To say that Slaugherhouse’s four MCs have chemistry should be stating the obvious, as their job is based around having chemistry. But walking into their trailer at Paid Dues Festival was like walking into a dorm room, only this dorm room featured four relatively successful rap solo artists, Joe Budden, Crooked I, Royce da 5’9″ and Joell Ortiz, as well as an assortment of associates and friends. In fact, the first ten minutes I spent with the group didn’t consist of an interview at all, but rather, I sat and observed the gentlemen eat gyros and clown on each other. The rappers passed around their licenses for their friends to give unbiased opinions on who took the worst I.D. photo. And if it speaks anything to the comfort level I quickly felt in their presence, I joined in the game, not as a judge, but as a participant. And won. My photo is 12 years old and fucking awful.
So, while the chemistry was to be expected, the lighthearted atmosphere caught me off guard. After all, the group is named Slaughterhouse. But, the smiles are generally reserved for the trailer. When the group would later take the stage, which was set inside a steel-cage ultimate fighting ring, it was all serious business at hand. “This is what we have been doing since the group formed, from day one to now.” Joell Ortiz, the most reserved of the four, says when asked about the group’s onstage chemistry, “we enjoy it and we embrace it and we take care of business and this is what we will take care of later on this evening.” To the same question, Joe Budden states “Well, we are showmen, aside from being MCs. Anytime we are able to interact with fans, I think we all live for it. Just to see their energy, their passion, and their respect… it brings the best out in us.”
Budden, perhaps the most recognizable of the four, and is not shy to acknowledge his earlier commercial recordings, which have been featured on movie soundtracks and sports video games.
“When I was signed to Def Jam, a lot of the music was commercial, and I was blessed to be able to make hit records at such a young age, but I wasn’t necessarily sure that was the route I wanted to go down. I made it a point early on in my career to say ‘I’m not going to make records that I don’t want to make.’ Whatever box that puts me in, if I feel like going in and making a more radio-friendly record, I am able to do that because I have prior success doing that. If I want to make a straight underground, straight lyrical record with no hook… I like that creative freedom. I don’t want to be in any box, creatively.”
This statement catches a rise in the rest of the group, with Royce coming to his friends aid with “I don’t think “Pump It Up” was a commercial record.”
“I didn’t think it was either. And that was the funniest thing about it…” Budden trails off, perhaps realizing the question had gone away from the subject of the interview, the group Slaughterhouse. To Royce, he moves on with “we’ll talk about it later.”
And the move was the correct one. After all, the decision of all four to work as a collective and not as solo artists involves giving up some of the self in order to accomplish greater things as a unit. And while this is a sacrifice in some aspects, it is not without its rewards. Highest among these is the fact that the group was recently signed to Shady Records, the label of hip hop icon Eminem. When asked how the deal came about, the group makes it sound simple.
“‘Hey man, I (Eminem) got money for ya’ll, you better do it,'” Ortiz bluntly says of the deal, to which Budden chimes in “He actually gave us $20. That was our advance, we signed the contract and got a twenty dollar bill.”
Royce da 5’9″, whose history with Eminem goes back Eminem’s debut album in 1997 and includes a long period of beef and fallout, expands on the relationship. “Actually, it came about with him being the great executive/artist that he is and keeping his ear to the streets.” When asked if their relationship contributed to this fact, he continues, “That isn’t the only reason we got signed. He actually went out and bought our album. And that meant a lot, because he can’t really go out in public, he’s living in a bubble. He went to a few different stores, bought the album, vibed with it and next thing you know, we gettin’ a call sayin’ he wanted to possibly work with us.”
And so the deal was done and now, the new Slaughterhouse album is underway. As far as actual music from the upcoming release, it is still very early on for much information, but Crooked I gave insight on the album’s initiation, stating, “Joey set it off with a verse, the official first verse of the Shady album or extravaganza, whatever you want to call it, but in a real way, he knocked it out of the park. I think that set the tone, that we aren’t bullshitting on this one.”
The simultaneous signing of Yelawolf, plus the single “2.0 Boys” that features both Yela and Em, has led many to speculate that both would be involved in some capacity in the new Slaughterhouse album. When asked about guests, Royce did nothing to dispel the rumors, noting, “we don’t even know what to expect right now, we’re in the very beginning stages. We’re just gonna let it flow. There might be a day when Yelawolf happens to be in town and we just happen to be in the studio, a beat might come up and he might start writing a 16, bust out something crazy… That’s the creative process.”
The creative process that appears to be elevating everyone’s game both inside and outside of the studio. Sure, the four are beasts when they later hit the indoor stage at Paid Dues, moving with purpose to each corner of the cage to connect with every hidden corner in the crowd, but one can only imagine what happens when you get these guys putting music to tape, trying to one-up each other with their vocal, and mental, talents.
“I think it helps everybody creatively,” Joe Budden concludes about working as Slaughterhouse, “these guys, their talent is limitless. I’m honored even to be a part of it. Anything I can pick up, I’ve just been a sponge ever since this group has formed. Being on Shady, for me personally, is a little scary. It is a little scary. You was around three monsters, now here’s another monster. I gotta try to tap into the left side of my brain with these guys to come up with some shit. I’m in awe of these guys. Really living a dream.”
But in every compliment, there is a clowning waiting around the corner, as Royce da 5’9″ replies, “Don’t be in awe. That’s a little gay. Be fascinated.” This causes deliberation and laughter among the group until they find a word they can all agree upon. Respect.
