Royce da 5’9″ talks about being Sober, Eminem’s advice, and more.
Eminem, a fellow Detroit rapper, is being credited by Royce da 5’9” for showing him the road to sobriety. Royce Da 5’9 released Layers, his first solo album in five years. The album tells the story of the Detroit rapper’s rehabilitation from alcoholism. Royce da 5’9″ recently sat down with Reginald Da R Star for an interview where he talks about adapting to the ‘new normal’, therapy, sobriety, Eminem’s sober advice, and more. The host asks, “Did you get tips from Em, because I know I’ve heard interviews where he struggled when he started writing again Sober. Did you share tips on that?”
“My journey was just a little bit different from Marshall’s,” says Royce at around the 15:00 minute mark. “I don’t know if a lot of you guys know this man But Marshall really messed itself up really bad with those pills with those drugs.”
“Based on his raps, he’s like he almost died right,” says Reginald.
“Yes, he messed himself up really good,” says Royce. “Like he OD and he was in the hospital and they had to revive him and it was ugly. When he finally got came out of all of that and he got off the hospital. He had to kind of teach himself how to rap again. So this whole process was just different. He gave me some wise words and some kind words just as an OG in recovery. He just told me things to kind of like boost my confidence.”
“I remember him telling me when I told him that I wanted that I was stopping. He said you’re strong today. He said most people would take this moment and process it as being a weakness. Because essentially what you’re doing is you’re saying you’re admitting that you’re powerless over this substance. But really this is the strongest that you’ve been. Because you’re finally willing to admit so you’re taking the first step. This is what you’ve lacked all these years, that you’ve known that this thing could be problematic. So just being able to take that first step I mean, he helped keep my confidence up there.”
Royce (real name Ryan Montgomery) had already made a reputation for himself in the rap world at the time and had to spend most of his childhood in the music industry. In fact, he was in the company of Dr. Dre when he drank his first alcoholic beverage.
He believed that his newfound liquid bravery helped him perform and connect with others. But he couldn’t manage his consumption for long, and before he knew it, he was addicted to booze. With it came the unrestrained turmoil that comes with any addiction – adultery, not being able to be there for his children, and uncontrollability in other areas of his life.
This is strong stuff, especially since Eminem has fought addiction and Royce is a recovered alcoholic. Many artists will tell you that they’ve learned to rely on drugs to be creative, but it’s inspiring to hear that Royce discovered he didn’t need his crutch to produce his work.
When discussing “Startercoat,” Royce adds that his experiences have taught him not to pass judgement on others, particularly his uncle, who battled crack addiction. His visits to Alcoholics Anonymous, he adds, gave him the perspective that everyone has difficulties to cope with.
“Nobody’s problems are really bigger than anybody else’s,” he says. “If you woke up five days last week and didn’t know where you were, how is that any different from me going to the studio, bullshi**ing with making music and almost losing my family? Both are just as tragic if you think about it. “So when I reflect on my uncle’s crack problem, I figure, how can I say anything about him? I’m an alcoholic. How can I even judge him? If anything, I should be trying to pick him up. Sh*t. Just because I’m the guy in the family that’s making the money doesn’t mean there’s not bad sh*t being said about me for having a problem.”
In a recent interview with HipHopDX, Royce discussed his difficulties with alcohol and stated that the first time he drank was with Dr. Dre. He had no idea what he was going to unleash at the time. But in 2012, he quit drinking for good and hasn’t looked back since.
“It was just so many years of just — excuse my language— f**king up,” Royce said. “Just doing bad stuff, doing, making really bad decisions, having myself in situations that quite honestly I just felt like I was better than. It’s just dumbing myself down a lot. It was just really hard to stand on anything when you’re letting go of your inhibitions all day, every day. “This is the business for that, you know what I mean? Once I started reaching a certain age, you don’t look cool doing that sh*t for a long time. It’s like first they’re laughing with you, then they start to laugh at you.”
Watch the whole interview below.
