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.
Beef
Royce da 5'9" Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
5'9", 6 July, and Asar hits'll
Leave the side of your car door with more
Smokin' more holes than the Swiss cheese
Bitch please, I'm postponin yo' homie's
Older moments, like I stole his future
Hoes know me, I'm no phony
Females'll tell you, "Yeah he cute, but he sho'll shoot ya!"
The blood of Superman, the blood that I've never seen
You seem like the shook type
You ain't a thug so I want to see what your brains and your blood look like
Fuck is you sick? 'Pac should be pissed
'Cause fifty percent of the niggaz suckin his dick is bitch!
I'm against all this name-callin shit
Negro please! Listen to Chris Wallace bitch
[Chorus:]
What's beef? Beef is when these rappers be believin they rhymes
And a nigga like me just take it one day at a time
Beef is when you die because of your CD
When I come from your blindside, before you see ME
Beef is when I get jumped by niggaz
And come back to kill 'em, one by one
Beef is the reaper, patiently pacin outside of your pretty house
Today, you figured out, what's beef
Yeah...gangsta, ain't this?
Starvin artists that comes with the guns he paint with
All you sorry street rejects
Why'all about to go up in smoke, seats ejectin
(Boom!) Houses come down
Drastic murders is happenin, make a nigga momma mouth come down
[gasp!] The precinct's heated - the cops is mad
Because they know who shot yo' ass and they know who can beat it
Above the law, run up on why'all
So quickly and show you what only you and a slug saw
The silence is screwed in front of the .9 Ruger
[Chorus: Repeat 2X]
The song "Beef" by Royce Da 5'9" talks about the concept of beef among rappers and how it has affected the rap industry. The lyrics are aggressive and confrontational, with Royce Da 5'9" claiming that he is not afraid to take on anyone who challenges him. He talks about the violence that often accompanies beef, with lines like "Beef is when I get jumped by niggaz and come back to kill 'em, one by one". Royce Da 5'9" also takes a jab at rappers who he believes are "fake" and "phoney", saying that he is always true to himself and his surroundings.
Throughout the song, Royce Da 5'9" adopts a tough persona, bragging about his skills and his willingness to fight. He references other rappers like Tupac Shakur and Christopher Wallace (aka the Notorious B.I.G.), suggesting that they would be unhappy with the way that rap is being treated. Overall, the song sends a message about the importance of authenticity and staying true to oneself in the face of competition and adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
Ha ha ha ha ha, check out this bizarre mixture
Royce is laughing (sarcastically) and introducing the topic of the song. He's going to talk about the 'bizarre mixture' of rap feuds and the beef that comes with them.
5'9", 6 July, and Asar hits'll
Royce is naming himself and his friends that are going to hit hard and win the rap battle.
Leave the side of your car door with more
Smokin' more holes than the Swiss cheese
Royce is saying that he's going to shoot his opponent's car and leave it with a lot of bullet holes.
Bitch please, I'm postponin yo' homie's
Older moments, like I stole his future
Royce is saying that he's going to kill his opponent's friend (homie) and prevent him from living his life in the future.
Hoes know me, I'm no phony
Females'll tell you, "Yeah he cute, but he sho'll shoot ya!"
Royce is saying that women know he's not fake and will confirm that he's good-looking but dangerous.
My heart bleeds the blood of felonies
The blood of Superman, the blood that I've never seen
Royce is saying that he has the heart of a criminal, a superhero, and something he's never seen before - powerful and deadly.
You seem like the shook type
You ain't a thug so I want to see what your brains and your blood look like
Royce is saying that his opponent looks scared and is not a real gangster, so he wants to see what will happen when he kills him.
Fuck is you sick? 'Pac should be pissed
'Cause fifty percent of the niggaz suckin his dick is bitch!
Royce is saying that Tupac would be angry to see that half of the rappers who claim to idolize him are actually weak and cowardly.
I'm against all this name-callin shit
Negro please! Listen to Chris Wallace bitch
Royce is against insulting each other and using derogatory terms. He's telling everyone to listen to a reporter, Chris Wallace, and have a civilized conversation instead of fighting.
[Chorus:]
What's beef? Beef is when these rappers be believin they rhymes
And a nigga like me just take it one day at a time
Beef is when you die because of your CD
When I come from your blindside, before you see ME
Beef is when I get jumped by niggaz
And come back to kill 'em, one by one
Beef is the reaper, patiently pacin outside of your pretty house
Today, you figured out, what's beef
The chorus explains that beef is when rappers take their lyrics too seriously, and someone like Royce will patiently wait for the opportunity to strike. Beef leads to death and revenge, and Royce is not afraid to confront his enemies.
Yeah...gangsta, ain't this?
Starvin artists that comes with the guns he paint with
All you sorry street rejects
Why'all about to go up in smoke, seats ejectin
Royce is saying that he's a true gangster and he uses the guns he's rapping about. His opponents are street thugs that are about to get killed and expelled (from the rap game).
(Boom!) Houses come down
Drastic murders is happenin, make a nigga momma mouth come down
[gasp!] The precinct's heated - the cops is mad
Because they know who shot yo' ass and they know who can beat it
Royce is committing violent crimes, like blowing up houses and killing people, making their mothers cry. The cops are angry because they know Royce is responsible but don't have evidence to arrest him.
Above the law, run up on why'all
So quickly and show you what only you and a slug saw
The silence is screwed in front of the .9 Ruger
Royce is saying that he's above the law and can kill anyone who opposes him. He's going to surprise his opponents, and the only thing they'll see is the bullet (slug) from his gun. He's holding a silenced .9mm pistol in his hand.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CARLOS BROADY, CHRISTOPHER WALLACE, SEAN COMBS, BURT BACHARACH, HAL DAVID, PHIL HURTT, NASHIEM MYRICK, ALBERT JOHNSON, KEJUAN MUCHITA, BUNNY SIGLER, KAZUMI TABATA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
exism1985
One of the rawest slept on songs of all time
Apollo Spade
We know
HyperCynic
One of the few Big bites that's worthy of Big's legacy.
Alexander Becker
100% bro I'm tryna figure out why this album isn't on spotify had to youtube I & me and regardless cause I had an itch for some throwbacks I grew up to.. royce the truth..
James Fleming
I first heard this song on beef the documentaries. turned me on to Royce. this song is straight fire.
Crimson Gamer
Same, that and Game radio on GTA III
ThaPolarBoy
Same
BigMoney Sonny
Bro I’m an old head and no disrespect to Biggs but I’m sorry Royce owns this track always has and always will. Respect to you acknowledging that this joint is straight fire.
Reelphresh
GTAIII turned me on to Royce, I'm the king.
Crispin Francis
Haha same, this track is so fuckin hard