Rock City
Eminem ft. Royce Da 59 Lyrics


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Can't stop the hustle, Royce nickel nine
Glock stops the tussle, nine shots'll bust you
Pine box'll stuff you, fuck you! ("Fuck you!")

I am not the tussle, niggaz don't know me *skirt* ("COME ON!!")
I'm Detroit's king nigga *skirt* BOW!
Rock City's where niggaz pimp hoes and ball
Strip hoes in bars, steal clothes from malls

Arms, and ya city's got the
Titties saggin' lookin' like they got four arms
Gold bottles, green bottles, Cris' to the don
Niggaz get popped for sellin weed shaked with seeds

If you hate me you hate the D (*vocal scratch*) please!
I'm takin' shit back, to the riots in the sixties
Think I'm lying? Visit me (Where you live?)

Rock city.. rock on!" (Come on and rock wit me)
Rock city" *scratches* (Come on and rock wit me)
Rock city.. rock on!" (Come on and rock wit me)
Rock wit me *scratches* (Come on and rock wit me)
Rock city (Come on the block wit me)
Rock city rock on!" (And come and rock wit me)

Rock.. city.. come on
Rock.. on.. city.. come on!

Suburban and city niggaz hustle together
Long as it's money envolved, niggaz'll tussle together
Long as the hustle's a hustle, the green is green
White is white, nigga we buyin if the price is right

So drop the mics
Everything's on cock, from the shots to the dice
We are not into hype
You can't say we can't work

Either we some plant workers or we some niggaz that plant work
Detroit bitches is bout it
You can just ask any one of ya niggaz that visit about it
Any Seven Mile bitch know how to get rich

She'll fuck you till you sleep PLUS lie to ya bitch
Plus she'll suck and swallow up outta ya dick
And she'll keep a sugar daddy that'll buy her some shit, come on!

Rock city.. rock on! (Come on and rock wit me)
Rock city(Come on and rock wit me)
Rock city rock on! (Come on and rock wit me)
Rock wit me (Come on and rock wit me)
Rock city (Come on the block wit me)
Rock city (And come and rock wit me)

The city with the bars, where the goons with the cars, to produce, here we are.."

Looted casinos, car shuffles, numbers to bet
Disrespect and get a new smile under ya neck
A city full of thug-ass niggaz, and punk-rockers
Alotta niggaz act like Pac so cops watch 'em

And shot blocks up in the black or the light Timbs
White boys, look, act, and rap like Slim ("Hi!")
Fight Music, knife users never respect it
Guns talk (*scratch*) high schools with metal detectors

A city full of Tommy Hirst thumpers
Grant Hill hoopers, Barry Sanders runners, stunners
Chaldeans wit weed connects like whoa!
Type of weed, no need to test like 'dro

Type of cats who got dough, they like ("So!")
You real, then you might go.. (Where?)

"Rock city.. rock on!" (Come on and rock wit me)
"Rock city" *scratches* (Come on and rock wit me)
"Rock city.. rock on!" (Come on and rock wit me)
"Rock wit me" *scratches* (Come on and rock wit me)
"Rock city" *scratches* (Come on the block wit me)
"Rock city" *scratches* (And come and rock wit me)

Detroit Rock City ("Slim Shady")
Won't you come on the block with us? ("Royce the 5'9")
Won't you just come and rock with us? ("Royce the 5'9")
Next Level ("Rock City")

Royce the 5'9" ("Rock")
Slim Shady ("Rock City")
Uh uh, won't you come and rock with us? ("Rock City")
Won't you come on the block with us? ("Rock wit me")





Won't you come and rock with us? ("Rock wit-")
Rock City... touch it... ("Fuck!")

Overall Meaning

In the first verse of Eminem feat. Royce da 5'9"'s song Rock City, both the rappers are exploring the theme of violence and power struggle that is inherent in the ghetto life. The use of guns is highlighted in the phrase "Glock stops the tussle, nine shots'll bust you". Here tussle means a conflict, which can end up in bloodshed if one of the parties uses a gun. The phrase "Pine box'll stuff you" is a metaphorical reference to a coffin that will be used to bury the person who loses in the power struggle. The artist's anger is evident via the phrase "fuck you". Eminem, in his signature style, challenges his detractors who underestimate him with the phrase "I am not the tussle, niggaz don't know me". Through "Detroit's king nigga BOW!", Eminem reveals his confidence in himself as the reigning king of the Detroit rap scene. The phrase "Rock City's where niggaz pimp hoes and ball, strip hoes in bars, steal clothes from malls" is a reference to the crime-infested, poverty-ridden Rock City, which is known for prostitution, petty theft, robbery, and gun violence.


In the second verse, the theme of hustle, green money, and how money can bring together two people from different races and backgrounds is explored. Rappers show how anything can be bought and sold just with the right amount of money, be it drugs, guns, or even people. The phrase "you can't say we can't work, either we some plant workers or we some niggaz that plant work" highlights that the rapper is willing to work hard and extend their hustle outside of Rock City if needed. The phrase "she'll fuck you till you sleep PLUS lie to ya bitch" indicates how women in Rock City are loyal to money and not the men who offer it to them. The streets of Rock City are a place where black and white, goons, and punk rockers rub shoulders with each other. The line "shot blocks up in the black or the light Timbs" highlights how even school-going children are carrying guns to protect themselves in this violent environment.


Line by Line Meaning

Can't stop the hustle, Royce nickel nine
The hustle cannot be stopped, Royce and Eminem will keep grinding persistently


Glock stops the tussle, nine shots'll bust you
A gun can stop physical fights with just nine shots


Pine box'll stuff you, fuck you! ("Fuck you!")
If you mess with Royce or Eminem, you will end up in a pine box and Eminem doesn't care about you


I am not the tussle, niggaz don't know me *skirt* ("COME ON!!")
Eminem is not someone to mess with and not many people know him


I'm Detroit's king nigga *skirt* BOW!
Eminem is the king of Detroit and he won't let anyone question that


Rock City's where niggaz pimp hoes and ball Strip hoes in bars, steal clothes from malls
Rock City is the place where men engage in prostitution and parties, strip women in bars, and steal clothes from malls


Arms, and ya city's got the Titties saggin' lookin' like they got four arms Gold bottles, green bottles, Cris' to the don Niggaz get popped for sellin weed shaked with seeds
The city has women with sagging breasts, people drink a lot of alcohol, and selling weed will lead to getting caught


If you hate me you hate the D (*vocal scratch*) please!
If you hate Eminem, you hate Detroit as well


I'm takin' shit back, to the riots in the sixties Think I'm lying? Visit me (Where you live?)
Eminem is taking things back to the times of the 1960s Detroit race riots and daring anyone to question his intentions


Suburban and city niggaz hustle together Long as it's money envolved, niggaz'll tussle together Long as the hustle's a hustle, the green is green White is white, nigga we buyin if the price is right
People from suburbs and cities will hustle together if money is involved and the deal is profitable, regardless of race


So drop the mics Everything's on cock, from the shots to the dice We are not into hype You can't say we can't work
Eminem and Royce are serious about their music and not into hype, they work really hard to produce good music


Either we some plant workers or we some niggaz that plant work Detroit bitches is bout it
Eminem and Royce either work really hard or make others work for them, and women from Detroit are hardworking and strong


You can just ask any one of ya niggaz that visit about it Any Seven Mile bitch know how to get rich
People who have visited Detroit can attest to the strength and abilities of women there and know that women from Seven Mile know how to get rich


She'll fuck you till you sleep PLUS lie to ya bitch Plus she'll suck and swallow up outta ya dick And she'll keep a sugar daddy that'll buy her some shit, come on!
A woman from Detroit will have sex with you, lie to your significant other, perform oral sex, and have a sugar daddy who buys her things


Looted casinos, car shuffles, numbers to bet Disrespect and get a new smile under ya neck A city full of thug-ass niggaz, and punk-rockers Alotta niggaz act like Pac so cops watch 'em
People loot casinos, shuffle cars, and bet on numbers in Detroit. If you disrespect someone, you'll end up getting hurt. There are both thug-ass and punk-rockers in the city, and many people act like Tupac which draws attention from the police.


And shot blocks up in the black or the light Timbs White boys, look, act, and rap like Slim ("Hi!") Fight Music, knife users never respect it Guns talk (*scratch*) high schools with metal detectors
People wear black or light Timbs, white boys act like Slim Shady, knife users won't earn respect, and high schools in Detroit use metal detectors to keep guns out


Type of cats who got dough, they like ("So!") You real, then you might go.. (Where?)
If you have money, you're cool. If you're really tough and can handle Detroit, you might hang out with the kind of people who have money.


Detroit Rock City ("Slim Shady") Won't you come on the block with us? ("Royce the 5'9") Won't you just come and rock with us? ("Royce the 5'9") Next Level ("Rock City")
Eminem invites people to come to Detroit and join him and Royce on the block for some music on the next level


Uh uh, won't you come and rock with us? ("Rock City") Won't you come on the block with us? ("Rock wit me") Won't you come and rock with us? ("Rock wit-") Rock City... touch it... ("Fuck!")
Eminem and Royce keep inviting people to come and join them in Detroit's Rock City, and they conclude by inviting people to get intimate with the city




Lyrics Β© Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: RYAN MONTGOMERY, MARSHALL MATHERS, ANDY THELUSMA

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

Robert H.

An underrated LP but a personal classic to me. Happy 20th Anniversary to Rock City released November 26, 2002. Much peace ✌️ goes out to Royce Da 5’9”.

andile andy mtshemla

2020 still knocking this through the speakers

Kissamies

2021 homie :)

andile andy mtshemla

Still goes in hard!!!

BB13131313

Royce is the shit, he always has been.. listen to his song called Malcolm X.. he tears apart D12 and 50 cent, he's so lyrical.

THE RANDOM MAN

The only one who still has a career after doing so also

crazieman335

Refined the beat. He actually redid most of the songs on the Rock City album and re-released it.

Dynamite9383

Royce Da 5'9 is an underrated rapper.

Kissamies

Royce & Em are the best duo ever.

watermane2

Love this fuckin beat!

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