studio album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
Royce da 5'9"
Ryan Daniel Montgomery, known professionally as Royce da 5'9" (or simply Royce 5'9"), is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Montgomery is currently one half of the rap duo Bad Meets Evil with fellow Detroit rapper Eminem, and ...
, released in the United States on October 20, 2009, on One Records. It is the follow-up to his previous album ''
Independent's Day
''Independent's Day'' is the third studio album by American rapper Royce da 5'9". It was released on June 28, 2005 through M.I.C Records. Production was handled by K.I.D.D., Great Scott, Nottz, Asar, and Carlos "6 July" Broady, who also served as ...
'' (2005). At the release of '' Success Is Certain'' (August 9, 2011), ''Street Hop'' sold approximately 24,000 units in the United States via HitsDailyDouble. Despite being formally released in 2009, the singles "Shake This" and "Part of Me" were leaked online in late 2008.
Background
Set for July 2009, the record was released as a joint venture between Royce's M.I.C. Records and the independent label One Records. Originally intended for the first quarter, he was in the studio with his frequent collaborators DJ Premier, Nottz, DJ Green Lantern, Quincey Tones and Carlos Broady of Diddy's
The Hitmen
The Hitmen are an Australian hard rock band formed in November 1977 by long-term members, Johnny Kannis on lead vocals and Chris Masuak on lead guitar as Johnny and the Hitmen. The group went through numerous line up changes in its first run ...
, as well as producers
Ski Beatz
David Anthony Willis, known professionally as Ski Beatz, is an American record producer from Greensboro, North Carolina, mainly working in hip hop.
Biography
Discovered by DJ Clark Kent, Ski was originally known as "MC Will-Ski" in the late 19 ...
''Street Hop'' was originally announced in 2006, and early rumors had fans speculating that Premier would produce the entire album. In September 2006, it was announced that DJ Premier would executive produce and contribute roughly half of the album's material, in addition to helping to select beats. In the same month, Royce was convicted of drunk driving, resulting in a parole violation and a prison sentence. After a year in prison, he prepared the release of the first ''The Bar Exam'' mixtape amid rumors that
Nas
Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones.
Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to:
Aviation
* Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea
* National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia
** Nas Air ( ...
was amenable to signing him to the rapper's
Def Jam
Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop.
The ...
Two albums were initially planned, the other being ''The Revival'' which was also to be overseen by Premier. While both albums would apparently have production from Havoc, Bink!, Hi-Tek,
The Alchemist
An alchemist is a person who practices alchemy.
Alchemist or Alchemyst may also refer to:
Books and stories
* ''The Alchemist'' (novel), the translated title of a 1988 allegorical novel by Paulo Coelho
* ''The Alchemist'' (play), a play by Ben ...
,
9th Wonder
Patrick Denard Douthit (born January 15, 1975), better known as 9th Wonder, is a Babygrande Records. After announcing ''The Bar Exam 2'', a collection of songs entitled ''The Revival'' was leaked onto the Internet. Royce explained that it consisted of outdated rough cuts for ''Street Hop'' and that he was focused more on his mixtape than the supposed album. After the release of ''The Bar Exam 2'', a retail version entitled ''The Bar Exam 2: The Album'' was sold in stores, which did have a collaboration with 9th Wonder.
After joining the
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
er
Joell Ortiz
Joell Christopher Ortiz (born July 6, 1980) is an American rapper and a former member of the group Slaughterhouse. Ortiz grew up in the Cooper Park Houses in the East Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York, formerly signed to Dr. Dre's Afte ...
and
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
n
Crooked I
Dominick Antron Wickliffe (born September 23, 1976), better known by his stage names Crooked I and Kxng Crooked, (stylised as KXNG Crooked and pronounced "King Crooked") is an American rapper from Long Beach, California. He is best known as a for ...
to form the four-man group
Slaughterhouse
A slaughterhouse, also called abattoir (), is a facility where animals are slaughtered to provide food. Slaughterhouses supply meat, which then becomes the responsibility of a packaging facility.
Slaughterhouses that produce meat that is no ...
, Royce had been busy recording and touring. He later returned to the studio for his own album with a new release date. Guests on the album include
Bun B
Bernard James Freeman (born March 19, 1973), known professionally as Bun B, is an American rapper. He is best known as one half of the southern rap duo UGK (UnderGround Kingz), a group he formed in 1987 alongside Pimp C. Aside from his work with ...
,
Busta Rhymes
Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after NFL and CFL wide receiver ...
, and the rest of Slaughterhouse. Videos were shot and released for the first two singles, " Shake This" (produced by DJ Premier) and " Part of Me" (produced by Carlos Broady), both directed by
Rik Cordero
Rik Cordero (born 1979 as Fredric Joseph Cordero) is an American film director and musician. Cordero was born and raised in Queens, New York and is known for applying unusual, non-traditional shooting methods in his work. He was nominated for Vi ...
. Before the album's release, the rapper released '' The Revival EP,'' a four-song collection including an appearance by the rest of Slaughterhouse.