Royce Da 5'9"

Once upon a time, Royce da 5'9" was poised to become one of the biggest names in hip-hop. Among other accomplishments, he was partnering with fellow Detroit emcee Eminem in a group called Bad Meets Evil and ghostwriting for Dr. Dre on The Chronic 2001. Then he started beefs with D12, Em, Dre and others that sent his career spiraling and turned him into a diss track extraordinaire. Says Rockwell Knuckles, one of several local rappers opening Royce's Monday night show at the Gramophone, of these vitriol-fueled verses: "He's a beast monster when it comes to expression. His wordplay is excellent, and he turns anger into really good records."