Q&A With Royce Da 5'9: Talks Comeback, Having No Regrets & Getting Fans Drunk

This past year has been quite the ride for Royce Da 5'9. His name is one everyone's familiar with, but perhaps more so because of his well-publicized fall out with Eminem  years ago, rather than for his solo career. That's all changed though. Having linked with Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz and Crooked I for the buzzing supergroup SlaughterHouse, and reunited with Slim Shady for Bad Meets Evil, Royce is back in the spotlight for all the right reasons.

Once touted as Detroit's next big thing, Royce has seen a career full of ups and downs -- the aforementioned feud with Em and D12, and his prison stint for a DUI, to name a few -- but he's already shown he's got the talent (Dr. Dre doesn't just work with anybody), and his collaborative EP with Em, titled Hell: The Sequel, proved he can stand his own beside the lyrical force of Marshall Mathers.

Now Royce is determined to prove why Success Is Certain with his fifth solo disc, which recently hit stores.

BallerStatus.com caught up with the rapper after his album release party at New York's famous S.O.B.'s to discuss everything from competing with Eminem, always waiting on DJ Premier, fracturing his arm wrestling in Norway, and the mystery surrounding Dre's highly-anticipated Detox...

BallerStatus.com: This past year's been great for you. With the success of Bad Meets Evil and now your solo album, what's been the highlight of your year so far?

Royce: The highlight is probably having the #1 album in the country; having the #1 song. Those are two milestones for me -- something that I thought I was capable maybe of achieving, but I was never quite sure if I was able to ever gonna achieve it. that's a good milestone; a highlight.

BallerStatus.com: You've gained a new audience from the commercial success of Hell: The Sequel and particularly [the single] "Lighters." How has it been performing at festivals like Lollapalooza? Have you noticed any changes in the audience at your live shows?

Royce: When I do the big festivals with Em, it's just his set then I come out and do maybe two songs off the EP, so whenever I'm doing just solo stuff, it's much smaller. The crowd is a little bit bigger than it was, but I pretty much do my set pretty much the same. It's just the same thing, just in front of a bigger crowd. But as far as like the festival, I haven't had the opportunity to get up there solo and do 90,000 people.

BallerStatus.com: You should get on the bill for Coachella or Bonnaroo next year...

Royce: I'mma try to see what I can do, but I'm happy going out there with Em, that's fun for me too. I like being up there with him and just feeling the energy, feeding off him.

BallerStatus.com: First you had Death is Certain, and now Success is Certain. What would you say was the key turning point over the years for you to now come out with this new positive attitude?

Royce: It's just a maturing thing, it's just a natural process that I think not just myself, but everybody goes through. The people who are the same as when they were like 10 years ago -- like if you went 10 years without growing or maturing and you the same person, you're probably unsuccessful, and you probably don't have many friends. So, I just really try to grow and limit the mistakes and I'm not so sure when the exact turning point was, it's just a natural growth thing. I'm still making mistakes, I'm just trying to keep them to a minimum and not make the same ones multiple times.

BallerStatus.com: Do you have any regrets about the way you've handled things in the past?

Royce: I don't deal too much with regrets. There was a point in my life where I regretted a lot of things because I didn't know where my life was going. Then, when things kind of started to turn around a little bit, it started to feel like, "OK, these good things wouldn't be happening if the bad stuff didn't happen." I'm at a point where I wouldn't wanna go back and change anything, because it's kinda like, it's working out better for me than that happened back then, so I try not to even regret a lot of my mistakes. Everybody makes 'em, you know what I'm saying? No need to regret something when you gon' make more anyway.

BallerStatus.com: A lot of people are calling this year your comeback, what do you have to say to that?

Royce: I guess I can agree that it's kinda like a comeback. I mean, there must have been a point in my career where apparently I was invisible and didn't know it! So I guess this is kinda like my comeback. I guess I did go a long period of time without putting out material to the masses and this is my first time being back on the big stage and my first time being back on a major. I guess you can look at that as a comeback, so I guess I can agree.

BallerStatus.com: You've said Success is Certain will be your last as an independent artist. Are you looking to join Slaughterhouse at Shady Records?

Royce: I'm looking to get on a major. I think I learned everything that I can learn putting out independent albums. I've done that for so many years and I think I've gotten the most out of it that I can get. I feel like from now on in, my group is on a major and I'm tied into a major label circuit again, so I feel like it's kinda like striking while the iron is hot. This is the opportunity for me to be able to put out music as a solo artist to a bigger crowd, and I just plan to take advantage of that opportunity.

BallerStatus.com: Working so closely with people like Eminem, Joe Budden and Joell Ortiz, is there a friendly rivalry when you're in the studio together, always trying to go that little bit further to land the better verse?

Royce: Everybody's competitive. I don't know if I'd call it a rivalry, but everybody's definitely competitive, definitely competitive. As emcees, you don't wanna have the worst verse on the song. You don't wanna be on a song where there is a worst verse! You want people to say everybody killed it and that's kinda like what we all strive for, every time, and that's usually what it normally is, it'd be pretty even. One person might say, "Royce had the best verse", and somebody else would say, "Nah, Joe had the best verse." It's just fun to watch people when they leave comments online, it's just fun to watch them debate with one another. I think as long as you have it to where you got people debating on who got the best verse, I think it's a win-win. When you got everybody unequivocally agreeing, "His verse is the worst verse," that's bad! As an emcee, you don't want that, so we just try to stay out of that realm.

BallerStatus.com: How often do you check on the comments people have left online?

Royce: Everyday, all day. And Twitter too. I like to be involved, I like to be accessible to the people. I don't want people holding me up on a pedestal, treating me like I'm a science project because I watched Em go through that and it's not really fun. I try and stay as accessible as possible. I think Twitter is a good vehicle to facilitate that, like for them to feel like they can talk to me whenever. I obviously can't talk to or answer everybody, but at least I'm on there and I look like a person. I'm not just on there talking to celebrities all day. I'm not just promoting something every time they see me online; they see me on there just being regular.

BallerStatus.com: Yeah, you were giving your Twitter fans shout outs at S.O.B.'s...

Royce: It's an intimate crowd. S.O.B.'s is historic for being an intimate environment and they're right there, you can touch them. They're standing right there, in arms' length, so I just want people to come and have a good time. I don't want them to be walking out there tired and all sweaty...

BallerStatus.com: There was a bit of a wait...

Royce: Yeah, but that wasn't my fault. That was DJ Premier. Mr. Late himself. It's always worth the wait when he finally does something, but everything I've ever done with Preem has involved some type of a wait that was worth the wait.

BallerStatus.com: How long did he make you wait for the track, "Second Place," for this album?

Royce: He didn't make me wait that long. He was actually thorough with this album, but you know what? I tricked him. I reached out to him at the very, very end -- the deadline -- "Yo man, I got this deadline!" So he went and made something kinda fast. I was actually kinda surprised, so I figured out how to get a beat from Preem in a timely fashion. You have to wait until you're almost finished and then he's the last song you need to close up the album, or you gon' miss the release date. That's a tip for all you rappers.

BallerStatus.com: You can only use that so many times, he'll catch on...

Royce: I'm gonna use it till it runs out. Next album I'mma do the same thing.

BallerStatus.com: You put on a really energetic show -- one of the openers at S.O.B.'s, CMR, he was actually out of breath after just a couple of songs. How do you keep in shape? Do you have any diet restrictions or anything like that?

Royce: No, I used to be in real good shape, but I had an arm injury, so I can't go in the gym and do what I used to do. It's kinda frustrating, so I've kinda been staying away from the gym, which I need to get back in there. I don't do anything. I think after you've been doing it for a certain amount of time -- CMR is probably gonna learn this too the more that he performs -- it's just learning where to take your breath at when you rhyming and then like, if there's a spot where you know you always run out of breath, you can just not say the word and let your hype man say it. It's just little tricks that you learn through trial and error that he's probably gonna catch onto, because we all run out of breath. You can run six miles everyday, you still gon' run outta breath on stage; it's your lungs. You know what I'm saying? There's only so much that you gon' be able to get out before you have to take a breath, no matter what your condition is, so I think it just comes with experience, learning where to take breaths at.

BallerStatus.com: Tell me more about this arm injury. I see the scar...

Royce: It was a spiral fracture; I broke my arm. This was... a couple years ago. I was arm wrestling somebody, in Norway. Yep, sounds crazy right? I was wrestling somebody in Norway and he challenged me, I don't know why people do that, (but) he challenged me to arm wrestle. I said OK, we was in front of some girls. First we went with the right arm. Now this dude was bigger than me, he was visibly on steroids. I said "one, two, three go" -- I beat him like that. So he said, "You know what?" Something about his right hand, he wanted to go with the left arm. Now I've never wrestled with my left arm, ever. He kept asking, the girls were sitting right there, I said OK. You're asking me in front of girls! So we went with the left and I don't know, I ended up in some weird angle. I wanted to beat him in the same fashion that I beat him with the right. So we said go. I got him down. I'm on one knee, and somehow, he got in this (other) position to where his arm is (twisted out) and he's pulling up... as I'm trying to snap him down. And it just popped. The scar is from surgery. They had to go in and put a plate and pins.

BallerStatus.com: Does it give you any trouble going through the metal detectors at the airport?

Royce: Nah, it's titanium, it doesn't go off. But I do have problems just with my arms. Like, (my) elbow is always hurting... I gotta go back to physical therapy.

BallerStatus.com: What about your performances? Are they affected?

Royce: Not really, it used to, it used to. I've kind of got used to it. I was performing with a cast on for a while and that's pretty much it, so this arm is my weak arm. If a lot of people knew how weak this arm was, they probably would try me a lot more!

BallerStatus.com: So you probably shouldn't be telling this story too much!

Royce: Nah, I've still got this (right) arm, it's cool. This is the one hitter quitter right here. This one hasn't let me down yet.

BallerStatus.com: You were really generous with the Patron at the album release show. Is that something you like to do at all your gigs?

Royce: That was actually my first time trying to get the crowd drunk. It just popped into my head, 'cause it started with me on Twitter just saying it was gonna be a drunk affair, letting everyone know how fun it was gonna be. I said, "Hey, you know what? I think I'll just buy five bottles and we'll just all get drunk." So I just got them drunk, I didn't even get that drunk, I just gave it all to them. It was fun! (Manager) Kino was like, "Yo, make sure whoever you give drinks who got a wristband!" I ain't checking no wristbands! That ain't my job!

BallerStatus.com: You worked with Dr Dre in the past. Have you heard anything new about Detox that you can share with us?

Royce: I did a little bit of work on Detox. I don't know what Dre is using, that's the only thing. I heard a lot of good music... Only he knows what he wants to hear and what he's comfortable putting out, but I wrote a couple records. I don't know what he's doing with them.

BallerStatus.com: What's the process like when you're in the studio with Dre?

Royce: He'll pull a beat up and there might be a hook on it or something, or it might be a version of the song where somebody else might have took a stab at it. He might just be like, "Here, take a stab at it." We'll mute the verses, then I'll go in there and I'll write it and lay it down in the booth just like it's my song. And then he'll take it and learn it and go in and record it whenever he feels like it.

BallerStatus.com: Any word on its release?

Royce: I don't know, I don't know. Detox is a very mysterious project, very mysterious. I don't know, I really don't. I just hope it comes out. I'm not really worried if it's gonna sound good or not, I'm positive it's gonna be great, but I just hope it comes out.

BallerStatus.com: You're 34 now. Do you ever see yourself hanging up the mic a few years down the line or do you plan to keep going as long as you can?

Royce: I'll do it until I feel like I can't do it good anymore. Guys like Jay-Z give me a lot of hope 'cause he still can rhyme and he's in his 40s, so... I always thought I wouldn't wanna be 40 and rapping, but I can't really stay out of the studio. Like, I can't. If I retire, what am I gonna do? I'm not gon' sit around the house; I'm gonna end up back in the studio recording and I'm probably gonna do enough stuff that I feel is good that I'll probably wanna put it out. I'll probably retire when I just lose the desire to do it, and I don't see that happening anytime soon.

BallerStatus.com: Finally, when future rap generations look back on your career, what do you want your legacy to be?

Royce: I wanna be known as a lyricist first of all. That's first and foremost. I don't wanna be known as a rapper; I don't wanna be known for a song, like, "Oh, that's the guy that had that one hit." I wanna be known as a guy that had a long career and is a lyricist. You know, it's kinda like legendary status, like basketball players play basketball, football players play football, they wanna make it to the Hall of Fame. I just want people to look at me like a hip hop Hall of Famer who contributed a lot of great things to the art.