On the simple surface, Royce Da 5’9″ & DJ Premier’s PRhyme project may seem like a purist’s buffet of rhymes and beats. However, there’s much more to this storyline in the two careers that frequently intersected over the last 15 years.

In part one to the “Raiders Of The Lost Art” series, Royce opens up about his drinking, with a vulnerable opening scene of the MC taking an automatic breathalizer test in order to start his 2014 Corvette. Narrated by Bun B, this vignette looks at DJ Premier’s recluse in the studio, going on 25 years of making the kind of Hip-Hop that mainstream typically turns their back on. Preme’ stands in Midtown Manhattan, inside and outside his lab, fighting that fight, even if it feels stacked against him.

Nickel introduces cameras to his kids, his home, and his spouse, in an all-access look. They show the Slaughterhouse MC and his brother Kid Vishis, training at a boxing gym. A matured, detail-oriented MC is shown, all leading into this LP. The ties between the two luminaries are presented quite a bit “deeper than Rap.”

Does this raise the stakes for you on the LP?

Related: Hear Royce Da 5’9″ & DJ Premier’s Foundation In Their PRhyme Title Track (Audio)