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Finally,
Royce 5’9 has a label he can call home. Recently the Detroit MC
inked a deal with One Records for the release of his forthcoming album,
Street Hop. The album, which
is set to be executive produced by DJ Premier, has been long overdue.
It was previously delayed due to Royce’s arrest in 2006.
An
Eminem collaborator whose has penned verse for Diddy and Dr. Dre, Royce
has had his fair share of industry ups and downs. In 1998, Tommy Boy
Records was set to drop his much-anticipated debut, Rock City, only to see Royce and the label part due to creative differences. After leaving Tommy Boy, Royce landed at Columbia where Rock City continued to sit on the shelves.
Now,
after a brief stint at Koch Records, Royce has a label he can finally
stick with and an album that looks to be devoid of industry politics.
The project will also reunite Royce with Premier, who was set to fully
collaborate with the artist until his arrest in 2006. After having
released several mixtapes including the most recent, Bar Exam, Royce is set to hit the masses with an album and label who respect his musicianship.
One Records owner Hanley Halem is excited about the label’s partnership with Royce.
“One
Records is proud to be in business with Royce,” Halem said.
“He is an amazing talent and we feel that he has yet to reach his
peak as an artist. Street Hop is a breath of fresh air, at a time
when the industry really needs it and we are anxiously looking forward
to releasing it.”
Street Hop is set to be released in the first quarter of 2009 and will feature collabs with Bun B, Joe Budden and Green Lantern. —gavin philip godfrey
