Royce da 5'9"
Royce da 5'9" | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ryan Daniel Montgomery July 5, 1977 |
| Occupation(s) | Hip hop artist, rapper |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Known for | Member of Bad Meets Evil, Slaughterhouse, PRhyme; solo albums including Rock City, The Allegory |
Ryan Daniel Montgomery (born July 5, 1977), professionally recognized as Royce da 5'9" or Royce 5'9", is an American hip hop artist. He gained prominence through his partnership with fellow Detroit rapper Eminem, forming the duo Bad Meets Evil in 1998. Their 2011 track, "Lighters", which features Bruno Mars, climbed to number four on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and served as a lead single for their debut EP, Hell: The Sequel (2011). This EP debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and represents Montgomery's peak commercial achievement.
Montgomery began his solo journey with the album Rock City in 2002; initially set for a 2001 release, conflicts with Columbia Records postponed its launch until it was independently published. Since then, he has independently released eight studio albums that have received critical praise, including The Allegory (2020), which earned him his first Grammy Award nomination for Best Rap Album in 2021. In 2008, he co-established the hip hop supergroup Slaughterhouse alongside Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz, and Kxng Crooked. This collective produced two commercially successful albums: Slaughterhouse (2009) and Welcome to: Our House (2012). Later, in 2014, he partnered with producer DJ Premier to create the duo PRhyme, releasing two albums so far.
Early life
Before adopting "Royce," he initially performed under the name "R-Dog." The "Royce" stage name was inspired during high school by a chain featuring an R pendant resembling the Rolls-Royce emblem. His moniker also reflects his stature of 5 feet 9 inches, with these numbers frequently appearing throughout important moments in his life. He started rapping at age 18, drawing inspiration from artists such as Ras Kass, Redman, Tupac Shakur, The Notorious B.I.G., LL Cool J, Nas, Jay-Z, and Detroit's Most Wanted.
1997–2001: Beginnings and Rock City
In 1997, manager Kino Childrey introduced Royce to Eminem, leading to the formation of Bad Meets Evil and their first appearance on The Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Show in 1998. Royce contributed to Eminem's The Slim Shady LP (1999) with the track "Bad Meets Evil" and collaborated on "Renegade," which was later featured on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint. Through Eminem's connections, Royce was introduced to Dr. Dre and executives at Game Recordings but ended ties after declining Dre’s request to cut off relations with Childrey.
In 1998, Royce secured a $1 million contract with Tommy Boy Records after turning down a $250,000 offer from Dr. Dre’s Aftermath Entertainment—a choice he later described as his "biggest regret." Following Tommy Boy’s collapse, he signed deals with Columbia Records and Game Recordings to produce Rock City, an album named in homage to Detroit’s Motown heritage. The album suffered extensive bootlegging, which resulted in his release from Columbia in 2002. Subsequently, he joined Koch Records, re-recorded portions of the album, and issued Rock City (Version 2.0) on November 29. While sales were limited, the DJ Premier-produced single "Boom" garnered underground recognition and opened doors for further collaborations.
2002–2003: Conflict with D12
In 2002, Royce experienced a public dispute with D12 and member Proof, igniting a rivalry that produced three diss tracks from Royce. His initial track, "Shit on You," was aimed at Bizarre and utilized the instrumental from D12's original song of the same name. Following this, Royce released "Malcolm X," to which D12 responded with "Smack Down," employing the beat from 50 Cent's "Back Down." Proof then issued "Many Men" and "Beef Is Ova" alongside the Purple Gang, prompting Royce to answer with "Death Day," set to 50 Cent's "In Da Club" rhythm.
In 2003, an altercation occurred between Proof and Royce outside a Detroit nightclub, involving their respective entourages and resulting in both artists being detained. While confined in neighboring cells, they reconciled, effectively ending their conflict. The feud was officially put to rest in 2008 when Royce appeared on D12’s mixtapes Return of the Dozen and The Devil's Night Mixtape.
2004–2005: Death Is Certain and Independent's Day
Royce signed with Game Recordings after contributing songs to the 2001 video game Grand Theft Auto III soundtrack. His track "I'm the King" along with a solo piece produced by Alchemist were prominently featured on the in-game radio station Game Radio FM, expanding his recognition beyond associations with Eminem. In 2004, he released his sophomore album, Death Is Certain, which included the critically praised single "Hip Hop" produced by DJ Premier.
His third solo project, Independent's Day (2005), did not achieve comparable success. After their jail cell reconciliation in 2003, Royce and Proof embarked on an international tour together. However, plans for collaborations with Nottz and former group D-Elite were interrupted when Royce received a one-year jail sentence for a DUI offense.
2007–2008: Jail Release and The Bar Exam
Upon his release in 2007, Royce teamed up with DJ Premier and Statik Selektah to create the mixtape The Bar Exam. He announced an upcoming album involving Premier as executive producer, emphasizing that Premier would curate beats rather than produce the entire record himself. Following The Bar Exam, Royce penned the single "Tell Me" for Diddy's album Press Play, attracting interest from Bad Boy Entertainment regarding a potential signing.
In early 2008, Royce officially cleared up past misunderstandings with Eminem. He released The Bar Exam 2 alongside DJ Green Lantern and issued a retail version of the mixtape titled The Album, featuring production from Green Lantern, 9th Wonder, DJ Premier, among others. Subsequently, he worked on the Premier-assisted studio album Street Hop, which was released on October 20, 2009, led by the single "Shake This" produced by DJ Premier.
2011–2012: Slaughterhouse Formation and Bad Meets Evil Reunion
After collaborating on Joe Budden’s digital release Halfway House, Royce joined forces with Crooked I, Joell Ortiz, and Joe Budden to form the supergroup Slaughterhouse. Their self-titled debut album dropped on August 11, 2009 through E1, featuring production by DJ Khalil, Mr. Porter, and The Alchemist, along with guest spots from Pharoahe Monch and others. On January 12, 2011, the group signed with Shady Records. Their sophomore album, Welcome to: Our House (2012), sold 146,000 units in the U.S. By June 2013, they were working on a new Shady Records project executive produced by Just Blaze; however, its release was postponed beyond its initial 2016 target.
Following his reconciliation with Eminem, Royce reunited with him as Bad Meets Evil to release Hell: The Sequel on June 14, 2011 via Shady Records. The singles "Fast Lane" and "Lighters", featuring Bruno Mars, received extensive radio airplay. The EP earned Gold certification from the RIAA. Bad Meets Evil later contributed tracks to "Shady XV" and the soundtrack for Southpaw.
On August 9, 2011, Royce unveiled his fifth studio album titled Success Is Certain, a nod to his earlier release Death Is Certain.
2014–2016: PRhyme and Layers
In 2014, Royce and DJ Premier unveiled their joint venture under the name PRhyme. Royce highlighted their dedication to maintaining high standards without cutting corners, while DJ Premier sought to elevate expectations with this release. For the production, Premier exclusively utilized samples from Adrian Younge’s compositions, venturing beyond his typical approach. On November 24, 2015, PRhyme dropped the single "Highs & Lows," featuring MF DOOM and Phonte, as a lead-up to the deluxe edition. The expanded album, released on December 11, included four additional tracks with guest appearances from the Roots, Black Thought, Joey Bada$$, and Logic on an extended version of "Mode."
By May 2017, Royce announced on Instagram that he and DJ Premier were in the studio working on PRhyme 2, sharing behind-the-scenes clips showcasing Premier’s production techniques. This follow-up album was officially released on March 16, 2018.
Following the deluxe release of PRhyme, Royce introduced his sixth solo album, Layers, which came out on April 15, 2016. Tracks such as "Tabernacle" and "Dead President Heads" garnered favorable feedback from both fans and critics. Prior to the album's launch, a free pre-release EP titled Trust the Shooter was made available on Datpiff.
In July 2015, Royce teamed up with Lazarus for the single Underdog, which was distributed through Russell Simmons' All Def Digital platform. The official music video premiered in February 2016.
2016–2018: Book of Ryan
On March 31, 2016, Royce revealed that his album Book of Ryan was nearing completion. Originally intended as his second release in 2016, the project experienced delays and was ultimately launched on May 4, 2018. During that year, Royce confirmed via social media that Slaughterhouse had disbanded following Joe Budden’s exit from the group. Later in 2018, Royce appeared on Eminem’s track "Not Alike" from the album Kamikaze.
2020–2021: The Allegory
Royce released his eighth studio album, The Allegory, on February 21, 2020. The project featured collaborations with artists including T.I., Westside Gunn, Conway the Machine, Ashley Sorrell, and KXNG Crooked. The album was supported by four singles; it began with "Black Savage," released November 15, 2019, which gained recognition through Jay-Z’s "Inspire Change" initiative. Following singles included "Overcomer" featuring Westside Gunn and "I Don't Age," marking Royce’s debut as a self-producer on a track. The Allegory reached number 58 on the Billboard 200 chart.
In February 2021, the album earned a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album but was ultimately surpassed by Nas' King's Disease.
2022–present: Other releases
In 2022, Royce compiled a greatest hits collection titled The Heaven Experience, Vol. 1.
Personal life
Montgomery performed well academically in high school despite occasional focus challenges. He is a father to two sons named James and Trenton, as well as three daughters. Having battled alcoholism, he has maintained sobriety since September 11, 2012; this decision was partly inspired by his son’s heartfelt comment: "I love my dad. I think he's Superman, but I don't really know him." He wed his longtime girlfriend from Oak Park High School; they had been together since 1995.
Montgomery’s younger sibling Marcus (known as Kid Vishis) released his debut album titled Timing Is Everything on July 22, 2014.
Discography
Solo studio albums
- Rock City (2002)
- Death Is Certain (2004)
- Independent's Day (2005)
- Street Hop (2009)
- Success Is Certain (2011)
- Layers (2016)
- Book of Ryan (2018)
- The Allegory (2020)
Albums in collaboration
- Slaughterhouse (with Slaughterhouse) (2009)
- Hell: The Sequel (with Eminem as Bad Meets Evil) (2011)
- Welcome to: Our House (with Slaughterhouse) (2012)
- Shady XV (with Shady Records) (2014)
- PRhyme (with DJ Premier as PRhyme) (2014)
- PRhyme 2 (with DJ Premier as PRhyme) (2018)
Awards and nominations
! |- |align=center|2011 |Recovery |Grammy Award for Album of the Year | |[1] |- |align=center|2012 |Hell: The Sequel |Detroit Music Award for Outstanding National Major Record Label Recording | |[2] |- |rowspan="2"|2017 |"Tabernacle" |Detroit Music Award for Outstanding National Single | |rowspan="2"|[3] |- |"Tabernacle" |Detroit Music Award for Outstanding Video (Major Budget) | |- |rowspan="2"|2020 |"Black Savage" | |rowspan="2"|[4] |- |"Cocaine" | |- |align=center|2021 |The Allegory |Grammy Award for Best Rap Album | |[5] |-
External links
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