Although he has been one of the most consistently excellent MCs in Hip-Hop for more than 20 years, it is only in the last few years that Royce 5’9 has started getting his proper recognition as an elite lyricist. While Nickel Nine had breakout hits at the turn of the century, like the DJ Premier-produced “Boom,” it was not until Royce aligned himself with Slaughterhouse and DJ Premier, making the most of each alliance, that people start to take note of just how good Royce is.

As Royce has alluded, it likely is no coincidence that he ascended to a new level once he became sober nearly 6 years ago. The clarity that he gained allowed him to produce his finest album to date, Layers, and neatly matches up with the aforementioned milestones.

Now, Royce is preparing to release another solo project and, by the sounds of the first releases, it is going to stand with his best work. His first single, “Boblo Boat,” was a collaboration with J. Cole that remains one of the finest releases of the year. While each MC showed of his lyrical dexterity, they did not try to outrap each other. Rather, they used their prodigious gifts to dig deep and tell revealing stories about the formative years of their adolescence.

On “Dumb,” his latest release, Royce recruits fellow Eminem affiliate, Boogie, and, together they lighten the mood, but turn up the heat with their raps. Produced by S1 and Epikh Pro, the sparse track with staccato piano sounds inspired by vintage Dr. Dre. Royce’s Book Of Ryan album is due to be released on May 4.