The Allegory
| Company type | Album |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | February 21, 2020 |
| Founder | Royce da 5'9" |
| Products | Hip hop music album |
The Allegory represents the eighth full-length album from American hip-hop artist Royce da 5'9", launched via eOne Music on February 21, 2020. The record includes collaborations with artists such as Benny the Butcher, Conway the Machine, KXNG Crooked, Cyhi the Prynce, DJ Premier, Eminem, Grafh, Sy Ari da Kid, T.I., Vince Staples, Westside Gunn, and Cedric the Entertainer. This album is uniquely produced entirely by Royce da 5'9" himself, marking his debut as a sole producer on a project.
Background
On December 11, 2019, Royce announced both the title and artwork of the album through his Instagram account. The cover art visually conveys the politically infused content of the album, continuing Royce’s engagement with social commentary previously explored in tracks like "America" from his 2016 release Layers.
Describing The Allegory as an abstract hip-hop endeavor, Royce emphasized its departure from traditional norms concerning album length and structure, intending it to act as "the anti-everything." Unlike his prior album Book of Ryan, which centered around a unified theme, this project embraces a variety of topics without a singular narrative thread. He compared it to "splashes of paint all over the canvas," where no individual track encapsulates the entire message, but collectively they form the album’s overarching concept.
As his initial fully self-produced album, Royce highlighted the importance of maintaining artistic authenticity in its production. He deliberately refrained from involving collaborators such as DJ Premier or Mr. Porter unless they offered meaningful creative input, opting instead to work independently to preserve control and genuineness in the sound.
Singles and promotion
The first single, "Black Savage," featuring Sy Ari da Kid, White Gold, Cyhi the Prynce, and T.I., was released on November 15, 2019, as part of Jay-Z’s "Inspire Change" initiative. Its music video premiered one day prior. The second single, "Overcomer," featuring Westside Gunn, was unveiled on January 17, 2020, accompanied by a video release. Following that, "I Don't Age" was issued as the third single on January 31, 2020. The fourth and final single, "Upside Down," featuring Ashley Sorrell and Benny the Butcher, arrived on February 7, 2020, alongside its visual counterpart.
The music video for "I Don't Age," directed by Joe LeFleur, debuted on February 23, 2021. Subsequently, a video for "Hero," featuring White Gold and directed by Lanfia, was released on March 4, 2021.
To promote the album further, Royce announced The Allegory US Tour scheduled from April 21 to May 20, 2020; however, this tour was postponed due to complications arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Critical reception
The Allegory garnered generally positive feedback from critics, achieving a Metacritic rating of 79 based on seven reviews.
Kyle Mullin of Exclaim! regarded it as Royce’s finest album across his twenty-year career. Kevin Cortez at HipHopDX considered it a pinnacle achievement for the seasoned rapper. Neil Z. Young from AllMusic characterized it as a potent and intense project offering vivid portrayals of American life. Will Lavin of NME highlighted its poetic depth and Detroit-inspired soundscapes as elements that could secure its place among year-end rap accolades. George Garner at Q praised its substantial content spread over 22 tracks including an interlude featuring Eminem. RapReviews acknowledged Royce's comprehensive production effort despite noting some unevenness.
In a more mixed critique, Pitchfork’s Jay Balfour complimented Royce’s technical lyricism but pointed out that much of the production relied heavily on robust samples and straightforward loops.
At the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, The Allegory earned a nomination for Best Rap Album.
Track listing
- Entirely produced by Royce da 5'9".
Notes
- "Perspective (Skit)" includes additional vocal contributions by Eminem.
Charts
Template:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chart| Chart (2020) | Highest ranking |
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