The Revival

iTunes Review

Hailing from Detroit, perpetually underground rapper Royce da 5'9" has been putting in work since the ‘90s, coming this close to blowing up but always staying just below the mainstream radar. After severing ties with childhood homie Eminem, he's stayed grinding independently, recording for a gang of indie of labels and building a devoted fanbase. After releasing marginally successful albums but finding more love on messageboards than on the radio, he landed in jail in 2007 for his second-offense DUI. Post-prison he's stayed busy in the studio, working with longtime ally DJ Premier, ghostwriting for Diddy, and dropping mixtapes with Green Lantern and Statik Selektah. The Revival is a 4-song EP whetting appetites for the long-awaited Street Hop album, and plays like the triumphant battle call of a man on a mission. More focused than ever, he unleashes a torrent of highly quotable verses primarily big-upping himself and his Slaughterhouse crew, (Crooked I, Joe Budden, Joel Ortiz), who are featured on the aptly titled track "Warriors." Also check for the baroque-meets-gangsta "Gun Harmonizing" and jaw-dropping wordplay of "Street Hop 2010."