There’s a part on Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly track “Wesley’s Theory” that finds Dr. Dre dolling out some valuable advice to the then-burgeoning MC.
“Yo, what’s up? It’s Dre/Remember the first time you came out to the house?” he says. “You said you wanted a spot like mine/But remember, anybody can get it/The hard part is keepin’ it, muthafucka.”
In a recent interview with HipHopDX, Royce Da 5’9 confirmed it’s the same advice Dre once gave him and Eminem. While kicking back at DX headquarters in Hollywood, the Slaughterhouse MC recalled what it was like recording at Dre’s studio during the Chronic 2001 era and getting a tour of Dre’s lavish home.
“The whole time, I just remember him going, ‘Now remember, money is easy to make, but it’s hard to keep. Let me show you this room … but don’t forget, money is easy to make but it’s hard to keep,'” Royce said. “Then we was sitting down … and Em is like finally comfortable.”
He went on to explain Em went to put his feet up on a table and quickly took them off, realizing Dre could’ve considered it rude. Mid-conversation, Dre told him, “By the way, it’s OK. You can put your feet on my table.”
The 2001 album — which arrived in 1999 — served as the follow-up to Dre’s 1992 debut The Chronic. He would meet Eminem five years later and ultimately recruit him for the project.
Dre’s sophomore effort also boasted features from Snoop Dogg, the late Nate Dogg, Xzibit, Kokane and Devin The Dude, among others. It debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with roughly 516,000 copies sold in its first week.
Elsewhere in the interview, Royce talks about his new album The Allegory and more.
Watch the clip above.
Kendrick Lamar is wack, tho.
He didn’t used to be though. Kendrick WAS great. Then he went all sellout mode, made his voice all high pitched for every song, and made trash with migos n future. Kendrick and TDE in general has become a huge disappointment to the underground hiphop fans. TDE once felt like the new Death Row Records, but today, it’s clearly more like Young Money.
Fxck “underground hip hop fans”. Grow up.
Lol, i don’t like radio rap. Is there a problem with that? Mainstream hiphop for the most part is complete trash. Underground is mainly where the emcees are.
Royce been wayyyyy under the ground haha nobody but you old ass niggas listen to him.
I don’t like Royce myself. He’s boring to me. But I also don’t care for when good rappers go mainstream. Happens to all of them. Eminem, Jayz, 50 cent, dmx, ect… All made amazing music, but all went radio too.
“you don’t like Migos, Drake, and Future? You don’t like pop music?! Grow up!”.
They got $40 dollar Kendrick Lamar T-Shirts on the T.D.E website
Lol
good story, love hearing stories from those iconic recording sessions, however mundane. it’s history
Royce referenced this same story on a track from Death is Certain. “I respect Dre for teaching me money is easy to make but hard to keep”. I’m pretty the song was What I Know. Damn that was a good album
the song was t.o.d.a.y. still have that on my playlist to this day fuckin love that shit
Lmaoo ahhh more old heads I see haha when Royce can outsell future,rich,Migos etc… then let me know. This man been riding behind white Eminem for the last what 20 years! Lmaooo he gets NO PLAY anywhere
I love how dudes decide that once dudes get successful and evolve up out of the comfort zone the so-called “listener/fan” has placed them in, that this is their(the listener’s) chance to hate on them and their progress as an artist. Sorry, but it’s kinda hard to rhyme about Section 8, when you not living that no more. That don’t make them sellouts, you just don’t identify with what they are talking about anymore, and that is fine. But don’t front on another man’s success, that is weak.
Why did they not mention that Royce wrote for Dre in this interview?
Lmaoo y’all want to know something sad? Royce couldn’t/won’t/wouldn’t never outsell rich the kidd lmaooo all them “bars” and He can’t even pack a stadium like “mumble” rappers haha dudes washed
Now if you are intelligent and have more bars than nigs your washed smh mumble rappers go to excuse lol
Mumble rap or not, it’s selling. Royce been riding coattails his whole “career” and got ZERO hits. You old heads swear people want to listen to “bars” all day. Haha Royce and his “bars” ain’t getting no play. Did he sell more than rich the Kidd? My point exactly
Royce can’t even pack a stadium like future can homie lmaooo and future got ZERO bars haha. You old heads think people like him but in reality no one under 30 listens to him lmaooo now turn on your local radio and listen to them mumbles rappers
Here we have a PhD
Playa Hatin Dickhead
Haha old heads think we trying to listen to a man who can’t even get his own tour lmaoo ouch. Migos might let him on they tour or or hold on….maybe future, lil baby, da baby etc…lmaoo Royce washed and old
Quality over quantity / a long career over a flash in the pan. Get your head out of your bum, Royce is a mainstay in hip hop, meanwhile I have zero idea who you’re talking about.
Lmaooo bruh rich been at it for almost a decade, along with the Migos. Migos are on tour by themselves but who Royce tagging along with?! Exactly lmao talking about lasting in the game like it’s really that deep haha boy stop
rich the kid?
I don’t like the new one over that last one. This some good ass weed though
It’s funny how people make stupid fucking comments on here. Talking about mumble rap. Its corny as fuck and makes hip hop look bad. Royce has bars for days. Shout out for the good interview!
Lmaoo his bars have gotten him NOWHERE you old head. Y’all come on here crying about “omg where did all the real bars go” haha it’s 2020 old ass nigga, catch up
The only reason “underground hiphop” exists is because of the labels. The labels push the talent down and let the wackness rise to the top. Hiphop is so dumbed down now and no longer has a message except for in the underground. Face it, trap music and mumble rap made people rich but killed the true talent and the art.
Naw old ass nigga, people just don’t want to listen to that boring stuff no more. It’s 2020 old head, leave all that stiff music back in the 90s cuh
Him, you sound like a broken record. It’s 2020 lil pillhead, no one wants to hear another lackluster trap song with the same lyrics about pills and cars, hear the same recycled trap synths, or hear that ridiculous trappy watersprinkler hi hat all over the track. Mumble and trap music has one lane and one subject matter. Real hiphop spans various topics, feelings, emotions, etc.
Name one classic trap album?
Clearly people do bruh if they outselling y’all savior Royce lmfaoo you sound stupid old head. Y’all can preach all this “omg mumble rap is horrible” ha but in the end it’s selling far more records than anything Royce ever put out. Numbers don’t lie homie. Y’all old heads can’t do simple math smh boomers
Him, you are so one tracked minded on the subject. The label machine is all about money, and this shit is WWE. They manipulate views, spins, clicks to build fake hype you’d think some of these trap artists are the 2nd coming of Christ yet their music sucks and is complete trash. It’s all about likes, and the marketing dollars push this result. Vanilla Ice was one of the biggest artists of the 90s. Is anyone still bumping Vanilla Ice? Is Vanilla Ice still in conversation for having quality music? Money and selling out arenas is not the way to measure talent, but you sound like a “New Kids On The Block” kindof guy. Do you man. Do you.
No matter what you say bruh, I’m right. Royce is not outselling nobody I mentioned, period. You prob old as dust and can’t count smh boomers man. Look up how many albums Royce done sold over the years compared to future. “Buh buh future wack yo and he won’t last” lmaoo future selling out arenas old head, Royce still waiting on em to bring him out on tour lmfaoooo ouch
Haha old heads in here MAD that Royce ain’t getting no shine. This man been rapping since biggie was born and still hasn’t mad a splash. People lie numbers don’t. A mumble rapper can sell out a stadium easy, Royce not so much. You know I’m right but y’all old ass pride won’t accept it. Homie still begins Eminem 20 years laters lmaooooooo
The trash you are hyping up on here “sells” cuz it’s a fad that the radio beats down your ear every day! Young teens impulse download this stuff to have it as a ring tone or to play it on the bus through their weak lil iPhone speakers to “impress” their friends! Stop putting real MC’s down cuz they are “old heads” ya dummy. You are a sheep promoting what these labels/radio stations are forcing on you and guess what, you are falling in line with everybody else clown acting like you know good music chump.
Lmfaoo you gotta type a whole novel about why your man Royce can’t get on the radio or even sell out a 19 year old kid lmaoo. “Young teens impulse downloads” so I guess you at everyone homes and know what they’re doing while they download?! Lmfaoo that’s your excuse?! Take your old head ass back to bed man before I call the nurses
It’s not about age, old head or mumble rapper, it’s about good music. In ten years the people with brains will still be listening to rappers like Royce. You won’t even be able to remember the songs you like now. You won’t have a taste or preference in music because you’ll realize you never had one to begin with. You were just following whatever idiotic wave captured the attention of borderline retarded preteens who wanna be black and like ironically listening to garbage. So you’ll just hit the billboard charts to see what’s poppin and pretend you’re “down with the youth” all over again. What a sad meaningless little life you lead.
*old head logic. Lmao and people won’t be listening to Migos?!? Migos and even lil keed can go overseas and sell but Royce?!? Oh no lmao he only going overseas if his master Eminem is going lmao he’s a lame. Now back to bed old head
I only came here for Dr. Dre, Eminem, and Kendrick Lamar. Royce never been hot and never will.
Lmaooo preeeeaacchhh
Royce is a great lyricist no doubt, but his music is just so god awful boring to me. I’ve tried listening to The Allegory twice now, and that album is not for me. The dude’s been getting rich off of Eminem’s clout for over a decade now.
Lmaooo preach
He’s getting rich off his skills and consistency. By your logic everyone associated with Eminem should be rich … yellowwolf?? Obie trice ? A lot of memebers of d 12 ? Royce has always been nice
Lmaoo yelawolf can get his own tour old head. Obie and Royce ain’t been hot since 02 Lmfaoo. It’s 2020 smh go back and listen to your Tupac and biggie old head. Let the Migos and future run this LIKE THEY BEEN DOING
Younglings are hating Royce is nice period. I drop the mic.
Yeah so nice that he been selling less albums than future lmfao shut up old head
What does his sales have to do with how nice he is ? Hip hop is an art form . Not a damn spreadsheet .
You just proved my point you old ass boomer smh. His art form is HORRIBLE lmao no one likes his art like that you clown. If his “art” is so pleasant then why is he still performing at back alley docks Lmfaoo bum
the day Royce outsells nba youngboy or even nle choppa I’ll go ahead and listen. Old heads swear mumble rap is only a phase when in reality Royce and old rappers like him are lmao. Nobody want to hear old Royce spit “bars” over a beat made out of garbage lmaoo get it together boomers
Why all of a sudden everyone thinks the amount of “sales” make you determines if your good rapper . That is not what hip hop culture is about . That is what POP music is about … y’all got the game all confused and fucked .
Oh god another old head trying to make his narrative sound important lmaooo shhhh. Royce been rapping for 20 years and still can’t get his own tour lmfao ouch
Chronic 2001 was wack compared to the original. I can’t think of any song that I still will jam from that today, but I can pull out songs from the original all of the time and get put back to that time and how dope it was.
These young bucks thinking album sales dictating who’s respected are clueless. Common and KRS One have always been highly respected MC’s but neither have seen album sale success that matches their skills. Even Jay once said truthfully he wanted to rap like common but it doesn’t sell so he switch up his style for sales. Just think about that for a minute
Lmaooo man what?! Old head go back to sleep please. Y’all say anything to fit your narrative. Point blank old head is NOBODY listens to sorry ass Royce
Furture has ZERO bars and outsells and packs stadiums unlike Royce. It’s the truth rather you want to admit it or not. When was the last time ANYONE said “I’m going to this Royce concert” lmfaoo…I’ll wait cuh. “Buh buh Royce got bars for days, young teens don’t know what real music is” face asses lmaoo keep listening to a dude who’s been riding ems wave for 20 plus year! Ouch lmao old heads