Somewhere in Detroit during the mid nineties, Eminem began receiving attention for his skills behind the mic. One thing led to another and we were presented with his commercial debut, The Slim Shady LP. I've rambling about this story so many times that it disgusts me; I won't be going into any more detail. The point of interest came from "Bad Meets Evil", featuring the tag team of Em and his hometown friend Royce Da 5'9". A couple of years after meeting in 1997, the two had unmistakable chemistry, a trait they still share today. Their contribution on Em's debut wasn't a standout, but they chose to roll with the name anyways. Almost instantly, the duo pumped out two more tracks (one more solo song by Royce) on their debut Extended Play/Single. Fans were excited, but sales still wouldn't allow Ryan to quite his day job. I love half naked women as much as the next guy, but there's no way that album artwork helped sales. You can blame terrible marketing as another reason Royce has sold a total of forty-seven albums.
If you're researching Bad Meets Evil for your history project, note that this release officially contains nine tracks. The two collaborative efforts, "Scary Movies" and "Nuttin' To Do", and one solo effort from Royce, "I'm The King". All three were duplicated into a radio-friendly version, while the instrumentals were also thrown in there for shits and giggles. The whole point of this write-up is to give myself a break, so you must be high if you expect me to tackle the variations of each song. Instead, I won't waste your time with more things you don't care about.
Their recent EP from 2011 indicates otherwise, but this release marks the start of a bitter relationship between the two members of Bad Meets Evil. Even though Royce denies it, Marshall works with him until his debut, Rock City. He even tried to get him a job ghostwriting for Dr. Dre. Familiar with "The Watcher"? All Royce. His manager then made the cardinal sin of ghostwriting: boasting towards the media. Its quite tragic when you think about it. The mans entire career was almost ruins by the mistakes of some dumbass. The events were never really documented, but the two eventually had a falling out and Royce was never found in Eminem's group of super weed carriers, D-12. Hell, he was quicker to sign two guys that had been shot in the fucking head. (Obie and 50 Cent) An understandably angry Royce had several physical altercations with the Shady camp and even launched a few diss records. Its depressing to think about, but it seems all bitterness has been thrown aside today. Royce is now the face of Slaughterhouse, a group Marshall has quickly turned into the current day D-12.
1. Nuttin' To Do
If anyone's excited that Eminem dyed his hair blonde, I'm assuming you're a fan of the slim shady persona. If that's the case, you're going to love this song. After years of listening to false and generic shock value, its refreshing to see how crazy someone like Eminem can be when he's really spitting. I'm lost as to whether he purposely yells nowadays, but its odd hearing him to rhyme in a calmer manner. You'll be satisfied with his work, even if it does sound like he stole Cages rhyme scheme. As I previously stated, the chemistry here has always been mindblowing, but Royce seems to have stepped his game up to an even higher level. His verses are right on par with Marshall, if not better. Clearly dated and striped down, but enjoyable nonetheless.
2. Scary Movies
After hearing the beat on the last track, its downright shocking to hear something as cinematic as "Scary Movies". Royce starts things off, again showing that he can go toe-to-toe with any rapper in the game. His lyrics are dope as always, but the tone of his voice make him sound much more intimidating than he really should. I've gone through different phases of my life, all based on who had the better verse, but I've finally come to the conclusion that Em walks away on top. There's just something about these type of lyrics that appeal to me. If he does in fact use these type of bars on his upcoming album, I'll cry tears of happiness. Sure, he may be over forty years old, but I could honestly give less of a fuck. I've always loved how its played during the end credits of the parody film titled, conveniently enough, Scary Movie. This still gets my vote as the best Bad Meets Evil composition.
3. I'm The King
If you weren't already convinced, the group uses the final song as a Royce Da 5'9" solo cut to display his greatness on the mic. As far as I know, "I'm The King" is the first collaboration of Alchemist and Eminem. (Obviously he's not on the track, but you know what I mean) Either way, Royce makes quick work of the instrumental handed to him, completely massacring the damn thing. He says something about hating wack rappers as people, which always gets a good laugh out of me. As much as I would have liked Em to give a verse, it probably worked out for the better. The beat doesn't fit his style (weird, huh) and it was time for Ryan Montgomerny to shine. A good way to end whatever the fuck you would call this project.
Rating: No Rating
I wouldn't even classify this as an EP, so there's no way you should look at this as a cohessive project. That being said, every one of these tracks are fucking awesome and should immediately he heard by anyone claiming to be an Eminem fan. As an added bonus, you'll discover Royce Da 5'9", one of the most underrated rappers to ever touch a mic. It might sound blasphemous, but I would reccomend starting with this single for anyone trying to get into Eminems music. It perfectly displays everything great about him as an artist. Obviously they're going to sound a little dated, but that's a small price to pay when every track sounds incredible. If by some chance in heaven you find a physical copy of this, buy the living shit out if it and contact me immediately. It's not in print so you're most likely going to have to burn this one, but you must hear this. Its like the law or something.