The duo broke up after a feud between Royce and the members of Eminem 's group D12. The feud ended when Proof, a D12 member and Eminem 's best friend, as well as a friend of Royce's, was killed in April 2006. After Royce's super-group Slaughterhouse signed to the Eminem -founded record label Shady Records, a reunion of Bad Meets Evil followed with the extended play Hell: The Sequel (2011), which reached number one on the US Billboard 200 and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). The album is now eligible for platinum certification in the US. The EP's lead single "Fast Lane" peaked at number 32 on the Billboard Hot 100, while the second single "Lighters", featuring Bruno Mars, peaked at number four on the same chart. The duo returned in 2014 for the 15-year anniversary album of Shady Records, Shady XV, for "Vegas", and again in 2015 to record two tracks for the boxing film Southpaw, titled "All I Think About" and "Raw". The duo has recently reunited for the song "Not Alike" on Eminem 's album Kamikaze (2018). Eminem was also featured in Royce's song "Caterpillar" on his album Book of Ryan (2018). Most recently Royce featured on Eminem's album Music To Be Murdered By (2020) with three songs, "You Gon' Learn", "Yah Yah" and "I Will". On the song "Godzilla" from the same album, Eminem confirms that the duo is still active by rapping ("pack heat, but it's black ink Evil half of the Bad Meets Evil, that means take a back seat").
Music career
Foundation and subsequent break-up
Eminem met Royce da 5'9" in 1997 when Royce was opening for entertainer Usher at the Palladium. Eminem and Royce da 5'9", became quick friends before Eminem's rise to fame, and collaborated on the track which led to the duo's foundation, "Bad Meets Evil", for Eminem's 1999 major label debut The Slim Shady LP. The duo's first work, a 1999 double-single, which was originally recorded in 1998, consisting of "Nuttin' to Do" and "Scary Movies", achieved respectable chart success, peaking at 36 on the Hot Rap Songs chart, while the latter peaked at 63 on the UK Singles Chart. A year later, the song "Scary Movies" was featured on the soundtrack of the horror comedy parody film Scary Movie.
"Renegade" was originally a song featuring Eminem recorded for Royce's first studio debut album Rock City (2002), but Royce's verses were later replaced with Jay-Z's for his 2001 album The Blueprint. Jay-Z contacted Eminem for a collaboration and beat while the song was being made. Limited in time for production, Eminem sent Jay-Z the beat for "Renegade" with approval from Royce. However, Eminem was still featured on Royce's Rock City album, on the title track.
Dr. Dre heard one of Royce's mix tapes through Eminem, deciding to sign him to Aftermath Entertainment. Eminem secured him a ghostwriting position on Dre's second studio album, 2001. After his manager Kino stated: "I've seen Em sit Dre down like a pupil and coach him on rhymes" on a phone interview, Dr. Dre requested that Royce cut ties with his manager. Royce refused to fire his manager, thus his relationship with Dre ended.
After Royce turned down Eminem's offer to join his Anger Management Tour as a hype man, Proof, member of Eminem's band D12 and his best friend, also a good friend of Royce's, took the place. Later, Royce wanted to continue working with Eminem, who was busy working with D12, which led Royce to believe that D12 was "souring" his relationship with Eminem. A feud with a series of diss tracks followed, resulting in the duo's break up.
Reunion
In 2011, Royce's rap group Slaughterhouse signed to Eminem's founded label Shady Records. This led to a reunion of Bad Meets Evil with the debut extended play Hell: The Sequel, released on June 14, 2011 after 11 years of inactivity in the group. A chart success, it peaked at number one on the Billboard 200 and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).
"Fast Lane" was released on May 3, 2011 as the lead single.It was recorded by Mike Strange at Effigy Studios (Ferndale, Michigan). Recorded a few months before its release, the song was written by Eminem, Royce da 5'9" and Sly "Pyper" Jordan, who also sings the chorus to the song with additional vocals from Denaun Porter. Eminem requested that Sly perform the chorus, after hearing Dr. Dre's hit single "Kush". Supa Dups and Jason "JG" Gilbert produced the song; Eminem and Mike Strange mixed the song. JG and Supa Dups also sample their own vocals. According to Supa Dups, he was asked to make a beat with JG, without knowing it was for Bad Meets Evil. He said that "[They] didn't even have Eminem in mind [when they made the beat]." According to this interview with Mixtape Daily, Supa Dups had little knowledge about the project, but simply submitted the beat to Eminem. Months after recording the song, on April 28, 2011, when it leaked onto the Internet, Supa Dups was impressed by the finished version, lyrically, and was proud to have participated in the project. The song peaked at number 34 on the Hot 100 chart.
The second single, "Lighters", was originally intended to be featured on Royce's fifth studio album, Success Is Certain, but the single itself had ended up on Hell: The Sequel. It was produced solely by Rochester, New York producer Battle Roy. After Royce had presented the track to Eminem, he was inspired to write and record the first verse, prompting Royce to write his the day afterwards. Bad Meets Evil then flew to Los Angeles, where R&B and pop singer Bruno Mars heard the song. Eminem and Mars then made minor changes to the musical arrangement. The song was recorded at Effigy Studios by Strange, Isolation Studios by Asar and Levcon Studios (Los Angeles, California) by Ari Levine of The Smeezingtons, a music production and songwriting group consisting of Philip Lawrence and Mars. Eminem, The Smeezingtons and Battle Roy produced the song. Battle Roy and Joe Strange also engineered the song. Luis Resto provided additional keyboards for the song. On May 25, 2011, when the track listing of Hell: The Sequel was announced, "Lighters" was revealed to the public to feature Mars. "Lighters" hit contemporary hit radio on July 5, 2011 as the second single from the EP. "Lighters" performed better on the charts than "Fast Lane", peaking at number four on the Hot 100 chart.
Bad Meets Evil released a new song, entitled "Vegas", for the compilation album Shady XV, which was released on November 24, 2014 through Shady Records.
In 2015, two new Bad Meets Evil songs were released. The two songs, "All I Think About" and "Raw" appear on the Southpaw Soundtrack, produced by Shady Records.
In 2018, two Bad Meets Evil songs were released "Caterpillar" which featured Eminem off Royce's Book of Ryan album and "Not Alike" which featured Royce off Eminem's Kamikaze album.
Nuttin' To Do
Bad Meets Evil Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The finest in hip hop entertainment
Hello, I'm naughty
One of the sexy sexy game girls you all love to love
And I wanna welcome you to game tight
So, sit back, relax and get your groove on
The Bad
The Evil
The Bad
Yeah
The Evil
Right, yo
Put em together
Yo if it wasn't for your whip, I'd have nothing to strip
If it wasn't for a wrist, I'd have nothing to slit
If it wasn't for the shrooms, I'd have nothing to chew
Yo
I'm just fucking with you, cause I got nothing to do
I am bored!
I came in the diner with skateboarders, and placed orders
Ate hors d'oeuvres, and hit the waiter with plate warmers
Let you inhale the glock smell, while I'm ripping your wallet off
And slipping a Molotov in your Cocktail (take that)
Burning your contracts, punch your A&R in the face
Smash his glasses and turn em to contacts
I'm on some shook shit, if it's missing I took it (whoops!)
Nurse look at this straitjacket, it's crooked!
I go to jail and murder you from a cell
Put a knife in an envelope and have you stabbed in the mail (FedEx)
So how do you describe someone, with a decapitated head
When the rest of his body's still alive running?
Coming with five gunmen, waiting to do a drive-by
So when you see the black 500 (what?) hide from it
For every hundred MC's rhyming about birds
Only about two-thirds'd really set it without words
Yo you ain't a thug, I can make you bitch up
Pick the fifth up, cock, spit, you would swear it's raining slugs (what?)
I'm the hottest shit in the industry (uh)
I got every thug on the block that get a wind of me defending me
You lack class and respect, get a direct backblast
The Bad and Evil mad rap, I cover the Bad half
You know how a thug in this shit'll end up
Spit a round, lift your chin up, you get hit, ten down and ten up (what?)
I take it if you run your mouth, then you want to get sent up
Heat it up, you be leaking blood and spitting phlegm up
Now we rivals, cause of a small name or title
You stepped, got devoured and left with a flower and bible
Yo if it wasn't for your whip, I'd have nothing to strip
If it wasn't for a wrist, I'd have nothing to slit
If it wasn't for the shrooms, I'd have nothing to chew
Yo
I'm just fucking with you, cause I got nothing to do
Yo if it wasn't for your whip, I'd have nothing to strip
If it wasn't for a wrist, I'd have nothing to slit
If it wasn't for the shrooms, I'd have nothing to chew
Yo
I'm just fucking with you, cause I got nothing to do
Forget a chorus, my metaphors are so complicated
It takes six minutes to get applause
And by the time you all catch on, I'm a end your career
And walk away with the whole floor so you have nothing to fall back on!
I'll throw you off of ten floors
Pull a fucking headache outta my head, and put it in yours (take this)
I'm indoors, waiting for disaster to seep in my skin pores
To go outdoors and do some in-stores
This bitch wanted to blow me, I said, "It oughta happen
You swallow cum bitch?" "No, but I brought a napkin"
Getting skully while I'm autographing
Got my daughter laughing cause I sent her mother whitewater rafting
I'm not a fact, I'm a proven fear
Mr. Rogers blocked up my you-haul screaming
"Wait, wait, wait, you ain't moving here!
Lorena Bobbitt, c'mere, want a souvenir?
I've been high as fuck, since I was a juvi-neer
Juvenile? Same difference, I need some 'caine
'Cause I ain't sniffed since I woke up the seven slain infants
(Oh my God!) Brain implants and they say there's a slim chance
I won't stay the same cause I traded brains with a chimpanz'
Walking in swamp water with an M-16, out for the blood
Shove a gun in the mouth of a thug
To break braces, you say grace and make faces
I'll display hate and break you in eight places (what?)
Take paces, turn around draw in a standoff
Precise aim, icing my fame, blowing your hand off
Dancing with the Devil leading, I won't die, I'm never leaving (what?)
I pledge allegiance to forever breathing
Street niggas with nuts, what? My meat's bigger (what?)
Fake-ass thugs with toy guns and cheap triggers
With a deathwish, thinking I'm the nigga to mess with
Let the tech lift, direct chest hit, melt your necklace
For instance, you just a henchmen, on tough soil (what?)
A follower never had heart, he just loyal
Thugs is glass doors, I see through em, put the heat to em
Be careful you might get what you ask for
Yo if it wasn't for your whip, I'd have nothing to strip
If it wasn't for a wrist, I'd have nothing to slit
If it wasn't for the shrooms, I'd have nothing to chew
Yo
I'm just fucking with you, cause I got nothing to do
If it wasn't for your whip, I'd have nothing to strip
If it wasn't for a wrist, I'd have nothing to slit
If it wasn't for the shrooms, I'd have nothing to chew
Yo
I'm just fucking with you, cause I got nothing to do
The Bad
The Evil
The Bad
The Evil
The lyrics of Bad Meets Evil’s “Nuttin’ To Do” is a showcase of Eminem's lyrical prowess, highlighting his ability to string together complex and often grotesque metaphors and similes with impeccable nuance. The song opens with a playful introduction from a fictional game girl welcoming the listener to a world of hip hop entertainment. The first verse then abruptly shifts focus to the boredom Eminem is experiencing, and he starts to juxtapose his lack of activity with dark humor. He jokingly suggests that if it weren't for his car, his wrist, or his shrooms, he would have nothing left to strip, slit or chew. The verse is an example of Eminem's ability to twist words and use puns to create graphic and disturbing imagery.
The second verse of the song features more of Eminem's trademark wordplay and violent fantasies. He describes walking into a diner with skateboarders and hitting a waiter with plate warmers before stealing wallets and slipping Molotov cocktails in cocktails. He then talks of his desire to murder people from jail, describing how he would put a knife in an envelope and have them stabbed in the mail. The lyrics are dark and disturbing in places, but throughout, Eminem's ability to play with words, build tension and create a sense of danger is on full display.
Overall, “Nuttin' to Do” is an example of Eminem's incredible gift for linguistic innovation and his mastery of the art of storytelling. The song is an excellent example of how he was able to combine humor, wordplay, and violent imagery to create a fascinating and compelling work of art.
Line by Line Meaning
The very best of game recordings
This song is the epitome of high-quality rap music
The finest in hip hop entertainment
This song represents the pinnacle of entertainment within the hip hop genre
Hello, I'm naughty
I am mischievous and rebellious
One of the sexy sexy game girls you all love to love
I am a desirable and attractive woman that everyone adores
And I wanna welcome you to game tight
I invite you to immerse yourself in this exciting and intense experience
So, sit back, relax and get your groove on
Take a moment to unwind, enjoy yourself, and get into the rhythm of the music
The Bad
A reference to one of the artists, who embodies a rebellious, edgy persona
The Evil
Another artist in the song, known for his darker, sinister nature
Right, yo
Acknowledgement and agreement with what has been said
Put em together
Bring the two artists together in harmony
Yo if it wasn't for your whip, I'd have nothing to strip
If it weren't for your luxurious car, I would have nothing to seductively take off
If it wasn't for a wrist, I'd have nothing to slit
If I didn't have access to a sharp object, I wouldn't have anything to harm myself with
If it wasn't for the shrooms, I'd have nothing to chew
Without psychedelic drugs, I would have no source of excitement or escape
Yo
I'm just fucking with you, cause I got nothing to do
I am teasing and provoking you because I am bored and have no other activities
I am bored!
I am expressing my state of restlessness and lack of stimulation
I came in the diner with skateboarders, and placed orders
I arrived at the restaurant with a group of rebellious skateboarders and proceeded to order food
Ate hors d'oeuvres, and hit the waiter with plate warmers
I enjoyed appetizers and playfully struck the waiter with heated plates
Let you inhale the glock smell, while I'm ripping your wallet off
I will make you experience the scent of a gun while simultaneously stealing your money
And slipping a Molotov in your Cocktail (take that)
I will discreetly place a homemade explosive device in your drink to cause chaos
Burning your contracts, punch your A&R in the face
I will destroy your legal agreements and physically assault your Artists and Repertoire representative
Smash his glasses and turn em to contacts
I will break his eyeglasses and transform them into contact lenses
I'm on some shook shit, if it's missing I took it (whoops!)
I am engaging in suspicious and dishonest behavior, and if something is gone, it is because I stole it
Nurse look at this straitjacket, it's crooked!
Look at this improperly made straitjacket that I am imprisoned in
I go to jail and murder you from a cell
Even while incarcerated, I can still metaphorically kill and defeat you
Put a knife in an envelope and have you stabbed in the mail (FedEx)
I will put a knife in an envelope and have you harmed through the mail system, using the FedEx company as an example
So how do you describe someone, with a decapitated head
When the rest of his body's still alive running?
How do you explain someone whose head has been removed, yet their body is still functioning and moving?
Coming with five gunmen, waiting to do a drive-by
Arriving with a group of armed individuals, ready to launch an attack from a moving vehicle
So when you see the black 500 (what?) hide from it
When you spot the black luxury car, take cover and stay out of sight
For every hundred MC's rhyming about birds
Out of every one hundred rappers who rap about drugs
Only about two-thirds'd really set it without words
Only about sixty-six percent truly bring the excitement and intensity without relying solely on lyrics
Yo you ain't a thug, I can make you bitch up
You are not a tough person, and I have the power to make you act submissive
Pick the fifth up, cock, spit, you would swear it's raining slugs (what?)
I will grab and load the gun, fire it, and it will seem like bullets are raining down
I'm the hottest shit in the industry (uh)
I am the most popular and successful artist in the music industry
I got every thug on the block that get a wind of me defending me
All the tough individuals in the neighborhood support and protect me when they hear of any threats against me
You lack class and respect, get a direct backblast
You are ignorant and disrespectful, and now you will face the consequences head-on
The Bad and Evil mad rap, I cover the Bad half
Within the collaboration of Bad Meets Evil, I represent the more rebellious and aggressive side
You know how a thug in this shit'll end up
Everyone knows the consequences a criminal will face in this dangerous lifestyle
Spit a round, lift your chin up, you get hit, ten down and ten up (what?)
I will fire a bullet, causing you to raise your chin, and then you will be hit and fall to the ground, ten times over
I take it if you run your mouth, then you want to get sent up
If you choose to talk recklessly, you are inviting trouble and imprisonment
Heat it up, you be leaking blood and spitting phlegm up
I will intensify the situation, causing you to bleed and cough up mucus
Now we rivals, cause of a small name or title
We are now enemies due to a minor disagreement or difference in reputation
You stepped, got devoured and left with a flower and bible
You challenged me, but I defeated you completely and left you with only a memorial flower and religious text
Forget a chorus, my metaphors are so complicated
I disregard the traditional structure of a song, as my metaphors are intricate and complex
It takes six minutes to get applause
It requires six minutes for the audience to fully appreciate and acknowledge my skill
And by the time you all catch on, I'm a end your career
By the time everyone understands and recognizes my talent, I will have already destroyed your music career
And walk away with the whole floor so you have nothing to fall back on!
I will leave you with nothing, taking away any support or foundation you had to rely on
I'll throw you off of ten floors
I will metaphorically cause your downfall, as if I were throwing you from a tall building
Pull a fucking headache outta my head, and put it in yours (take this)
I will transfer my intense mental agony to you, making you suffer just as I do
I'm indoors, waiting for disaster to seep in my skin pores
I am secluded inside, anticipating and inviting negative events to deeply affect me
To go outdoors and do some in-stores
Eventually, I will venture outside to visit stores and interact with the public
This bitch wanted to blow me, I said, "It oughta happen
A woman expressed a desire to perform oral sex on me, and I responded with a sarcastic comment
You swallow cum bitch?" "No, but I brought a napkin"
She denied swallowing semen, but humorously proclaimed that she was prepared with a napkin instead
Getting skully while I'm autographing
I will wear a skull mask while signing autographs, adding a unique and mysterious touch
Got my daughter laughing cause I sent her mother whitewater rafting
I made my daughter laugh by arranging for her mother to participate in an exhilarating whitewater rafting adventure
I'm not a fact, I'm a proven fear
I am not mere speculation, but a genuine source of intimidation and terror
Mr. Rogers blocked up my you-haul screaming
The famous television personality, Mr. Rogers, tried to stop me from moving by obstructing my moving truck
"Wait, wait, wait, you ain't moving here!
"Hold on, you are not allowed to relocate to this area!
Lorena Bobbitt, c'mere, want a souvenir?
Lorena Bobbitt, known for severing her husband's genitals, come here, would you like a keepsake?
I've been high as fuck, since I was a juvi-neer
I have been heavily intoxicated for a long time, even since my juvenile years
Juvenile? Same difference, I need some 'caine
Whether it's being young or engaging in criminal behavior, both are similar, and I require cocaine
'Cause I ain't sniffed since I woke up the seven slain infants
Because I have not ingested drugs since I woke up to the news of seven murdered babies
(Oh my God!) Brain implants and they say there's a slim chance
Oh my God! I have undergone brain surgery, and they claim there is a small possibility
I won't stay the same cause I traded brains with a chimpanz'
I will not remain unchanged because I have exchanged brains with a chimpanzee
Walking in swamp water with an M-16, out for the blood
I am walking in murky water with a powerful gun, seeking to spill blood
Shove a gun in the mouth of a thug
Forcefully place a firearm inside the mouth of a criminal
To break braces, you say grace and make faces
In order to shatter dental braces, you should pray and contort your facial expressions
I'll display hate and break you in eight places (what?)
I will openly express my animosity towards you and physically harm you in multiple areas of your body
Take paces, turn around draw in a standoff
We will both take steps back, turn around, and face each other in a tense confrontation
Precise aim, icing my fame, blowing your hand off
With impeccable accuracy, I will shoot and potentially sever your hand to diminish your reputation
Dancing with the Devil leading, I won't die, I'm never leaving (what?)
I am engaging in dangerous activities while under the influence of evil forces, and I believe I am invincible and immortal
I pledge allegiance to forever breathing
I am committing myself to always being alive and breathing
Street niggas with nuts, what? My meat's bigger (what?)
I am a fearless individual from the streets, and my courage surpasses that of others
Fake-ass thugs with toy guns and cheap triggers
Those who pretend to be tough carry fake firearms and possess low-quality triggers
With a deathwish, thinking I'm the nigga to mess with
Despite desiring death, individuals believe I am the one not to be trifled with
Let the tech lift, direct chest hit, melt your necklace
Allow the firearm to rise, strike directly at the chest, and cause your necklace to melt
For instance, you just a henchmen, on tough soil (what?)
For example, you are merely a follower and minion in a dangerous environment
A follower never had heart, he just loyal
A follower lacks courage, they are only faithful and obedient
Thugs is glass doors, I see through em, put the heat to em
Criminals are fragile and transparent, I can see their true nature, and I will confront them with firepower
Be careful you might get what you ask for
Be cautious, as you may receive the negative consequences or actions you seek
The Bad
A reminder of the first artist's rebellious persona, now reemphasized
The Evil
A reminder of the second artist's sinister nature, now reemphasized
The Bad
Reiteration of the first artist's rebellious persona
The Evil
Reiteration of the second artist's sinister nature
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MARSHALL B III MATHERS, RYAN MONTGOMERY, RYAN D. MONTGOMERY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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