After a heavily bootlegged, and considered by many to be disappointing debut release, Royce Da 5’9” drops his sophomore LP, Death Is Certain, after making noise on the underground scene with a highly acclaimed mixtape which included a strong diss track to Eminem’s group D-12. Death Is Certain is a very dark, but honest album, going as far as to apologize to his fan base for “playing himself for radio play.” This latest release has been highly anticipated by the true Hip Hop fans because of those types of blunt lines, as well as the caliber of producers who contributed to the album, including DJ Premier and Carlos “6 July” Broady who provided Royce with 2 tracks originally intended for the Notorious B.I.G. With Death Is Certain, Royce does not disappoint in any way, providing Hip Hop heads with great imagery, incredible lyrical skills, and an obvious hunger to prove that his talents were never over-hyped.
The first single, “Hip Hop,” produced by DJ Premier, is a classic track by the beat maker for the group Gang Starr, which displays an incredible chemistry between one of the best producers in the Hip Hop game, and an MC vying for a position among the most talented lyricists in the game. This initial single is a far cry from the lead single to Rock City 2.0, in being a track intended to just exhibit skills, and describe what Royce feels makes up the Hip Hop game and how he fits into it with his talents. The production is incredible; with the trademark scratches and sounds of DJ Premier this track displays his talents at their best.
“Everybody Goes” is an example of how morbid this album is with intense lyrics and an interesting beat that gives a bit of an eerie, yet mellow vibe. In this song Royce is making stabs at rappers who are fronting a violent persona, but are fake and living a gimmick. With a furious tone he spits this lyrical fire claiming that you can front all you want but in the end everybody eventually shares the same fate. He threatens the people who are the subject matter, as if he is the angel of death himself.
Death Is Certain is an incredibly well rounded effort from an MC whom people still consider to be underground, despite the praise he has received for his skills. Songs like “T.O.D.A.Y.” and “Throwback” along with those mentioned above are classic examples of what true Hip Hop should sound like. Despite the success of watered down party tracks the Rap industry seems to be plagued with nowadays, Royce refused to go down that road, instead focusing on an intensely personal album in which he could vent all his frustrations through. The outcome is quite possibly the best Hip Hop album so far in the year 2004.
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