your friend that worships Eminem and gets everything he releases is still kickin', then I'd go to his place immediately and burn this. I'm sure that this will sell pretty well and I don't have a problem with buying it. If you do buy it though, throw down the extra buck and get the deluxe edition. That would be worth your dough (as well as a ticket to next year's Finals to see LeBronnageddan III. I promise never to make another LeBron joke again, seriously.)
Aye! Good to see you back with a dope review! Fastlane stays on repeat.
ReplyDeleteNeed more posts/reviews though! Keep it up!