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.
Far Away
Royce da 5'9" Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Maybe you should or maybe you just shouldn't
Cause baby I wanna take you so far away, ay
I'm just playin, I don't really wanna take your ass nowhere
Let's do the real song, come on
Maybe you should or maybe you just shouldn't
Cause baby this gun'll take you so far away, ay
Maybe you should or maybe you shouldn't
Cause me and my goons'll take you so far away, ay
It's definitely a burner
It's on cause that beef be the recipe to murder
Whoever's in my session's an accessory to murder
My words put niggas to bed, my records be the Serta
Ay, the raw grind is comin up like wall climbers
Big shit poppin, them pricks is small timers
And y'all musta forgot like Juelz Santana perform
At Hip Hop Honors with the Alzheimer's
I hear you woofin, come on, come to the dog diner
We all eat dogs, we raw, we bark buyers
You can't walk by us and talk fly or we'll hogtie ya
Nickel done fucked around and caught fire
I carry the torch and split a nigga up-up
Somebody gon' die, die like a scary divorce
Of course my goons is astoundin
Nigga I use the Auto-Tune because I'm clownin
Maybe you should or maybe you just shouldn't
Cause baby this gun'll take you so far away, ay
(He'll walk right up and murder you)
Maybe you should or maybe you shouldn't
Cause me and my goons'll take you so far away, ay
Nigga you don't want a problem
I'm photogenic, my image belong on a dollar, authentic
My tennis shoes should have "I'm killin you" written on the side of
The willingness to go in, like whatever's inside of a diver
Get in his ass like a sodomizer
Fix him by any means like the plot of MacGyver
Nickel runnin for shit, you need to vote for him
They unloadin his flow off of the boat for him
Pardon me Miss Sniffle Nose, the coke charm
I spit shit crazy, with the toast arms
My kicks is crazy, like Zohan
I'm the nucleus of this like a proton
Gat supplier, red nose
Carving your staff or shire, rap for hire
Niggas is corny by nature, on top of that
Niggas arms is shorter than my nigga Vinny from Naughty by Nature
Maybe you should or maybe you just shouldn't
Cause baby this gun'll take you so far away, ay
(He'll walk right up and murder you)
Maybe you should or maybe you shouldn't
Cause me and my goons'll take you so far away, ay
In this song, Royce da 5'9" explores the concept of violence and taking someone "far away" in two different ways. The first half of the chorus addresses a girl, talking about wanting to take her "so far away" but then saying he's just playing and doesn't actually want to take her anywhere. The second half of the chorus takes a darker turn, talking about a gun and how it will take someone "so far away" (read: kill them). This sets the tone for the rest of the song, where Royce da 5'9" raps about his experiences with violence and his willingness to use it if necessary. He talks about the people around him who are also involved in this lifestyle, his ability to carve out a place for himself in the rap industry, and his inclination towards using Auto-Tune for more playful, less serious songs.
Overall, "Far Away" is an exploration of the duality of violence and playfulness, and how they can exist simultaneously within one person. Royce da 5'9" displays a level of self-awareness in the lyrics, acknowledging his inclination towards violence while also understanding that he has a playful side.
Line by Line Meaning
Yeah, what's up girl? This my love song
Royce is introducing the song as a love song and addressing a girl.
Maybe you should or maybe you just shouldn't
Cause baby I wanna take you so far away, ay
I'm just playin, I don't really wanna take your ass nowhere
Let's do the real song, come on
He suggests taking the girl on a trip before saying it was all just a joke and moves on to the real song.
Maybe you should or maybe you just shouldn't
Cause baby this gun'll take you so far away, ay
(He'll walk right up and murder you)
Maybe you should or maybe you shouldn't
Cause me and my goons'll take you so far away, ay
Royce warns that he and his gang will harm anyone who poses a threat to them.
Nigga you don't want a problem
I'm photogenic, my image belong on a dollar, authentic
My tennis shoes should have "I'm killin you" written on the side of
The willingness to go in, like whatever's inside of a diver
Royce asserts as a dangerous individual who intimidates anyone who tries to cross him.
Get in his ass like a sodomizer
Fix him by any means like the plot of MacGyver
Nickel runnin for shit, you need to vote for him
They unloadin his flow off of the boat for him
Royce is confident in his abilities to defeat his enemies and urges people to vote for him as he is the best.
Pardon me Miss Sniffle Nose, the coke charm
I spit shit crazy, with the toast arms
My kicks is crazy, like Zohan
I'm the nucleus of this like a proton
Royce sees himself as the center of attention and asserts that his rhymes and fashion sense are out of this world.
Gat supplier, red nose
Carving your staff or shire, rap for hire
Niggas is corny by nature, on top of that
Niggas arms is shorter than my nigga Vinny from Naughty by Nature
Royce asserts his superiority over other rappers who he thinks are corny and boasts about his skills as a rapper and supplier.
Maybe you should or maybe you just shouldn't
Cause baby this gun'll take you so far away, ay
(He'll walk right up and murder you)
Maybe you should or maybe you shouldn't
Cause me and my goons'll take you so far away, ay
Royce ends the song by reiterating his warning to anyone who poses a threat to him and his gang.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ABRAM DEAN, EVAN TAUBENFELD, JONATHAN CAMACHO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind