Mic Navarro's Corner: Royce Da 5'9" & DJ Premier

Question: What do you get when you take one of the dopest lyricists of today and pair him with one of hip hop's most prolific producers of all time? You get a music experience every true hip hop head has been waiting for. When word got out that Royce Da 5'9" and DJ Premier were getting together for a collaborative album, everyone including myself immediately became over excited. Even though the original rumor was it would be a Slaughterhouse/DJ Premier album (which still may happen). Now this is not the first time these two have gotten together. Some of my favorite Royce Da 5'9" songs of all time are produced by DJ Premier. "Boom", "Hip Hop", "Second Place" and so on. So based on that history and their track records individually, it should be easy to understand why this project is so anticipated. This is their debut album under the group name PRhyme. It only took me one listen to find out that this album exceeded way past my expectations. This was a damn near perfect album. I mean this album was so good for it to be so simple and straight to the point. Dope lyrics and dope production. That's pretty much all you get. But here's what was interesting about the production. While I thought I was gonna get those typical throwback boom bap styled DJ Premier beats (and I did), some of them were experimental. Containing samples and various instrumentation courtesy of another dope producer, Adrian Younge. It's something you don't often hear from DJ Premier's production but it was done well. Another thing that caught my eye was the impressive list of guest features. For a very short nine track album, this album has quite a few dope MC's featured on it that only made me even more anxious to hear this album. So with this said, let's get to the break down:

1. PRhyme

We begin right off the back with awesome production. I love the drum and snare combo on here. As well as the faint guitar strings. Royce brings some lyrical fire here (he does the whole album). He touches a bit on how he kind of an underdog in the rap when he shouldn't be. Talking about his little bit of recognition after recent hits with Eminem and how life has changed for him since. Dope intro here.

2. Dat Sound Good (featuring Ab-Soul and Mac Miller)

This is one of a couple songs that has that true authentic DJ Premier sound. Dope scratches on the hook and all (even though a lot of the songs have that). But here we begin with the first of excellent collaborators. Ab-Soul's verse was an absolute lyrical beat down: ("toying with the squad that's how you get sent to God dog,/you know it's backwards to go against God dog", "whoever gets a whiff of the base is loaded like the World Series/Steve Jobs died now the world Siri's"). Royce, as he does through the whole album, displays his lyrical wittiness and humor: ("somebody nudge the reverend/tell him I'm selling that white girl like I'm Starbucks, Uggs and leggings"). Mac Miller though not as lyrical as the other two, had a really dope flow and more laid back demeanor. Epic song. The title says it all.

3. U Looz

This is pretty much a minute and a half interlude of nothing but Royce just spitting dope lyrics. Again, this has that genuine Premier sound on the production. I like how Premier kinda starts to rap and he and Royce just laugh and talk. You can tell these two have great chemistry and vibe well with each other. Dope for such a short track.

4. You Should Know (featuring Dwele)

This one grew on me after a couple of listens. This is another one where you can definitely hear Adrian Younge's instrumentation within the beat. I like Dwele's hook on here as well. Despite the fact that he only says three words. The scratching on this hook is probably the best of the album. But overall, dope beat, dope lyrics. Dope song.

5. Courtesy

On an album that doesn't have not one song that sounds single worthy, this is actually the first single. The tempo on this beat is a bit...flatter than the others I guess you could say. Doesn't have the same kind of energy. But still a good beat nonetheless. Like on the intro, Royce again finds himself being an underdog and only getting recognition due to his ties with Eminem and Slaughterhouse.

6. Wishin' (featuring Common)

No song on here showed true creativity more when it came to production. The beat switches back and forth from an aggressive uptempo pace to a calmer, mellow and more soulful sounding beat. I just loved how Common raps on the calm and mellow part then the beat immediately switches to the fast paced beat and Royce just goes off on a aggressive lyrical tirade. This is definitely something I'm not used to hearing from DJ Premier and it was awesome. Definitely one of my favorites of the album.

7. To Me, To You (featuring Jay Electronica)

Now when it came to awesome samples, this took the crown. It samples a song by Adrian Younge and Rebecca Jordan called "It's Me". A song Common also impressively sampled on his last album ("7 Deadly Sins"). But I think he got one up'd here by Royce. He continues his lyrical humor: "the last time I got pulled over for drunk driving I took the breathalyzer out the cops hand and tried to drink it", "your boo told me what she wanted to do to me/before she dropped down to two knees and blew me like an opportunity". Then Jay Electronica drops an awesome verse kicking nothing but pure knowledge as he does so well. The instrumentation in this was great as well with the loud organs. This was hands down my favorite song on the album.

8. Underground Kings (featuring Schoolboy Q and Killer Mike)

Now things get a bit more...harder. First off this beat sounds like nothing you've ever heard from DJ Premier. Even more than the other songs. It's gritty, dirty, grimy, and just has a violent feel to it. While Royce was yet again dope on here, the features made this track. Schoolboy Q went back to that gritty hardcore rap style that I love hearing from here. While Killer Mike literally murdered this track lyrically. Makes me think back to that awesome Run The Jewels 2 album. This is the definition of hardcore if I ever seen it.

9. Microphone Preem (featuring Slaughterhouse)

Of course, there was no way Royce could do this album without getting the squad on here. This is the part two to a song from Slaughterhouse's debut album called "Microphone". I gotta say, as much as I love part one, this might be better. The beat has a serious old school sound on the drum pattern. Sounds very similar to Eric B. & Rakim's "Microphone Fiend". Which goes right with the title and theme. But this is just Slaughterhouse being Slaughterhouse. Nothing but straight bars from all of them. If this is what a Slaughterhouse/DJ Premier album is gonna sound like then we're gonna be in for a real treat.

In closing, this is without question one of 2014's best albums. You all now see why I had to put it in my top ten on 2014. This is a true hip hop heads album. Nothing but dope lyrics over dope instrumentals. I give this a final grade of a A. For anyone who's a fan of Gang Starr, this should surely resurrect the feeling you got hearing a new Gang Starr album (although let's get it straight, Royce is not trying to replace the late Guru. He says that himself on this album). It also adds on to this new trend of MC/Producer groups and albums. From Run The Jewels (Killer Mike & El-P), to Freddie Gibbs & Madlib, now to PRhyme. I sincerely hope this is not the end. I already want to hear PRhyme 2. As well as the Slaughterhouse joint. These two are an underground hip hop match made in heaven. End.