Customer Reviews

Death Is Certain

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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."

I love this album, i lesten to it all the time. Royce is a talented rapper and it's a shame he fell out with Em and Dre 'cuz with them he would've been one of the best now. But he still manages on his own and he come trough some hard times tryin to make it big, so he deserves some credit. He gets five stars from me.
my fav. tracks:

1 regardless (bit short but good)
2 throw back (I like his flow)
4 i promise (my Fav, good lyrics)
7 hip hop (great beat)
10 i & me (my second Fav. great beat and great lyrics)
15 something's wrong with him (originlly Nas tune but he does a great job here)

Peace

OUTLAW

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.

Royce da 5'9" for a while was known for riding on the coattails of the man who supposedly discovered him, Eminem. For a while, Eminem was the better rapper, but in recent years, Royce has snatched the crown away and is never going to give it back. Don't be tricked, Royce has always been nasty on the mic, and not afraid to call out local rappers for being fake (D12 and Eminem). His herculean underground debut, the double LP Build and Destroy is literally 1/2 diss tracks including the famous Malcom X. Many of these dynamite tracks resurfaced on Rock City. For many hip-hop heads, this is merely an introduction to the true King of Detroit. Death Is Certain is essentially his coup d'etat. The beats are rugged, charged, and perfectly suit Royce's in your face style of rapping. DJ Premier and Royce get back together on "Hip-Hop", whose beat is often heard on MTV shows like Cribs because it is nasty, and Royce does not dissapoint. "Hip-Hop" is without a doubt the stand-out track, but the other 12 songs (2 skits) are strong material. He does Notorious B.I.G. justice on the remake of "Beef" and shows a lot of pathos on "T.O.D.A.Y.". He is unafraid to wear his heart on his sleeve and show the firey emotion that burns inside of him. While Eminem is dropping weird experimental albums, and making 20 songs about his daughter, Royce is showing that he still is as hungry as ever, though he has been reigning supreme for quite some time.

one a tha best cds i listened to in a while royce spits like no otha an lets his true personality come out

Sorry eyepath i almost disagree, with everything you said about this album. I only agree with you with the way royce views joe buddens music. Buddens isnt all about party tracks, like youn said, he talks about his depression and drug problems. Royce best tracks on this album are "T.O.D.A.Y." I and Me" 'Everybody Goes' 'Throwback' and the dj premier cut"hip hop, any royce fan this is his best album yet, and hopefully independents day on june 28th wont disappoint.

I heard about Royce from one of my friends so I decided to cop his album. I don't feel that it is a GREAT album because it didn't grab my attention after the first time listening to it. I think any classic (such as Illmatic) should grab my attention the first run through but this one did not. However, Royce does bring on some hot ass tracks. "Hip Hop", "I Promise", "TODAY" are some of my favorites. The album's production is so-so. I was hoping for more Primo produced tracks but I only got one. I think Royce's production could be a bit better because some of the beats just sound too simple; not enough flavor. Lyrically, he's good but does not appear to be mature yet. You can definitely tell that Eminem bit Royce's style and delivery. If I had a chance to go buy the CD all over again, I probably would.

Needless to say, seeing as I'm from Detroit, I've been following Royce's career for a while, and I have to say, it's great that such a talented mc is repping for my hometown.

On this CD, Royce really steps his game up. His wordplay is twice what it used to be and his lyrics are much more self-aware. Much more powerful. Many people I've talked to who have heard this album say it's too dark. I disagree completely. I think that Royce has really got some things to say, and he does just that.

It seems that he's grown and moved on from his fight with Shady, and his lyricism shows it. Though he throws in a few mentions of his turmoil with Em, they're not as volatile on this album, and by no means do they dominate his lyrics. It seems that he reflects back on it in a more sombre way, like a learning experience. On "I & Me", he raps "How can I go from rockin' with Dre to fallin' out with Shady?" He then goes onto to say over a melancholy background and beat "I've done learned more from my mistakes than I done learned from any grade in my school." The chorus is great also. "I do this music for me, I take time and put pride in it, this music is me, there's no ruinin' me, I'm the truest mc, as hot as you need me to be, as cool as can be, if you as true as me than this is for you, but I do it for me." That has to be one of the best tracks on the CD.

Royce, however, isn't to be underestimated, and coming from the hard streets of Detroit, he lets you know with the classic thug anthems, the most notable being "Regardless", "Throw Back," and a remake of "Beef" (the classic Biggie joint). Normally, I'm not a fan of very violent rap, but Royce does it with a sort of dogged, tired truth about it. He doesn't try and glamorize the violence too often and does a good job on songs like "I Promise" of describing the hard reality of living a life of crime.

Ultimately, however, this CD seems to me like it's a CD of self-exploration, which is what makes it so great. On "Regardless", Royce spits over a very addictive beat "Rappers can't push me as high as I can push myself, you're not inspiring." On "I Promise", Royce shares a touching and powerful promise with himself and God. He lets everyone out there know exactly what's going on inside him, and promises that he'll do everything he can to put an end to his troubled past and move on to focus on his career.

Every single track on this CD is well produced, well written, and addictive. I can't think of a single song on this CD that I don't like, which is what makes it hard to choose the best tracks on the album. I'll try though. First off, Royce's single "Hip Hop" is genius. It wasn't the most succesful singleout there, but after hearing it only one time I rushed to the store to buy this CD. I love it. His wordplay and lyrics are out of this world, honestly, and the beat jumps straight from your speakers and into your head. You can't stop thinking about it. "I & Me" and "I Promise" are truly outstanding tracks also. His music really reflects how much work he's put into it.
The best song on the CD, however, in my opinion, would have to be "Death is Certain Pt. 2 (It Hurts)". I've been immersed in the hip hop underground scene for years because it just doesn's seem like you can find the same meaning in mainstream rap. This song is one of the most thoughtful rap pieces ever recorded.

As far as I'm concerned, it's a pure classic. This song tells the story of a friend of his who's been shot and hospitalized, fighting for his life. Royce, reflecting on this, raps "And I can't kill nobody to get you back, n***a that's something that time can't heal, while I'm saying my grace, I'll be looking up at the sky and telling God that he's making a mistake, you can't take away one brother and leave the rest of the clique, Lord please, double check your list, and if you get to his name and there's a check beside it, death comes in threes, take me next." Every single line of this song is moving and honestly, beautiful.

It shows the harshness of life and the pain of death with no curbs. I can't write out the whole song for you to read, you'll just have to listen to the album. Honestly, this is a CD that you will not regret buying. A lot of people say that it's difficult to find a hip hop CD with both strong messages and outstanding lyrics. Well, here it is.

I just hope Royce doesn't stop repping for Detroit, he's one of the shining stars from the "D". On "I & Me", he says "Don't call me Royce no more, it's Ryan, I've just thrown Detroit's crown away." NO! Don't do that!

Royce 5'9" is the epitome of industry whipping boy, who's gone from "rockin' wit Dre, to fallin' out with Shady, and poppin' my glock on the block to droppin' on Koch" ("I & Me"). Not to be defeated, Royce drops an impressive album in "Death is Certain".

Royce's sophomore album definitely has a darker feel than Rock City 2.0. He is obviously both angry and regretful at his past treatment and decisions, as he explains on "Regardless":

"It's hard to believe, that Columbia couldn't market me
To do numbers like D-12 at least!
I played myself, for radio play
I never dance, but the skill itself, is a second chance"

He also touches several times on his relationship with Eminem, not with threats or dissing, but more of a "I can do this without you" vibe. Royce is definitely one of the more slept-on emcees in the game today, and he shows it with an incredible lyrical performance.

The production has both its high and low points. DJ Premier("Hip Hop") and Ty Fyffe("Throwback") drop in to give Royce a pair of incredible beats. Other than the above mentioned tracks and a decent beat from previous Royce collaborator Reef("What I Know"), the majority of the production is handled by Carlos "Six July" Broady. Six July's production is hit or miss. On the upside, the album's opener, "Regardless", is absolutely flawless with its guitar licks and pianos. "Everybody Goes" is also well done, very minimalistic beat with extremely well-placed vocal samples. Six July also tries experimenting with live instrumentation successfully in "Something's Wrong With Him". However, Six July throws up his share of duds production-wise("Gangsta", "Bomb 1st", "I & Me", "I Promise"), which unfortunately draws away from Royce's lyrics.

Overall, this is a solid sophomore effort from Royce. He kills it from beginning to end lyrically, but a few mishaps production-wise knock my rating down a star.

IT'S JUST A CLASSIC. BEST TRACKS INCLUDE HIP-HOP, THROWBACK, T.O.D.A.Y & BEEF.

ROYCE HASN'T BEEN GETTING AIRPLAY AT ALL & WE NEED 2 CHANGE THAT CUZ THIS IS THE HOTTEST HIP-HOP ALBUM OF '03

FORGET KANYE, FORGET TWISTA, FORGET YOUNG GUNZ, FORGET JAY-Z....NONE OF THEM MATCH UP TO ROYCE'S LYRICAL SKILLS

IF YOU WERE A FAN OF ROCK CITY.....DEATH IS CERTAIN-LY A GREAT CD SO GET IT NOW!