Royce Da 5'9 Biography

The rap artist known as Royce da 5’9’’ was born in 1977 in Detroit, Michigan. Long before he rose to fame, Royce began rapping as a teenager, joining the burgeoning local rap scene which launched the careers of Eminem and many other Detroit-based artists. Royce’s earliest breakthrough was in 1997, when he began rapping with Eminem and formed the duo Bad Meets Evil.

With Eminem as Bad Meets Evil, Royce da 5’9’’ released a number of successful songs, including: “Nuttin’ to Do,” “Fast Lane,” and the hit “Lighters” (featuring Bruno Mars), which rose to the top five on the mainstream charts and charted in the top ten internationally, in six other countries. When Eminem rose to fame as a solo artist, Royce continued to collaborate with him, appearing on a number of his albums, including his smash-hit debut, The Slim Shady.

In 2002, Royce da 5’9’’ released his own debut solo album, Rock City. The title track, of course, featured a contribution from his friend Eminem, but the rest of the album also spoke to the strength of Royce da 5’9’’s own talents. Rock City performed well on the charts, and was followed by the additional solo albums: Death Is Certain (2004), Independent’s Day (2005), Slaughterhouse (2009), Hell: The Sequel (2011), Success is Certain (2011), and Welcome to: Our House (2012.) The albums spawned a number of singles, including: “Hip Hop,” “Politics,” “Wet My Whistle,” “Shake This,” “Part of Me,” “New Money,” “Second Place,” and “One for the Money.”

Royce da 5’9’’s talents are in high demand from many of his fellow rappers, and so he also appears on a number of songs by such notable artists as: “I Wanna Be Bad” (with Willa Ford); “Change” (with Promise, Supastition, and Mr. Probz); and “Twerk Dat, Pop That.” In addition to his solo work, Royce Da 5’9’’ continues to perform with Eminem as Bad Meets Evil, and also as a member of the hip-hop group, Slaughterhouse.