Search - Royce Da 5'9 :: Death Is Certain

Matthew F. from LOS ANGELES, CA
Reviewed on 8/4/2010...

This cd is fucking slammin'!

Best hip hop album in recent years, no joke

John N. McAndrews | B-More | 02/25/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've been telling people for some time that Royce Da 5'9" is one of the most lyrically gifted rappers out there, and finally he's proved me right.
Royce has once again teamed up with DJ Premier, much to the delight of his fans, on the album's single: Hip Hop. It has a crazy good beat with clever but introspective lyrics, which makes it even more impressive that its done this well as a single considering the hollow, plastic subject matter that most hits are made from.
Other sick tracks include Regardless, I Promise, t.o.d.a.y., and Beef, a remake of the old Biggie song produced by the man who laced the classic in the first place: Six July.
"I and Me" is another great song about Royce's profession and how seriously he takes it. I would say that this song has the best lyrics on the whole album, but that would be unfair to other tracks.
Other tracks like "Bomb 1st" feature more gutter, negative words. Death is Certain pt. 2 is not only a negative song, but an intelligent song. Unlike 50 Cent, who makes murder out to be cool, Royce shows violence for what it really is. It kills people:
"this is not happenin' to me, my homie will not, i repeat, will NOT flatline on me."
This reminds me of the equally ominous "Cradle to the Grave" by Mobb Deep as Havoc describes a gunfight in which his friend takes a slug to the head. "felt like cryin', temperature's risin', i saw my man helpless, damn near on the verge of dyin'"
Let there be no question that the rest of the tracks are all solid. I know its a bold statement, but i think Royce has lyrically surpassed his former friend Eminem. Em has sunk to the simple gun threats and gangster rap tracks that 50 Cent made popular again, while Royce goes further and talks about the true harships that come with crime: "...if i have to trade my future for your life..."
All in all, Royce's lyrics on Death Is Certain place him on the same tier as the likes of Black Thought, Common, and dare i say it, Nas. Simply put, Royce Da 5'9" is nice. Period.
I will leave you with these lyrics from "I Promise":
"(I Promise) If you just let me in the game, if you should bless me enough to let me reign, i will contain. (I Promise)I will stop the killin.' I will change. (I Promise)I will put in this flow what you put in my soul.""

A Fresh New Beginning

Jesse Smith | 03/08/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"A lot of people might recognize Royce da 5'9" from his track with Eminem, "Bad Meets Evil," in 1999. Royce's career has been on shaky ground for a while since then. His first album never took off because of bootleggers, and he had scuffles with Eminem and his rap crew, D12, on and off wax. He's finally severed ties with Eminem and released his second album on Koch...a step down from earlier in his career, but on much more solid footing.
"Death is Certain" is definitely a good album to restart his career on. There's nothing club or radio-friendly on here. The lyrics are dark, as the title would suggest, but very confident and honest at the same time. He explores the course of his career and the struggles he's gone through, first working with Eminem and then trying to succeed without his help. He rhymes about the things he's suffered at the hands of the hip-hop industry and hip-hop fans. He also has plenty of battle rhymes and beef stories for good measure. The title track, "Death is Certain pt. 2," has Royce attacking God for letting his friend die from a gunshot, in the tradition of Dr. Dre's "The Message" (which the word is Royce ghostwrote).
The production is where this album is lacking. Most of the beats are produced by Carlos "6 July" Broady, with tracks by DJ Premier, Asar, Ty Fyffe, and Bob "Tewlow" Reef. They set the right mood...dark and brooding most of the time, more reflective or energetic other times. It's mostly piano, guitar, or violin loops. While they have a nice tone, they don't feel very polished much of the time. Sometimes they sound too animated. Also, some of the hooks are just lame. Royce bites lyrics. He takes lines from Tupac, Eminem, and others. The very first words on the album are straight from Eminem's "Lose Yourself."
This disc has a couple of things that could have been done better, but Royce had refreshingly honest lyrics and a nice flow that mixed well with the beats. This is a very solid release."