Disco de Royce da 5'9: “Death Is Certain”

About four years ago or so I was obsessed with this guy, just ask my old roommates in college. On the limited amount of material he had, lyrically I could not get enough of him. Royce Da 5'9" really does have the potential to become great (and he certainly had that opportunity before blowing it with his former connections). I've always had high expectations for Royce's albums because I heard what he's capable of doing (just check out the Build & Destroy original Import if you need proof). Does this album live up to his potential?

This is a very dark album, both production wise and lyrically, yet Royce never comes across as trying to sound overly hard-core. Death Is Certain is certainly an appropriate title as Royce kicks around this idea all throughout the album.

The album opens a nice short intro, you know Royce is coming. Regardless is a nice track, good Al Green that hasn't been flipped yet. Royce immediately sets the stage for the album dropping some great introspective lyrics about his rap career. Throwback is an alright beat, but Royce's flow over it works really well over it, allowing him to get pretty intense. Hip Hop, is sick. I thought Boom couldn't be outdone by Royce... easily one of the best songs i've herd all year (Primo's still got it!). The other track on here that is truly great is T.O.D.A.Y. Great Isaac Hayes sample (although it's been done at least 5 times before) Royce really gets after this song lyrically and it's pretty deep too. The honesty of this song combined with every other aspect (the chorus is pretty creative too) makes this a great stand out track. Although I & Me has one of the stupidest openings ever (you literally shake your head), Royce recovers nicely lyrically bringing more reflective lyrics over a somber violin and guitar.

Beef, is obviously a concept stolen from Biggie, Royce doesn't try and deny that. But, Royce really does advance the concept even further, making this a great song. The production is perfect for the concept and even the outro skits actually add to the song!! That's an accomplishment in itself! Great song.

What I Know is a more laid back track, lyrically he quotes about 5 different rappers leaving the listener a little empty, i do understand that's the point of the song, but just not enough bars in here to really hold it down. I Promise is doesn't have anything really stand out, but its not a bad listen. Everybody Goes is another pretty good track, nice beat pretty good lyrics. Death is Certain, is a nice introspective song about his fallen friend so Royce has some pretty deep lyrics. The singing is kinda annoying, but I mean i can't complain that much.

Gangsta is pretty much worthless as a song. Bomb first has a really bland beat and is pretty uninspiring, Royce has some nice lyrics here but they just kinda fall flat, plus through in the ridiculous voice manipulation on the chorus and you'll want to skip this track.

Somethings Wrong Him is a nice closer to the album. Very dark track, the beat is almost cinematic, like your watching the climax of a pretty intense film. Plus Royce's lyrics are extremely dark and violent. This track brings together the album theme again and is a standout, strong note to end on.

Royce could really be one of the best lyrically, you wouldn't know that from this album. He doesn't really totally blow you away like he's shown he's capable of, but on the other hand his depth and content have gone past just punch lines. Still i feel like he could've brought it a little more lyrically. Plus he quotes other rappers in this album more than Jay-Z has ever quoted Biggie (if you don't know, that's saying a lot!). And it's really noticeable too, perhaps too intentional. Production wise it's pretty good, extremely dark, but mostly solid stuff, sometimes it falls flat. There are a couple of throwaway tracks, but it's defiantly a solid album.

This is not a classic, it's not a bad album either. It might be slightly disappointing for long time Royce fans, who know he can do better (or at least should). But, take away those expectations and Royce delivers a creative album worth checking out.

(7/10)

A lot of people might recognize Royce da 5'9" from his track with Eminem, "Bad Meets Evil," in 1999. Royce's career has been on shaky ground for a while since then. His first album never took off because of bootleggers, and he had scuffles with Eminem and his rap crew, D12, on and off wax. He's finally severed ties with Eminem and released his second album on Koch...a step down from earlier in his career, but on much more solid footing.

"Death is Certain" is definitely a good album to restart his career on. There's nothing club or radio-friendly on here. The lyrics are dark, as the title would suggest, but very confident and honest at the same time. He explores the course of his career and the struggles he's gone through, first working with Eminem and then trying to succeed without his help. He rhymes about the things he's suffered at the hands of the hip-hop industry and hip-hop fans. He also has plenty of battle rhymes and beef stories for good measure. The title track, "Death is Certain pt. 2," has Royce attacking God for letting his friend die from a gunshot, in the tradition of Dr. Dre's "The Message" (which the word is Royce ghostwrote).

The production is where this album is lacking. Most of the beats are produced by Carlos "6 July" Broady, with tracks by DJ Premier, Asar, Ty Fyffe, and Bob "Tewlow" Reef. They set the right mood...dark and brooding most of the time, more reflective or energetic other times. It's mostly piano, guitar, or violin loops. While they have a nice tone, they don't feel very polished much of the time. Sometimes they sound too animated. Also, some of the hooks are just lame. Royce bites lyrics. He takes lines from Tupac, Eminem, and others. The very first words on the album are straight from Eminem's "Lose Yourself."

This disc has a couple of things that could have been done better, but Royce had refreshingly honest lyrics and a nice flow that mixed well with the beats. This is a very solid release.

one a tha best cds i listened to in a while royce spits like no otha an lets his true personality come out

I have been a big royce 5'9 fan since he teamed up with eminem for Bad Meets Evil. As soon as I heard where hes coming from and where hes going, I jumped right on his bandwagon. After Eminem left him, I lost all respect for him. I also lost the respect because he now resorts to "Ill kill you" lyrics and "threat's". I think all of that is weak, just like the Shady Camp. This cd however is much stronger than any other cd I own. It is in my changer running with Illmatic (orignal) BigL's "the big picture" and TalibKweli and Mos Def are Blackstar. Regardless has a bangin' beat and awesome lyrics, Royce really takes it back to the streets and "keeps it real". Dont laugh because he does just that.

"Rappers can't push me, as high as I can

Push myself, you not inspirin

The stolen spot is open, I chose to not, listen

And I don't even know what's hot or we dissin

Or who's consistent or who's nice or not

Who's on top, or who's wife is sniffin (oh)

Or who's meltin soon, to be failin

All I know is the way, the streets felt bout "Boom"'

on his track T.O.D.A.Y. he spits his A-game while IngridSmalls throws the hook. On my iPod, that is my #1 most played with almost 100 plays in under 18 months. He doesnt just have 1 good song, and the rest are "okay" no. no. no. The WHOLE cd is hot. The source gave it only four and a half mic's but I belive it might be a Five mic if they reviewed it right. On the remake of an old Biggie song named "beef" Royce talks about what beef really is, he answers the question the late Notorious B.I.G. asked-"what is beef?" Hip-Hop is about how he starts from nuthin' and how he takes it to the top. As long as Royce keeps his skills for the real Hip-Hop audience, the mainstream will never approve, and thats okay. Who wants a bunch of little kids to buy thier album anyways? If you are real, check this cd out, take one listen to ANY song and the odds are that youll be hooked. His flows are awesome, and when u get past the beats and the flow, his lyrics really deliver.This cd is the centerpiece for any hip-hop enthusiasts collection. If you dont have this, you got nothing. Five stars well desereved.

Needless to say, seeing as I'm from Detroit, I've been following Royce's career for a while, and I have to say, it's great that such a talented mc is repping for my hometown.

On this CD, Royce really steps his game up. His wordplay is twice what it used to be and his lyrics are much more self-aware. Much more powerful. Many people I've talked to who have heard this album say it's too dark. I disagree completely. I think that Royce has really got some things to say, and he does just that.

It seems that he's grown and moved on from his fight with Shady, and his lyricism shows it. Though he throws in a few mentions of his turmoil with Em, they're not as volatile on this album, and by no means do they dominate his lyrics. It seems that he reflects back on it in a more sombre way, like a learning experience. On "I & Me", he raps "How can I go from rockin' with Dre to fallin' out with Shady?" He then goes onto to say over a melancholy background and beat "I've done learned more from my mistakes than I done learned from any grade in my school." The chorus is great also. "I do this music for me, I take time and put pride in it, this music is me, there's no ruinin' me, I'm the truest mc, as hot as you need me to be, as cool as can be, if you as true as me than this is for you, but I do it for me." That has to be one of the best tracks on the CD.

Royce, however, isn't to be underestimated, and coming from the hard streets of Detroit, he lets you know with the classic thug anthems, the most notable being "Regardless", "Throw Back," and a remake of "Beef" (the classic Biggie joint). Normally, I'm not a fan of very violent rap, but Royce does it with a sort of dogged, tired truth about it. He doesn't try and glamorize the violence too often and does a good job on songs like "I Promise" of describing the hard reality of living a life of crime.

Ultimately, however, this CD seems to me like it's a CD of self-exploration, which is what makes it so great. On "Regardless", Royce spits over a very addictive beat "Rappers can't push me as high as I can push myself, you're not inspiring." On "I Promise", Royce shares a touching and powerful promise with himself and God. He lets everyone out there know exactly what's going on inside him, and promises that he'll do everything he can to put an end to his troubled past and move on to focus on his career.

Every single track on this CD is well produced, well written, and addictive. I can't think of a single song on this CD that I don't like, which is what makes it hard to choose the best tracks on the album. I'll try though. First off, Royce's single "Hip Hop" is genius. It wasn't the most succesful singleout there, but after hearing it only one time I rushed to the store to buy this CD. I love it. His wordplay and lyrics are out of this world, honestly, and the beat jumps straight from your speakers and into your head. You can't stop thinking about it. "I & Me" and "I Promise" are truly outstanding tracks also. His music really reflects how much work he's put into it.

The best song on the CD, however, in my opinion, would have to be "Death is Certain Pt. 2 (It Hurts)". I've been immersed in the hip hop underground scene for years because it just doesn's seem like you can find the same meaning in mainstream rap. This song is one of the most thoughtful rap pieces ever recorded.

As far as I'm concerned, it's a pure classic. This song tells the story of a friend of his who's been shot and hospitalized, fighting for his life. Royce, reflecting on this, raps "And I can't kill nobody to get you back, n***a that's something that time can't heal, while I'm saying my grace, I'll be looking up at the sky and telling God that he's making a mistake, you can't take away one brother and leave the rest of the clique, Lord please, double check your list, and if you get to his name and there's a check beside it, death comes in threes, take me next." Every single line of this song is moving and honestly, beautiful.

It shows the harshness of life and the pain of death with no curbs. I can't write out the whole song for you to read, you'll just have to listen to the album. Honestly, this is a CD that you will not regret buying. A lot of people say that it's difficult to find a hip hop CD with both strong messages and outstanding lyrics. Well, here it is.

I just hope Royce doesn't stop repping for Detroit, he's one of the shining stars from the "D". On "I & Me", he says "Don't call me Royce no more, it's Ryan, I've just thrown Detroit's crown away." NO! Don't do that!