Bad Meets Evil
| Company type | Supergroup |
|---|---|
| Industry | Hip hop music |
| Founded | 1997 |
| Headquarters | Detroit, Michigan , United States |
| Products | Music |
| Parent | Shady Records |
Bad Meets Evil was a hip hop supergroup from Detroit, Michigan, composed of rappers Royce da 5′9″ ("Bad") and Eminem ("Evil"). Established in 1997, their name originates from Eminem's track on The Slim Shady LP (1999), which featured Royce. Their debut came with the double single "Nuttin' to Do" and "Scary Movies," the latter included on the soundtrack for the 2000 film Scary Movie. After a hiatus lasting ten years, the pair reunited to release a commercially successful EP.
The initial separation occurred amid tensions between Royce and members of Eminem's group D12, which subsided following the 2006 passing of D12 member Proof, who was closely connected to both artists. After Royce's group Slaughterhouse signed with Eminem's Shady Records, Bad Meets Evil came back together for the EP Hell: The Sequel (2011). This release reached number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 and earned platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Its lead single, "Fast Lane," peaked at number 32 on the Billboard Hot 100, while the follow-up, "Lighters" featuring Bruno Mars, climbed to number four.
The duo contributed the track "Vegas" to Shady Records' 15th anniversary compilation Shady XV (2014) and recorded two songs—"All I Think About" and "Raw"—for the 2015 boxing movie Southpaw. They collaborated again on "Not Alike" from Eminem's Kamikaze (2018). Eminem appeared on Royce's "Caterpillar" from his album Book of Ryan (2018), while Royce featured on three tracks—"You Gon' Learn," "Yah Yah," and "I Will"—on Eminem's Music To Be Murdered By (2020). Eminem confirmed their continued partnership on "Godzilla," rapping, "pack heat, but it's black ink / Evil half of the Bad Meets Evil, that means take a back seat."
Formation and subsequent break-up
The two first crossed paths in 1997 when Royce opened for Usher at the Palladium, leading to a swift friendship and collaboration on "Bad Meets Evil" for Eminem's major label debut The Slim Shady LP in 1999. Their initial release, a 1998 double-single featuring "Nuttin' to Do" and "Scary Movies," charted successfully, reaching number 36 on the Hot Rap Songs chart and number 63 on the UK Singles Chart. The track "Scary Movies" was later included in the soundtrack for the horror-comedy film Scary Movie.
The song "Renegade" was originally recorded with Eminem and Royce intended for Royce’s debut album Rock City (2002); however, Royce’s verses were replaced by Jay-Z’s for his 2001 release The Blueprint. Jay-Z collaborated directly with Eminem on this track, utilizing a beat Eminem had provided with Royce’s consent. Additionally, Eminem appeared on Royce’s title track from Rock City.
After hearing Royce’s mixtape through Eminem, Dr. Dre signed him to Aftermath Entertainment. Eminem helped secure Royce a ghostwriting position on Dre’s album 2001. Nonetheless, Dre required Royce to part ways with his manager—a demand Royce refused—resulting in their professional split.
When Royce declined an invitation from Eminem to join the Anger Management Tour as a hype man, Proof, a member of Eminem’s group D12 and mutual friend, accepted the role. Royce believed that D12 was negatively impacting his relationship with Eminem, which led to a feud characterized by diss tracks and ultimately caused the duo’s separation.
Reunion
Following the signing of Royce's group Slaughterhouse to Eminem's Shady Records in 2011, Bad Meets Evil reunited to release the EP Hell: The Sequel on June 14, 2011, marking their first collaboration in 11 years. The project debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and achieved gold certification from both the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).
The EP's lead single, "Fast Lane", was unveiled on May 3, 2011, and recorded at Effigy Studios in Michigan. Written by Eminem, Royce da 5'9", and Sly "Pyper" Jordan—who provided the chorus vocals—the track was produced by Supa Dups alongside Jason "JG" Gilbert, with mixing handled by Eminem and Mike Strange. Interestingly, Supa Dups submitted the instrumental without initially realizing it was intended for Bad Meets Evil. The single reached number 32 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
"Lighters," the EP’s second single, was originally planned for inclusion on Royce's fifth studio album Success Is Certain but was ultimately featured on Hell: The Sequel. This track was produced by Battle Roy with additional input from The Smeezingtons and Luis Resto. Bruno Mars contributed to both the vocal performance and arrangement refinement. Recording sessions took place in studios across Los Angeles and Michigan. Released to contemporary hit radio on July 5, 2011, "Lighters" surpassed "Fast Lane" in chart success, peaking at number four on the Hot 100.
Bad Meets Evil also recorded "Vegas" for Shady Records’ compilation album Shady XV, released in November 2014.
In 2015, the duo contributed two songs—"All I Think About" and "Raw"—to the Southpaw Soundtrack, both produced under Shady Records.
The year 2018 saw Bad Meets Evil dropping "Caterpillar," featuring Eminem from Royce’s album Book of Ryan, as well as "Not Alike," featuring Royce from Eminem’s project Kamikaze.
Extended plays
| Title | EP information | Highest chart positions | Certifications | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. |
U.S. R&B/HH |
U.S. Rap |
AUS |
CAN |
GER |
IRE |
NZ |
SWI |
UK | |||
| Hell: The Sequel |
|
1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 20 | 15 | 14 | 5 | 7 | |
Singles
| Title | Year | Highest chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. |
U.S. R&B/HH |
U.S. Rap |
AUS |
CAN |
GER |
IRE |
NZ |
SWI |
UK | ||||
| "Nuttin' to Do" | 1998 | — | — | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 182 | Non-album singles | |
| "Scary Movies" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 63 | |||
| "Fast Lane" | 2011 | 32 | — | — | 57 | 50 | — | — | 35 | — | 66 |
|
Hell: The Sequel |
| "Lighters" (featuring Bruno Mars) |
4 | 34 | 6 | 17 | 4 | 26 | 11 | 2 | 10 | 10 |
| ||
| "—" indicates the track did not chart or was not issued in that market. | |||||||||||||
Music videos
| Title | Year | Director(s) |
|---|---|---|
| "Fast Lane" | 2011 | James Larese |
| "Lighters" (featuring Bruno Mars) |
Rich Lee |
See also
References
- Articles with short description
- Detroit hip-hop groups
- Eminem
- Musical duos from Michigan
- Shady Records artists
- American hip-hop duos
- American male musical duos
- Midwest hip-hop groups
- Musical groups established in 1998
- Musical groups disestablished in 2002
- Musical groups reestablished in 2011
- 1998 establishments in Michigan
- Hip-hop supergroups