Slaughterhouse Rockstars
Over the years, many hip hop supergroups have formed but few ever managed to release anything more than a bunch of scattered songs. Slaughterhouse, hip hop’s latest supergroup, has proven to be an exceptional crew not just because it released an album but because their self-titled debut delivers exactly what their fans wanted; an album with a heavily emphasis lyrics and not much else.
It all started when Joe Buddens invited Crooked I, Royce Da 5’9, Joell Ortiz, and Nino Bless to helm a battle themed posse cut for his digital only LP Halfway House. Once the song (“Slaughterhouse“) hit the internet, the fans ate it up, and Royce, Ortiz, Crooked, and Buddens went ahead and formed a collective (For some reason Nino Bless opted not to join the crew) and called it Slaughterhouse.
The chemistry and camaraderie displayed by is more based on friendly rivalry and personal ego than natural friendship. Every member of the four-man crew is out to out-spit, out-flow, and out-wit the other. This of course brings the best of each other even when it seems like their just out to keep pace with each other. The group’s dynamic isn’t just fueled by friendly competition, the career of every member of the group is summarized by brushes with true fame and extended stretches of being underrated.
Royce Da 5’9, a veteran rapper whose long been underrated, is the obvious leader of the group and handles most of the in-house hooks (although some of the songs don’t even have hooks). Royce, a Detroit based rapper, sounds better than he has in years and SH are the best sparring partners he’s had since he fell out with his old sparring partner, Eminem.
Royce isn’t the only SH whose flirted with hip hop’s heavy hitter before becoming an underground favorite. This album is the first time Crooked I–who was once signed to Death Row–actually got see his album released, making it a long overdue coming out party for Crooked. And while there are plenty of lyrical gems on the record, the highlight belongs to Crooked I’s heartbreaking verse on “Rain Drops” where the left coast lyricist proves you can spit tongue twisting rhymes with gymnastic flow and still be poignant.
“Rain Drops” is typical of the second half of the album, which wisely focuses on more emotional issues (the state of hip hop, trials and tribulations, childhood) since lyrical onslaughts tend to be dense and tiresome. The sentimental approach is likely the biggest contribution by New Jersey’s Joe Budden, a rapper whose career has been defined by being refreshingly unique when tackling tougher issues. However, unlike past Buddens releases (like his lackluster sophomore set) the album doesn’t suffer from poor production.
Mr. Porter, The Alchemist, and Streetrunner all provide beats that are above par for an album released on E1 (formerly Koch). Meanwhile DJ Khalil delivers the stellar beat for lead single, “The One.”
There’s plenty of punchlines that could be quoted here, or intricate flows to delve into, but none of that is really necessary. Slaughterhouse has finally given internet fan boys what they wanted. The real question is, will they record a follow-up record, go their separate ways, or have a messy breakup like most supergroups?
