When old friends and former collaborators Eminem and Royce Da 5’9″ reunited to form Bad Meets Evil, it seemed like a no-brainer (even if the end result didn’t quite live up to expectations). But what did cause at least some trepidation was the Bruno Mars-featuring “Lighters” (the inclusion of a pop crooner like Mars would’ve merited a verbal beatdown courtesy of Mr. Mathers as recently as just a few years ago). The song, though, seems to be doing fairly well on the Billboard Hot 100, so the success train continues onward with a video for the power anthem. Featuring Mars at a piano, Em in his basement/special underground bunker, and Royce escaping a prison cell, all three men emerge to exactly what they’d been singing for: a sky full of decorative lamps. Why not a forest full of hot fudge sundaes instead?

Along with the “Lighters” video, check out Royce’s video for the Em-featuring “Writer’s Block” from the-not-quite-six-foot MC’s latest album Success Is Certain. There’s a lot of fire and shots of Times Square, but they’re in no way related.

For Royce da 5’9″ to call his latest album Success Is Certain, one has to assume the Detroit MC is feeling pretty good about his chances. Of course, when you lead your album with a track featuring Travis Barker, selling a few more album copies becomes all that much easier. “Legendary”, as the cut’s called for undoubtedly grand purposes, is available for streaming below (via RollingStone.com). Like Barker’s other work with hip-hoppers, it’s a bangin’ fusion of street slang and rock noise.

Success Is Certain is in stores August 9th via Gracie Productions.

Success Is Certain Tracklist:
01. Legendary (feat. Travis Barker)
02. Writer’s Block (feat. Eminem)
03. Merry Go Round
04. Where My Money
05. ER (feat. Kid Vishis)
06. On the Boulevard (feat. Nottz and Adonis)
07. I Ain’t Coming Down
08. Security
09. Second Place
10. My Own Planet (feat. Joe Budden)
11. I’ve Been Up I’ve Been Down

After a couple of delays from the originally planned April release, Royce Da 5’9″ has set a new date for Success Is Certain, accompanied by some juicy names. According to HipHopDX, Royce’s fifth album will now be out August 9th via Gracie, and feature the likes of Joe Budden, Travis Barker, Kid Vishis, Nottz, Mr. Porter (a.k.a. D-12′s Kon Artis), Adonis, The Alchemist, DJ Premier, StreetRunner, and The Futuristics. That’s not all, either. If you thought collaborations with Eminem only extended as far as Hell: The Sequel, think again. The two will reunite on “Writer’s Block”.

The LP, which is meant to serve as a contrast to Royce’s 2004 LP Death Is Certain, sports 11 tracks with titles like “Legendary”, “I Ain’t Coming Down”, and “I’ve Been Up I’ve Been Down”. Check out the full tracklist below.

Success Is Certain Tracklist:
01. Legendary (feat. Travis Barker)
02. Writer’s Block (feat. Eminem)
03. Merry Go Round
04. Where My Money
05. ER (feat. Kid Vishis)
06. On the Boulevard (feat. Nottz and Adonis)
07. I Ain’t Coming Down
08. Security
09. Second Place
10. My Own Planet (feat. Joe Budden)
11. I’ve Been Up I’ve Been Down

Royce da 5’9”, however, you may not be as familiar with, and that’s sort of how he likes it. Royce is a fellow Detroit rapper, and has maintained a personal and professional relationship with Eminem since the mid to late ’90s, after being introduced to one another through mutual Detroit acquaintance, the late MC Proof.  The man’s an underground heavyweight, with five solo albums under his belt, and two with his project Slaughterhouse – a collaboration with fellow underground rappers Joell Ortiz, Joe Budden, and Crooked I. But it wasn’t until very recently that he started gaining limelight attention, mostly due to Eminem’s signing Slaughterhouse to Shady Records back in January.

Em and Royce have pursued very minor collaborations here and there, most notably on the song “Bad Meets Evil” on Eminem’s major label debut, The Slim Shady LP. But Royce was a Detroit underground champ, and Eminem was a budding rap superstar, and they eventually went their separate ways (this was partially due to a falling out between Royce and members of Shady’s own project D12). But after 13 years, the time has come for the old friends to rebuild some burnt bridges and dust off an old project, Bad Meets Evil.

Previous collaborations were built under the blueprint of Royce da 5’9” representing the “bad,” and Em manning the “evil.” It’s a theme they follow on this EP (if you can call a nine track, 40 minute effort an EP), Royce throwing down some majorly angry raps, and Slim doling out his signature blatantly malevolent rhymes for the entirety of the album.

On the whole, it’s an effective strategy. Eminem’s irrefutable star power complements (and sometimes boosts) Royce’s untamed swagger, making for a very winning combination. Two very different worlds collide on this album, and it’s nice to see the two rappers stepping out of their respective comfort zones. Slim Shady’s top 40 pop sensibility and Royce’s “underground only” mindset are both tossed out the window, and the two arrive at a middle ground that’s explosive and exciting. The rap itself is absolutely second to none. Lead single “Fastlane” is hands down one of the best hip-hop tracks of 2011, and the narrative “The Reunion” sets the precedent for the rest of the duo’s antics, and presents it in a captivating way.

Unfortunately, the natural propensity of both MCs for raw hip hop only minimally softens the blow of this album’s major flaws, which are separated into two very distinguishable categories: weak-minded production accompanied by absurd, silly hooks, and an utter lack of variation behind each track. The result is something pretty formulaic: a very Eminem-sounding beat intro/weak verse by rapper A/weak verse by rapper B/chorus/strong verse by rapper A/strong verse by rapper B/chorus/outro. And even though this is completely acceptable on a collaborative rap track, it grows tiresome after it’s done on all nine tracks here.

This album’s biggest downfall, though, lies in its production. Not only are the beats very predictable, they’re occasionally abrasively silly. Remember how Relapse sounded all kinds of bizarre, and it seemed like the contemplative, serious Eminem was gone and his Middle Eastern alter ego had completely taken over? It’s a similar feeling for 85 percent of this album. Eminem’s lines are fairly controlled, but the subject matter is frivolous, and the hooks are downright far-fetched. Take the Mike Epps vocal-sampling track “I’m On Everything”, for example: “I’m on syrup, painkillers, cigarettes, weed, Hennessy, vodka, ha ha, huh, ha ha, huh.” Bear in mind, that’s the hook, so you hear that obnoxious thing a half dozen times. It’s obviously a track about drugs and alcohol, but it’s so obvious and presented in such an obnoxious way that it’s hard to enjoy anything that’s going on. This track in particular is a direct re-visitation of the Relapse era we all hoped Em had put behind him. And, as the album progresses, we see that less-lovable, silly side of Eminem more and more, and Royce switches his usual style to match the mood.

The epitome of this trend hits on the seventh track, a collaboration with Bruno Mars, of all people, entitled “Lighters”. This one’s downfall isn’t so much its silliness, but its completely paradoxical mashup of one of mainstream rap’s biggest badasses, one of underground’s most devoted stalwarts, and a smooth crooner. The hook is schmaltzy beyond belief, and does not belong anywhere near a legitimate rap track. Mars sings, “This one’s for you and me/Living out our dreams/we’re all right where we should be/with my arms out wide/I open my eyes/and now all I wanna see/is a sky full of lighters/a sky full of lighters.” The hook is catchy enough, and it’s conceivable that this chorus would be quite palatable on a solo record, or even a collaboration with someone like Willow Smith or Far East Movement. But it is so far from home next to the hard verses of two of rap’s bad boys.

Even though Eminem soars at times and reaches down to help an old friend and colleague spread his wings, this effort is a step back for both rappers. Eminem suffers because this marks a very obvious deviation from his course to “recovery”, and shows a big return to the legend’s goofy side, one that’s been immensely criticized in years past. Royce da 5’ 9” suffers because this is his major label debut, in a way. This album is going to receive quadruple the press that any of his previous efforts did, and it shows the gritty MC getting silly with Eminem and not bringing everything he’s got to the table. On a major label debut, there is very little room to mess around and get experimental, but that’s precisely what he’s done. It’s not a great effort from either end of the duo, and it frankly leaves one wondering what could have been for such a promising pair.

The debut of the Bruno Mars-featuring “Lighters” may have been a disappointment, but Bad Meets Evil have redeemed themselves with the video for the banger “Fast Lane”. Featuring Royce da 5’9″ assaulting a unicorn, the duo dressed as B-boys, and some comical moments involving cartoon pirates, animated colloquials for human reproductive organs, and Eminem‘s romantic dealings with a girl at a club, this video is riding high.  Also, props to the person who decided to put the lyrics on screen; it’s like Pop-Up Video but with more acts of drowning.

Hell: The Sequel hits stores June 14th via Shady Records/Interscope Records.

In a recent post detailing the upcoming Hell: The Sequel EP by Bad Meets Evil (Detroit MCs and best buddies Eminem and Royce da 5’9″), one reader commented that the inclusion of Bruno Mars on the track “Lighters” was odd because, and we’re quoting here, “Ten years ago Bruno Mars would have been a rape and murder victim in one of Em’s songs.” Thankfully, said reader’s way off base, with the end result not quite the pure concoction of utter hatred and viciousness we’d expect from a group called Bad Meets Evil.  Instead, it’s more akin to a less catchy version of “Airplanes”. This song, in short, proves that being peaceful isn’t always the best way to live.

Hell: The Sequel hits stores June 14th via Shady Records/Interscope Records.

Eminem and Royce da 5’9″ (aka Bad Meets Evil) are set to release their collaborative EP Hell: The Sequel on June 14th via Shady Records/Interscope Records. Below, courtesy of Rap Radar, you can preview another cut off the nine-track effort in the form of “I’m On Everything”, which features Next Friday star Mike Epps.

Also, for those who missed it, the EP’s lead single, “Fast Lane”, can be streamed here.

Hell: The Sequel Tracklist:
01.  Welcome 2 Hell
02.  Fast Lane
03.  The Reunion
04.  Above the Law
05. I’m On Everything (feat. Mike Epps)
06. A Kiss
07. Lighters (feat. Bruno Mars)
08. Take from Me
09. Loud Noises (feat. Slaughterhouse)

After a reunion of sorts courtesy of a newly revitalized imprint, Eminem and Royce da 5’9″ decided to get their rap unit Bad Meets Evil back together by recording a new EP entitled Hell: The Sequel. With one of the EP’s tracks already released, the record’s full tracklist and list of guests and producers have also been announced (via RapRadar).

The Bad Meets evil moniker was first used by the Detroit MCs as early as 1998. In their hometown, they performed together for some two years before breaking up in 2000 after Royce had a falling out with the members of Em’s other rap outfit, D12. The two sides finally laid the issue to rest in 2008, subsequently leading to the signing of Slaughterhouse (Royce along with Crooked I, Joe Budden, and Joell Ortiz) to Shady Records (not to mention an appearance on a Recovery bonus track.)

Along with production from Eminem himself, the EP will feature the likes of Havoc, Supa Dups, Mr. Porter, Sid Roams, Bangladesh, and The Smeezingtons (a producing trio that crooner Bruno Mars is a member of) behind the boards. Mars also sings on the song “Lighters”; other cameo spots include comedian Mike Epps on “I’m On Everything” and the aforementioned Slaughterhouse on the track “Loud Noises”.

Check out the EP’s artwork above and the tracklist below. Hell: The Sequel hits stores June 14th via Shady Records/Interscope Records.

Hell: The Sequel Tracklist:
01.  Welcome 2 Hell
02.  Fastlane
03.  The Reunion
04.  Above the Law
05. I’m On Everything (feat. Mike Epps)
06. A Kiss
07. Lighters (feat. Bruno Mars)
08. Take from Me
09. Loud Noises (feat. Slaughterhouse)

Ever wonder what sweet reconciliation sounds like? Just take a listen to the first track from the upoming collaboration EP Bad Meets Evil from Eminem and Royce Da 5’9″. “Fast Lane” represents the first release the two have put out together  since Royce cameoed on Em’s The Slim Shady LP back in 1999. And from listening to the track, which you can do below courtesy of Complex.com, the former running buddies/current labelmates haven’t missed a step thanks to a thumping, hazy beat and their standard wordplay (watch out, Nicki Minaj!)

A joint EP sharing its name with their previous team-up, “Bad Meets Evil,” will drop on June 14th. Says Mr. Mathers of the reunion, “Royce and I started hanging out again and inevitable that led us back into the studio. At first we were just seeing where it went without any real goal in mind, but the songs started to come together crazy, so here we are.”

Royce’s group Slaughterhouse has yet to release their Shady Records debut, but he hopes this will hold fans over. “I’m excited to see this project come to fruition considering the long lapse in time between when we worked before and now,” he says. “We had a blast doing it and we just hope everyone enjoys it while we’re working on the ‘Monster’ that will be the Slaughterhouse album.”

Royce also has a solo album coming out July 26th entitled Success is Certain.

In the rap game, you’ve got to have a good label behind you to be a truly dominant MC. While Eminem has clearly succeeded even as his Shady Records didn’t fare so well, everyone’s favorite white rapper is taking another shot at building his empire.  The first step, it seems, is announcing the “new generation of Shady Records” by signing Yelawolf and hip-hop super group Slaughterhouse (former running buddy Royce da 5’9″, Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz, and Crooked I) to his imprint, which is already the home of acts like D12 and Cashis.

To celebrate their recent partnership (not to mention cover story on XXL), all six MCs collaborated on a track called “2.0 Boys”, which you can check out below (via Rap-Up.com). With a (surprise surprise) intense beat, Em reveals the newly-reinvigorated label’s master plan, rapping, “We came to monopolize the game, Illuminati is here/ Yeah, human oddities and odds with us just what’s gotta be.” See, change can be a good thing.

Royce has seemingly caught a second wind in his career after forming Slaughterhouse, recording the critically acclaimed 2009 album Street Hop, and reuniting with Eminem after a beef that spanned from 2000 to 2008 and spawned the D12 diss-tracks “Malcolm X” and “Shit on You”. Since then, there have been several business talks between Royce and Eminem, and after media appearances together, this may be Royce’s first release through Shady Aftermath. As of now, however, a record label for the album has yet to be confirmed.

Along with the album, Royce will be releasing a project with Slaughterhouse on February 17th titled Slaughterhouse: The EP. Until then, Success is Certain is available now on pre-order through Royce’s online store.

The Royce collabo, entitled “Living Proof”, features a reunion of two guys who have a long history together (see: Bad Meets Evil). It also happens to be a catchy ode to rapper Proof, Em’s longtime friend, hype man, and D12 member, who died in 2006. To a thoroughly banging beat, you see the wordplay and creative flow that makes Royce one of the few MCs that can truly compliment Em’s style, a style which in this particular song features a particularly fiery and ferocious Em cutting loose and willing to go hoarse to get his point across. It’s probably safe to say he’d only go like this for an old friend.

As two of the premier MCs in mainstream hip-hop, T.I. and Eminem should kill it on almost any track they appear on. Sadly, “All She Wrote” sees the two duo fumble their potential. A repetitive beat is only the start of the problem’s, with uninventive and uninspired flows and an awkward chorus to make the whole thing sound like a standard T.I. track without any of the heart and hustle. And when you wish the track was still tagged, you know you’re in trouble. And not the legal kind.

Enjoy both tracks below. “All She Wrote” will appear on Tip’s upcoming No Mercy; no word yet on where “Living Proof” will end up.

“Living Proof”

“All She Wrote”

Formed in late 2008, the group features the talents of Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz, Royce da 5’9″, and Crooked I. If this doesn’t mean much to you then, take our resident hip-hop expert Michael Denslow’s word for it. He described this foursome as “the best collective of M.C.’s since the Wu-Tang Clan,” a claim which has since been backed up thanks to a slew of leaked songs that have hit the web in recent months and a successful stint at this summer’s Rock the Bells.

On August 11th, Slaughterhouse will look to cap off this successful summer with the release of its self-titled debut. Due for release via E1 Entertainment, the 15-track effort was produced by a bounty of high-profile names, including Emile, Streetrunner, Focus, and DJ Khalil. It also features two equally impressive guests, as both Pharoahe Monch and Novel are set to appear.

“We stayed true to what we’re known for, but ended up with records that I think radio will fuck with,” Royce da 5’9″ explained in a recent interview with XXLmag.com. “All four of us can make records, so when we get together, what do you think we gon’ do? It’s definitely not going to just be us kicking verses back to back to back for a whole album… it’s going to be bigger than people see.”

Check out the album’s first single, “The One”, below. Tracklist after that…

Slaughterhouse Tracklist:
01. Sound Off
02. Lyrical Murderers
03. Microphone
04. Not Tonight
05. The One
06. In The Mind Of Madness (skit)
07. Cuckoo
08. The Phone Call (skit)
09. Onslaught 2
10. The Phone Call 2 (skit)
11. Salute (feat. Pharoahe Monch)
12. Pray (it’s A Shame)
13. Cut You Loose
14. Rain Drops (feat. Novel)
15. Killaz