These days, it’s hard to find a rapper that encompasses every quality that makes superstars like Jay-Z and Eminem who they are. Some guys are marketable based on their image, but lack the skills necessary to escalate themselves to these Olympic heights. Others have skills, but lack street credibility, while others still can murder opponents in battle, but don’t have the “polish” that’s exciting to MTV and Wal-Mart executives. And then there’s a whole shitload of untalented people that just got lucky.

Royce may have had the chance to be the next big thing, entering the game as Eminem’s counterpart on a pre-D12 Slim Shady LP. Royce quickly landed a deal with Tommy Boy, however the label couldn’t figure out how to market the artist, eventually landing him at Columbia. When his debut single, “Rock City”, failed to blow up, Columbia began to think twice about their acquisition, until he eventually was released from the label, with completed album in tow. Jon Shecter’s Game Recordings helped get him debut a proper release via Koch, but by that time, a falling out with Shady/Aftermath occurred, sending Royce from being “bout-to-blow” to blackballed. After the dust had settled, one might think Royce would have faded into obscurity, but this led to his most honest and introspective LP, Death Is Certain.

In retrospect the short rise and fall of Royce Da 5’9 may have been the best thing to happen to his career. While he did have some moments where he “played (himself) for radio play” (his words, not ours), since the early days of his career, he always maintained that raw element. Songs like “Boom” and his seminal Bar Exam mixtape series proved that he was talented enough to trade mics with Eminem. He knew this, which is why he never quit. The sense of entitlement he may have once had was gone, the hunger was back, and it shined through in every verse. This lead to an official endorsement by DJ Premier, who would continue to produce tracks for all of Royce’s projects, not to mention courting from Nas and P. Diddy.

All of this leads up to Street Hop, Royce’s long-awaited fourth solo LP, which is almost treated as a rebirth of sorts. Royce has paid enough dues in this game, has exercised his demons and finally figured out exactly the kind of music that he wants to make. Not to say that he didn’t exude greatness on his previous albums – even his worst LP has fleeting moments of brilliance – but Street Hop is by far his most focused album yet.

The album opens with “Gun Harmonizing”, an Emile produced banger, which finds Royce humorously crafting a hook made up of phonetic gun claps, letting the animal out of the cage the minute the verses start. He continues this trend of simply tearing raw beats to shreds on both “Count For Nothing” and “Soldier”, but really unleashes the fury when amongst his peers. On “Dinner Time”, you can feel the friendly competition between Royce and Busta, while the Mr. Porter assisted “Mine In Thiz” finds him effortlessly getting illy over the beat. There should be no question about Royce’s ability to rock a mic after hearing these and several other tracks on the album.

While a purveyor of backpack beats, Royce treads the line by employing some more “commercially viable” tracks, however he pulls it off. On “Far Away”, he clowns around with the idea of an autotuned hook, which despite his dismissal of it in the first verse, actually works tremendously. On “New Money”, we find Royce channeling Roc-A-Fella circa 2004, via Streetrunner’s Just Blazesque track and a well timed Beastie Boy sample. It’s a different sound than the rugged boom bap style found on other places on Street Hop, but he spits fire just the same.

Thankfully, he doesn’t pigeonhole himself as a “battle rapper” by simply arranging a series of substance-lacking freestyle tracks the whole album (however as proved on The Bar Exam, that formula works just fine for him). “Shake This” might not resonate on the first listen, but is by far one of the best Royce songs ever written. Here, DJ Premier flips a cinematic David Axelrod sample as Royce fluidly describes three pinnacle moments in his life, as the pain of his words mesh perfectly with the track. Later, on the two part “On The Run” and “Murder”, he further demonstrates his knack for visual storytelling in a tale most likely loosely inspired by his arrest. Finally, longtime collaborator (and severely underrated producer) Carlos “Six July” Broady lends the beat to “Part Of Me”, a grim urban legend with a surprise ending.

Street Hop is a less introspective album than Death Is Certain, less commercially pandering than Rock City, and less thugged-out than Independence Day, but is perhaps Royce’s most focused and well put together release to date. All of the beefs, hardships, and legal trouble that he has endured throughout his career have reinvigorated him as an artist, as pain makes for great art. With rumors that Royce has signed with Shady Records for his fifth LP, a fitting reward for his years of hard work may finally be in sight. – DJ Pizzo