"Royce 5'9 is the wickedest. That's the truth. Since 1999, Royce has managed to captivate underground minions without a full length LP available. A one-time partner to Eminem, and writer for Dre, Royce has big league credentials. His Premier-produced, "Boom" found its way everywhere for the last year and a half. He's rocked every worthwhile compilation and mix tape. After shaking off bootlegging bastards last spring, the 5 foot 9 inch MC is ready to grow.

Rarely will you find a man as brutally honest and confident as Royce - with true charisma and an attitude of greatness. Royce sees his role in hip-hop and aims to one day win the Oscar in every category. As he relaunches his career, expect to see the reinstallation of Royce into the raging rap machine. Royce - with no shoulders to jump on and no tails to ride - this one-man army of illness is prepared for biochemical warfare.


AHH: Your record is dropping November 26. It's a different lineup than the record that was billed to drop last spring. Several changes were made, why?


R: Yeah, there were a few kinda commercial [tracks] on the record that we took off. We replaced them with more dirty sounding records. The aim, was to make the album sound a little more dirty.


AHH: Are you still releasing it through Columbia Records?


R: When my album got bootlegged real bad, Columbia [and I] were like, ‘what should we do? Should we put the album out as it is? Should we replace songs? Should do a new album?' So Koch stepped up. We jumped at that chance. Koch worked a deal out with Columbia. I'm still on Columbia.


AHH: As far as the new tracks, are there any big guests or anything we should know about?


R: Nah, no new guests. Just the Clipse. [The song features] the Neptunes.


AHH: Will there be any future "Bad Meets Evil" projects with you and Eminem?


R: Nah. I don't think so. I think Em's perspective on the whole thing is like he's not in it for the money anymore. He's really fed up. He just wants to look out for his daughter. He's doing him, and I'm doing me. We parted ways. It happens. That's my dog. I love him to death. But no, I'm not up under him no more.


AHH: That record had such impact. How did you deal with its' success?


R: People was buying that because they saw Eminem's name on it. That's really what it was. [Eminem's] buzz was huge then. It was incredible. People were buying that record because they seen his name on it. I was like the other guy, ‘Oh, he's dope too.' I don't even care about that. That's not my thing.


AHH: My favorite track off your record is "Life." It's on my current top ten. I know the obvious, but tell me how that track came about?


R: That's the next single we want to try and put out. Every time I look at [my son], I'm proud of him. He's a beautiful kid to me. Every time I look at him, it's like, ‘OK, I'm going to do a song.'


AHH: Faces are changing at Columbia right now. For a while, Nas was their brightest star. Do you get the impression that you're going to have to take the weight, and be Sony's link to the Hip-Hop world?


R: I don't know man. I like Nas. I respect Nas. I never looked at myself as someone who can fill his shoes. He did a lot. He put a lot of work in, so I don't really compare myself to him. I think it's three illest people right now, I feel like I'm a step behind them. I'm on the hills. But I don't feel like I've developed that yet. I'm only twenty-five, they're all thirty plus. I feel like I'm on that path.


AHH: You toured with, and recorded with, Willa Ford (the Pop star). This came out of left field. How did it happen?


R: She listened to the Lyricist Lounge 2 compilation. She heard my song called, "Let's Grow." She listened to it, and she liked my voice. They felt like they wanted somebody new as opposed to somebody who was already out, and burned out. It was like luck.


AHH: You are one of the most arrogant MC's out there. How do you get yourself in such a confident mode on the mic?


R: I'm kinda self-conscious. I'm not going to say that I'm insecure. I don't think I'm the best. But when I rhyme, and when I say things, it will make you think, ‘OK, this dude thinks he better than everybody.' I like spitting confident rhymes. I like proving them I'm totally with myself, but really, I look up to other people. I'm confident on the mic. But in real life, I respect other people.


AHH: Thirstin Howl recently said that Eminem greatly affected his career. In your own career, was there a downside to your association?


R: Yeah, it has. That's my man, I love him to death. But the things he did for me in the past, haunt me now. Like, I go to a label, or anywhere...everybody want to know about Eminem's involvement. He rode for me back in the day. But he's not riding for me right now. I'm not saying money changed him or nothing. He's just a different agenda. We're not communicating like that right now. I feel like I lost respect from him as an artist, because it got to the point where every time I was talking to him, I was asking him for something. It's like a favor thing. We're not on the same level any more. I'm Royce. He's Em. I detached myself from that. I'm myself.


AHH: Of all your freestyles and mix tapes drops over the years, do you have a specific favorite?


R: I like the Tony Touch freestyle. I liked that rhyme.


AHH: I know you're a real man, a modest man. But honestly, is there any competition for Royce?


R: You got the three main people: Jay-Z, Eminem, and Nas. They are like the three best. I don't feel like I can compete with them. Because, they paid their dues. I feel like I'm where Jay-Z was with his first album. I'm not about to dare compete with those brothers, because they put in too much work. I'm coming up, I'm still young. By the time I get to their age, do I feel like I'm going to be better than them? Yes, I do. I'm going to always respect them, but right now, I look up to them. They inspire me, still.


AHH: Speaking of Jay-Z and Eminem, what REALLY happened with the "Renegade" track?


R: I did a record with Em. He wasn't clear on what his involvement was going to be with my album. We end up doing a song. Jimmy Iovine (Interscope Records, President) was like, ‘No, I'm not going to clear it.' Eminem was super-busy. Jay-Z had asked Eminem to be on his last album. Eminem didn't get a chance to do it. So this album, Jay-Z was like, ‘Yo Eminem, I got this beat.' Eminem [didn't] like the beat. Em was like, ‘Yo Jay, why don't you let me do the beat?' Jay said cool. Em [really didn't] have time to do it. But "Renegade" was a song we had, that wasn't going to get used. So he called me like, ‘Yo man, you don't care if I give this to Jay-Z?' I was like, ‘Nah man, do your thing.' Interscope ain't gonna clear it [for us]. So Eminem kept those verses on there, and the same hook, and Jay-Z just filled it in.


AHH: And what was your initial response when you heard it?


R: I felt like it was cool. I like Jay-Z's verses on there. I think they mesh cool. I don't think he was trying to compete with Eminem.


AHH: You've got a crew, D-Elite. Tell me about them...


R: We got my little brother, Trey Little. He's a real ill dude. You'll meet him and see that he's not a super lyricist. But he's just like a star. He's destined to do something. I got my man, Cut Throat. He's like super gangster. He's going to do a record equivalent to something like Mobb Deep would do. We got my man, Drop 5'9, which is like my former partner. If I had to compare him to somebody, he's like Q-Tip. You see what I'm getting at? It's like a bunch of different personalities.


AHH: Anything else?


R: We're going to shoot a video to "Mr. Baller." November 26, the album comes out. It's called, Rock City: Version 2.0. "

I have Rock City 2.0 and the track Rocky City for example is just a weaker version of the old Rock City.

Rock City 2.0 had King Of Kings.. .which was nice.. and it had less wack joints than the original, plus the original version of BOOM from 2000, which is doper to me.  The only problem i have is that weaker version of Rock City.

Why wouldn't Jimmy Iovine clear the OG "Rennegades"? What bullshit! That song was so dope...PeACe