Chalk this up as my vote for one of the hottest indy 12″ singles of the year. It’s usually assumed that when a dope emcee comes out and blows up, the labels do everything in their power to snatch up their lesser-talented homies, which usually end up bad albums, and sometimes even bring the artists themselves to their downfall. Not the case with Royce Da 5-9, who got his big break on the Slim Shady LP on “Bad Meets Evil”. Like with his last 12″, the Alchemist produced banger, “I’m The King”, Royce continues to show and prove with his second single.

“Boom”, produced by DJ Premier, packs a repetitive, but beautiful loop, while Royce just tests his battle rhyming skill. The second verse is where he really let’s loose, saying, “Rappers think Detroit niggas ain’t as down as them / Or think since I’m down with Slim that I sound like him / Quick to judge me and tell me my hook my sell / Or say faggot shit to me like I look like L”. The entire verse is pretty much all fire. B-side’s “Soldier’s Story”, produced by Reef, has kind of an old west feel to it, while Royce’s takes the direction of a street soldier, but the “run for it” bit during the hook seems a little overdone after Juvenile used the idea – still fresh tho – and the A-side is my shit.