Royce da 5'9"

Ryan Daniel Montgomery (born July 5, 1977), professionally known as Royce da 5'9", is an American rapper. He is part of the hip hop duos Bad Meets Evil and PRhyme with fellow Detroit rapper Eminem and New York-based record producer DJ Premier, respectively, and formerly a member of the supergroup Slaughterhouse. From 2020-2021, he and American rapper Lupe Fiasco co-hosted the podcast, The Lupe and Royce Show. Following the exchange of diss records in July 2021, the two have remained at odds since.
== Background ==
On June 25, 2021, the two discussed over an Instagram livestream criteria for "best rapper," with Fiasco responding whoever won the End of the Weak (EODUB) MC Challenge. He believed Osyris Antham to currently be the best rapper alive, who won the last EODUB competition. Royce disagreed and told Fiasco to "hop his highly intelligent ass on the URL stage" to battle him because he was "talkin' too spicy." This was brought up again during a livestream with Young Guru, Mickey Factz, Loaded Lux, and Murda Mook. They talked about appearing on the Ultimate Rap League platform, with Murda Mook and Loaded Lux arguing who would win between Royce and Fiasco. Fiasco questioned why people kept bringing that up, and said, "I'm not really interested in battling Royce but don't get it fucked up. That don't mean I won't cook n*ggas if n*ggas keep pushing buttons. I don't wanna do that shit personally but if you wanna make a professional fool of your motherfucking self running up against a demon, go 'head." After a heated exchange, it ended with Royce stating, "Get in the motherfucking ring then, bitch, if you got a motherfucking problem. Who you think you fucking talking to, n*gga? You playing too much. Take some of that bass out your voice." This led to Fiasco doing a 15-minute freestyle over his own IG live, taking subtle shots at Royce.Brown, Preezy (July 22, 2021). "Lupe Fiasco and Royce 5'9" Trade Diss Tracks in Lyrical Battle". Vibe.Watson, Elijah (July 2021). "Lupe Fiasco and Royce Da 5'9" Begin "Feud" with Lengthy Diss Tracks". Okayplayer.
On July 22, 2021, Royce posted the song "Silence of the Lambda" in response to Fiasco's IG freestyle. Only a few hours later, Fiasco posted his record "Steve Jobs: SLR 3 1/2," using the same beat as Royce.
After their diss tracks, Royce took to Twitter: "I won't attack Lu personally. I'm a real one with control of my emotions though desperate times call for desperate measures.. You gotta talk reckless when you know you can't check all them boxes Tried to tell him, I'm different."Singh, Ashish (July 22, 2021). "Beef Alert: Why Did Royce Da 5'9" and Lupe Fiasco Diss Each Other? Fans Hope It Stays Friendly". MEAWW. Over an Instagram livestream the same day, Royce said that Lupe "can get everything he's lookin' for if he wasn't so angry" and added, "I can't write no whole record disparaging Lupe, I don't have those kind of feelings for him in my heart. […] A lot of people sayin' it's healthy competition, but is it healthy for him?"Gee, Andre (July 29, 2021). "What's Really Going on Between Lupe Fiasco and Royce Da 5'9"?". Complex.
The following day on July 23rd, Fiasco announced that their podcast, The Lupe and Royce Show, was over due to it "becom[ing] an untenable situation." He elaborated, "It's not something that my heart was 100 percent in the podcast, and I think we just reached the state now where it's an untenable relationship, so I appreciate the last episode went up today. I think sometimes it's good to just go out on top. It's not something that's done out of ill will. This is something that's kind of been building for a little bit. And again, my heart wasn't 100 percent in the podcast with Royce, without Royce, by myself on my own."Moore, Evan (July 26, 2021). "After Highly Publicized Diss Records, Lupe Fiasco and Royce Da 5'9" Joint Podcast Ends". Chicago Sun-Times.
On July 28th, Fiasco declared during an Instagram livestream that he and Royce were no longer friends. He believed that there were lines crossed in Royce's diss, particularly for threat of violence (Fiasco also mentioned Jonylah Watkins, a baby who was fatally shot in Chicago from gun violence). Royce lamented the same day, "I love to rap, but I don't love drama" and that there could've been a "right way" where "there wouldn't have been no feelings if everybody would've been intentional with making sure that we're clear on how everybody feel."
On August 9, 2022, Royce told The Breakfast Club:
Building a relationship with him was kind of like a case study, man. The challenge to me is building a relationship with somebody, coexisting with somebody, who you know you might have conflicting ideologies with. It's somebody who you may not necessarily have a relationship with if it weren't for the music space. I'm intrigued by that, 'cause I think he's such an incredible lyricist and I think he's so different from me.
But I think that through music we can find the neutral things that we agree on, and we can also learn to agree to disagree on the things we don't agree on, without having to try to change how each other feels. And to me, that's the ultimate way of building solidarity.
Regarding calling Lupe a "bitch," he replied:
Do I regret it? I don't know if 'regret' is the right word, but I'm not happy about saying that, 'cause I don't think he's a bitch. I don't think we should speak to each other that way, but I do understand why I said it, 'cause it was just a reaction.
It was a point that I got pushed to, and I feel like I gave a lot of warning points. I gave a lot of lead into it, and that's me knowing myself. If it gets to a point where I start getting upset, I'ma just react and then I'ma go outside of my body. I'ma vibrate lower, I'ma start doing shit that's not really reflective of the way I wanna evolve.
I don't feel good about it. I think I would regret it if he had apologized, then I definitely would apologize, and then it would go down as a regret. But as of right now, like the way that everything got kinda summed up, it is what it is, but I don't feel good about it.Walker, Joe (August 10, 2022). "Royce da 5'9" Admits He 'Doesn't Feel Good' About Calling Lupe Fiasco a 'Bitch'". HipHopDX.
For his feature on KXNG Crooked's "Never the Same," Royce 5'9" fired, 'I'm not here to bury the hatch, it's just I don't care to relax / I don't think that Lupe's who I should spit my disparity at / I don't think Mickey Factz is who I should give a charity match.'Bustard, Andy (November 16, 2023). "Royce da 5'9" Takes Aim at Lupe Fiasco on New Song with KXNG Crooked". HipHopDX.
== References ==
Category:People
Category:Producers
Category:Rappers
Category:Songwriters