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.
Bad Boy
Royce da 5'9" Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wake up, we getting that bread like a baker
Take ya life like it's nothing, boys swing
I will blood clot everything from your block
To your offspring, you not hardcore
Wouldn't crack an egg, why the fuck you acting hard boiled?
Boom bye bye is the tune I abide by
I'm aligned with goons, it's wireless like wi-fi
You bum-ba-cluts fly, I'm on a fuckin' spaceship
Enough in the bracelet to make the blind squint
I'm Eazy, Cube, Yella, Dre, Ren times ten, I'm a (Bad Boy)
Put you in a slumber, come on bruh
You a bum, you under my umbrella, I put you in the dumpster
Whatever, I ain't the Fella who you want Roc with
I will batty boy kill ya, fuck all that dumb shit
Put you up under concrete, I'm cut like a gauntlet
Beat ya like a blum blum drum stick
Mumble something I come through dumping
AK-47 pumping, blow like a trumpet
The foolishness of niggas bullshit
Who you trying to push bitch? Booyakah, full clip, don dada
You no test me Shabba Rank impostor
You no want drama I'm prepared for 'Nam, I'm a (Bad Boy)
You're in a headlock, tie your family up like a dread lock
Gong niggas like Junior Marley when the lead drop
Eat 'em like a meal while the fed watch
You married the street I just fucked it out of wedlock
Before I rip on ya, rasta should warn ya
They don't all love ya, push needles into the eyeballs
Of a little doll of ya, blind ya, align ya
Red rum with murder for hire, serve your supplier
Pill poppin' and coke snortin'
We kill for fun 'til we come for your fortune
Bad boys, bad boys, what you gonna do?
When them killas come for you, I'm a (Bad Boy)
In "Bad Boy," Royce da 5'9" is embracing his persona as a hardened, street-wise rapper who is not afraid to take down his competition. His lyrics are filled with violent imagery, including references to shooting up blocks and killing someone's entire family. He asserts his dominance over his peers in the rap game, comparing himself to the likes of Easy E, Ice Cube, and Dr. Dre. Royce also teases his enemies, claiming that they are not truly "hardcore" and wouldn't crack an egg or act "hard boiled."
Royce uses a lot of dancehall and reggae influences in his lyrics, which is not surprising as he has cited Jamaican music as one of his early inspirations. He name-drops Junior Marley, grandson of Bob Marley, as someone he would "gong" with bullets like in a Jamaican dub session. Overall, the lyrics of "Bad Boy" evoke a sense of danger and aggression, that reflects the persona of Royce da 5'9".
Line by Line Meaning
We serve teardrops, prolific flow from Jamaica
Our words are so powerful that they can make people cry, and they come from the same place that reggae music originated from (Jamaica)
Wake up, we getting that bread like a baker
We're hustling and making money non-stop, just like a baker constantly making bread
Take ya life like it's nothing, boys swing
We'll take someone's life without even flinching, and some guys are foolish enough to try to fight us
I will blood clot everything from your block
I can cause chaos and violence in your entire neighborhood
To your offspring, you not hardcore
Your children won't even think you're tough or hardcore
Wouldn't crack an egg, why the fuck you acting hard boiled?
You wouldn't even be able to break an egg, so why are you acting like you're tough?
Boom bye bye is the tune I abide by
I live by the song 'Boom Bye Bye', which is about killing gay men
I'm aligned with goons, it's wireless like wi-fi
I'm connected with dangerous people, and our communication is seamless and untraceable like wi-fi
Why try? I'm on the cusp of greatness
There's no point in trying to compete with me because I'm about to achieve greatness
You bum-ba-cluts fly, I'm on a fuckin' spaceship
You're nothing compared to me and my futuristic life, I'm on a whole different level
Enough in the bracelet to make the blind squint
I have so much money that even blind people would be able to see the bling on my bracelet
I'm Eazy, Cube, Yella, Dre, Ren times ten, I'm a (Bad Boy)
I'm ten times better than these legendary rappers/producers and I'm a 'Bad Boy'
Put you in a slumber, come on bruh
I'll knock you out cold and put you to sleep, let's go
You a bum, you under my umbrella, I put you in the dumpster
You're beneath me, and I'll throw you away like trash in a dumpster
Whatever, I ain't the Fella who you want Roc with
You don't want to mess with me because I'm not the guy to play with
I will batty boy kill ya, fuck all that dumb shit
I will kill you for being gay, I don't care about any other nonsense
Put you up under concrete, I'm cut like a gauntlet
I'll bury you under concrete and I'm as strong as a gauntlet
Beat ya like a blum blum drum stick
I'll beat you so hard it'll sound like a drum, 'blum blum'
Mumble something I come through dumping
Say something unintelligible and I'll come through shooting
AK-47 pumping, blow like a trumpet
I'm firing an AK-47 with such force that it sounds like a trumpet
The foolishness of niggas bullshit
I'm tired of hearing the stupidity of other black people's nonsense
Who you trying to push bitch? Booyakah, full clip, don dada
Who are you trying to mess with? I have a whole arsenal of weapons and I'm the boss
You no test me Shabba Rank impostor
You can't compete with me, you're just pretending to be like the real Shabba Ranks
You no want drama I'm prepared for 'Nam, I'm a (Bad Boy)
If you don't want trouble, then back off because I'm ready for war like a soldier in Vietnam, I'm a 'Bad Boy'
You're in a headlock, tie your family up like a dread lock
I have you in a chokehold and I'll tie up your family like they're dreadlocks
Gong niggas like Junior Marley when the lead drop
I'll kill guys with the same ease that Junior Gong Marley sings his reggae songs
Eat 'em like a meal while the fed watch
I'll kill people in broad daylight and the government won't be able to stop me
You married the street I just fucked it out of wedlock
You're devoted to the streets, but I just had a quick fling with it and left it behind
Before I rip on ya, rasta should warn ya
Before I attack you, even a Rasta should warn you about the danger you're in
They don't all love ya, push needles into the eyeballs
Not everyone loves you, some people would even go as far as to poke needles into your eyes
Of a little doll of ya, blind ya, align ya
They'll blind you, even a small doll representing you would be targeted, and they'll put things back into place
Red rum with murder for hire, serve your supplier
We're committed to murder for hire, even if it means killing our own suppliers
Pill poppin' and coke snortin'
We do drugs like popping pills and snorting cocaine
We kill for fun 'til we come for your fortune
Killing is something we enjoy doing, and we won't stop until we've taken everything you have
Bad boys, bad boys, what you gonna do?
We're 'Bad Boys', so what are you going to do about it?
When them killas come for you, I'm a (Bad Boy)
When the killers come for you, I'll be leading the charge, because I'm a 'Bad Boy'
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: NICHOLAS WARWAR, R ROACHFORD, RYAN MONTGOMERY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind