Royce 5’9 & Tech N9ne Are Barely Human On A Song That Shows Their Elite Skills (Audio)

Six years ago this week, Royce 5’9 released a critical album in his catalog: Success Is Certain. The Bad Meets Evil MC was suddenly in a great place and needed to write a new chapter to follow the brooding Death Is Certain LP five years earlier. At the time, that 2011 effort marked a new chart pinnacle for Nickel Nine in a definitive comeback season. The MC was sober, happy, and showing his joy in his art.

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The label behind S.I.C. (22 Entertainment) has released a new song in honor of the anniversary. “Barely Human” pairs Royce with another Midwest giant who’s done it his way too. Tech N9ne and Royce sound downright diabolical together, as they attack an S1 track (Kanye West’s “Power” and Eminem’s “Bad Guy”). This is not a ’11 holdover though, as Royce makes clear with his Future-related “f*ckin’ up them commas” punchline.

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While the song has a monstrous chorus, it’s the compound rhymes amidst that fast-rapping deliveries that should appease the purists. The same summer as Bar Exam 4, Royce 5’9 appears to be in another incredible stride.