No Shade: 5 Reasons Why It's Smart For Eminem & Royce Da 5'9" to Release Their EP Right Now | VIBE
1. Eminem and Royce will have the freedom to do whatever they want to do on the project.
Back in the late-1990s, Eminem hadn't sold a gazillion copies and Nickle-Nine sounded like a guy destined to rock on Soundbombing albums for the rest of his career—but not much more. Fast-forward a decade and they both have established track records (although, admittedly, Slim Shady's is just a little more diesel, wouldn't you say?) so they'll have the opportunity to create the EP that they want to create. And as long as Em's name is on it, we're sure Interscope will be cool with the project, right?
2. The fact that they are both well-known at this point doesn't make the whole Bad Meets Evil concept sound as crazy as it did originally.
Take one listen to "Fast Lane" and it's pretty clear that Em and Royce are on some other ish when they're rapping as a duo. Royce is getting liquored-up and talking trash. Em is doing crazy things with his penis. But, hey, that's Royce and Em being Royce and Em, right!? Right. But we didn't necessarily know that back in the late-'90s, which would have made Bad Meets Evil sound extra crazy back then. It would have been good for rap—but would they be as far along in their respective careers with that as their initial offering to the world?
3. Eminem sounds like he has something to prove on the mic again.
Agree or not, the one criticism of Em during the latter part of the 2000s was that he didn't showcase his ability to rap enough. He got too caught up in doing ridiculous accents and making songs that name-dropped pop stars and forgot that he was supposed to be fighting for the "Best Rapper Alive" crown. Since he dropped Recovery, though, it sounds like he's back to his old tricks again and trying to prove that he's still got it on the M-I-C. And what better way to keep that momentum going than to hop on a handful of songs with another dope MC and leave crowds wowed?
4. Royce and Em are about to prove that projects featuring dream collaborations like this are not pipe dreams!
Artists always talk about doing collaborative projects like Bad Meets Evil, but how many of them actually follow through with it? Yeah, we'll wait here while you think of a few..............Coming up empty, right? These things always sound good on paper but then someone goes on tour, someone needs a break, someone can't get their ish together, and the projects fall apart. Em and Royce have the opportunity to set the bar with Bad Meets Evil and show people that these projects can be completed. It certainly took them long enough to make that point, but it's a point that will be made nonetheless.
5. Bad Meets Evil will help establish the second generation of Shady Records.
Em signed Royce and his group Slaughterhouse—which also features Joe Budden, Crooked-I, and Joell Ortiz—as well as Yelawolf to Shady recently. But, so far, there haven't been any official releases from the label. This is a good place to start and will help set the tone for what people can expect from Em's label moving forward. So while Bad Meets Evil might not be an introduction to Em and Royce as a group anymore as it was originally intended to be, it is an introduction to the next phase of Slim Shady's career. And how can you not be excited about that?