The name “Royce” came from his R shaped Turkish link chain which was said to have resembled a Rolls Royce logo. During high school Royce was one of the shortest players on his basketball team, standing 5′9” at age 18.
Royce signed with Tommy Boy records in 1998 and later was slated to release his debut album Rock City. Though this relationship was premature, Royce ended up leaving the label citing creative differences.
Royce began working with well known Game Recordings who helped get him in front of the right people to negotiate a deal with Columbia Records. Royce’s Rock City debut was yet again plagued with delays, during which the album was heavily bootlegged. Though not in their favor, Columbia chose to release Rock City in limited quantity and quickly went out of print by the time Royce left Columbia.
Around this time Royce dropped the underground banger “Boom” with production by Dj Premier. Soon thereafter he joined up with Koch / Game Recordings and released Rock City (Version 2.0) independently.
Most well known for his association with Slim Shady – the two met at a concert while Slim was promoting his Slim Shady EP. The two formed a Duo called Bad Meets Evil, releasing a number of tracks including “Renegades” [Original Version], “Nuttin’ to Do”, “Scary Movies”, “She’s the One”, and “See You In Hell”, which appeared on Eminem’s album The Slim Shady LP, titled “Bad Meets Evil”.
In 2001 Royce was set to work with Dr Dre’s Chronic 2000 project as a ghostwriter. He contributed tracks including “The Message”, “The Throne Is Mine”, “Stay In Your Place” and the original version of “Xxplosive” titled “The Way I Be Pimpin’”.
Royce’s association with Dr. Dre ceased when his manager, Kino Childrey spoke to a reporter about Eminem and Dre in the studio. Royce refused to dismiss his manager and long time friend, ending his relationship with Dre.
Royce and Em had a mutual friendship with Proof. Though Royce had bad blood with D12 member, Bizarre, stemming from a earlier freestyle battle with Royce’s brother. Misscommunication escalated the beef between the pair, causing it to spiral out of control and include all members of the rap group D12.
In 2002, Royce called Eminem to request to be signed to Shady Records. Eminem declined and soon thereafter signed 50-cent to Shady Records instead.
Royce released several diss tracks including “Shit on U” (over D12’s “Shit on You”), taking shots at Bizzare of D12. Royce continued record dis tracks including “We Ridin’”, “Death Day”, and “Malcolm X”. There’s speculation that Royce and Em often wrote bars dissing each other subliminally.
From 2002-2003 Royce kept a low profile releasing releasing Build & Destroy, and Build & Destroy: The Lost Sessions Part 1 across the mixtape circuit.
In 2003, Royce’s beef with D12 finally reached its tipping point. Royce and Proof and their entourages spilled into the streets of Detroit arguing but the issue dissipated once firearms were drawn. The two rappers spent a night in jail, and settled their beef.
In 2004 Royce released his sophomore effort Death Is Certain on Koch records, as well as two mixtapes from his crew M.I.C. (Make it Count). The crew includes members Royce, Kid Vishis,and June.
2005 marked Royce’s third full length album release Independent’s Day on Trouble/M.I.C. Records.
Royce Da 5′9″ was sentenced to jail on September 19, 2006 for parole violation for a prior DUI charge. Royce was sentenced to one year in the clink at Oakland County Jail, Pontiac, Michigan. On January 9, 2007, Royce got out of jail on work-release.
Royce has a strong ghostwriting resume including the track “Tell Me” ft. Christina Aguilera for Diddy’s album Press Play.
In May 2007, Royce Da 5′9″ released a mixtape called The Bar Exam which features DJ Premier and Statik Selektah on the Wheels of Steel.
In 2008, Royce confirmed that he had officially resolved his longstanding differences with Eminem and celebrated with a reunion concert on July 12, 2008 at Saint Andrews Hall. A mixtape of the reunion concert was soon released thereafter.
Royce also had beef with other industry majors including Mistah Fab, Cashi$, and Joe Budden, Kanye West and the Ruff Ryders.
Shot Down
Royce Da 5'9" Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I don't want to
But I will punish you, if I have to
I don't fuck with you
Cause your vibe is wrong, and it fucks with me
I don't play games
So you never know, never never know
You won't touch a bow till I'm touchin you
Till you like no no nooo
I will murder you
I don't want to
But U'll start to lose
Can't escape you
Nigga we can go
We can keep it low
So everybody else don't have to know
ANOTHER SCRUB SHOT DOWN
A SCRUB SHOT DOWN
ANOTHER SCRUB SHOT DOWN
A SCRUB SHOT DOWN
ANOTHER SCRUB SHOT DOWN
A SCRUB SHOT DOWN
ANOTHER SCRUB SHOT DOWN
A SCRUB SHOT DOWN
You lose, I'll do youuu
Take a drink, ahhh,
I can't drain myself and still keep it cool
So I keep in mind do it on my own
Show up at your home, In the danger zone
How many times must I tell you before I finnaly got you
You fool, I'll do you
I just murdered you, cuz I wanted to
Cuz you had to go, that's just how I move
I won't waste no time, I will take your life
Nigga take this nine, here is the finish line
Another scrub shot down
A scrub shot down
Another scrub shot down
A scrub shot down
Another scrub shot down
A scrub shot down
Another scrub shot down
A scrub shot down
You lose, I'll do youuu
The lyrics to Royce Da 5'9"'s song Shot Down seem to be about anger management issues and feeling provoked to violence. The repetition of the phrase "I will murder you" is unsettling and suggests that the singer is struggling to contain their rage. They acknowledge that they don't want to kill, but the provocation is too much to bear, and they feel justified in punishing the target. The singer seems to have a low tolerance for negative energy and "vibes," and they don't play games or tolerate disrespectful behavior.
The chorus, "Another scrub shot down," suggests that this pattern of violence is not an isolated incident and that the singer has a history of lashing out at people who disrespect them. The phrase "scrub" implies that the targets are weak or unworthy of respect, which only adds to the disturbing nature of the lyrics. The second verse suggests that the singer is willing to go to extreme lengths to get revenge, including showing up at the target's home. The bridge, "Take a drink, ahhh," suggests that there is a self-destructive element to this behavior, as if the singer is drinking to numb the pain but also fueling their own anger.
Overall, the lyrics to Shot Down are an unnerving depiction of someone struggling with rage and a lack of control. The repetition of the phrase "I will murder you" is particularly unsettling and suggests a level of danger that should not be taken lightly.
Line by Line Meaning
I will murder you
I don't want to, but I will punish you if necessary
I don't fuck with you
I don't like your energy, and it bothers me
Cause your vibe is wrong, and it fucks with me
I don't engage in games, so you never know what I'll do
You won't touch a bow till I'm touchin you
If I lose control, I'll start shooting you until you're down
If I lose control I'll start shooting you
Till you like no no nooo
I'll continue to shoot until you can't take it anymore
I will murder you
I don't want to
But U'll start to lose
I don't want to, but you'll force me to take action
Can't escape you
Nigga we can go
We can keep it low
So everybody else don't have to know
I can't avoid you, so we can keep things quiet to avoid attention
ANOTHER SCRUB SHOT DOWN
A SCRUB SHOT DOWN
ANOTHER SCRUB SHOT DOWN
A SCRUB SHOT DOWN
ANOTHER SCRUB SHOT DOWN
A SCRUB SHOT DOWN
ANOTHER SCRUB SHOT DOWN
A SCRUB SHOT DOWN
Another person of low status is taken out
Take a drink, ahhh,
I can't drain myself and still keep it cool
So I keep in mind do it on my own
I can't let my emotions overcome me, so I have to keep my actions to myself
Show up at your home, In the danger zone
How many times must I tell you before I finally got you
I'll take the risk and come into your dangerous territory, and it's not the first time
You fool, I'll do you
You foolishly messed with me, and now I'll take you out
I just murdered you, cuz I wanted to
Cuz you had to go, that's just how I move
I won't waste no time, I will take your life
Nigga take this nine, here is the finish line
I killed you because I felt like it, it's just how I operate, and I won't hesitate to take your life
You lose, I'll do youuu
If you end up on my bad side, I won't hesitate to take you out
Contributed by Alexandra T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
PsyintZ
Such a dope fukkin' track. This shit be gettin' slept on.. R59 murdered this.
Nathan Perez
Jimi hendrix sample. Love it
Brandon Allen
Listening to this on MLK day 2015
YoungDayzed337
This shit is HARD my first time ever hearing it
LegionDaGhost
Royce is rap royalty, he is literally top 2 in the game EVER...
QC Da Mo6sta
Classic
QC Da Mo6sta
After all this bullshit on the media I had to put this on FB
rude reviewer r
Wow. No comment in 3 years. Damn.
Sirius Wink
Gorilla warfare and billy the kid